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VOLUNTEERS FEEDBACK REPORT
From: Amy Cunningham & Shonah Paton -volunteer from Scotland
Feedback Date: 15th July 2008
Reported Date: 2nd July 2008
Departed Date: 15th July 2008
A. School building:
Walls are colorful pictures, letters and numbers very effective.
Good to see pictures at the walls of the class.
It is important for classes to be colorful and bright with numbers, letters and pictures.
Some of the pictures are little hard for kids, for example. Ant in pre unit class Abdomen /Thorax)
It would also be nice to see some of the children’s own drawings/pictures displayed at the classroom walls.
B. Classrooms:
Classrooms are well organized.
C. Teaching:
Teachers seem to have a very good relationship with the pupils, good to see that. Good discipline also children seem very happy and respect their teachers.
Teachers mostly very encouraging getting the class to clap when a pupil gets a question correct is excellent to see that and it is encouraging the students to do better.
Maybe the teachers may avoid the word “fail” when they get something wrong, instead encourage the child to put the mistake right, by saying “try again”
D. Academic issues:
1. Math’s:
Middle class:
Class are engaged in their learning seem to be clang very well. Using counting balls & sticks works well.
Pre unit class:
Pupils are very good at counting. By this stage it would be good to get them counting without using sticks.
Doing work mentally on simple sums would help a lot. For example, they should learn (2+1, 3+2, 5+5, 7+3, 10+10, 5+2), without counting with sticks before you go into bigger sums such as 782+469. Counting using fingers can be used and number lines.
2. English:
Spelling, reading, speaking and writing is all very good. Maybe their understanding is not quite so good though Pre –unit have good vocabulary but not great at putting sentences together.
-Things like; starting the day talking about the weather and speaking about what they do after school would really help their language development. Even if they start in Kiswahili and the teacher repeat in English would help their basic conversational skills a lot.
Writing skills are good for their ages.
Good to hear them singing in English- all they sing very well, but it is important that they all know what they are singing about. Singing is great.
3. Science lesson:
We took part in pre-unit class was excellent! Really good to get the kids out and seeing what they were learning about. This is the best way to learn as the pupils use all their senses sight/ hearing/ touch. Use this learning technique as much as possible.
Learning for children at this stage should be mostly “learning through play” which seems to be happening a lot.
Keep praising, encouraging and being positive about the pupils and their learning.
Overall the school seems to have a very positive environment, the kids seem to be very happy & enjoying their time here.
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From: Ever and Denise from New York, USA
Feedback Date: 23rd October 2008
Reported Date: 23rd October 2008
Departed Date: 23rd October 2008
Recommendations
Contact non- profit groups (Volunteer tourism) to bring more volunteers into school and greater visibility for school.
Coordinate longer volunteer visits to assist with teachers
(example I week I month).
To find Sister Schools in United States of America. Sponsorship for School supplies, kids could learn about each other’s culture and participate in shared projects, students could be pen pals.
Solar powered flashlights to help children study at night for those students who are living around the school..