Professional
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| Testing under way |
“Assessment which is
explicitly designed to promote learning is the simple, most powerful tool we
have for both raising standards and empowering lifelong learners.”
(Beyond the Black Box, Assessment Reform Group, 1999) (cited
in CCEA, 2009, p.v)
Last week in City Parents School marked the time for end of month exams once more in Literacy, Numeracy and R.E. Exams were carried out under strict conditions and I think was as nervous as the pupils, hoping that they would remember all I had taught them!
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| Glad exams are over! |
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| Assessment sheets |
Pupil assessment is very important in this school with
pupils undergoing constant and rigorous assessment. Each day I record marks
from completed work and complete individual assessment sheets for all 73
pupils. This method is used as class sizes are large and teachers struggle to monitor pupil learning.
Knowing how beneficial self-assessment is for pupils I use
techniques such as ‘thumbs up, thumbs down’ to gauge if pupils are confident that they are able to complete work and achieve.
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| Thumbs up or thumbs down? |
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| A Christian message on a Matatu |
Walking through the supermarket on my first day after arriving
in Uganda I found myself singing along to the music blaring through the
speakers. It wasn’t the usual secular music played in shops at home but I
realised that it was a worship CD playing.
Over the past weeks and months in Uganda I cannot help but
realise the extremely open Christian culture that exists. Buses, taxis and boda
bodas display signs that declare ‘God is love’ or ‘The Lord is my strength’.
‘Unlike Westerners, most Ugandans see
physical and spiritual life as a continuum, where spiritual life as a
continuum, where spiritual and material reality blends so seamlessly that the
two are inseparable.’ (Otiso, 2006, p.21)
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| Morning prayers in P2Y |
On Wednesday morning I began to teach my first lesson of the
day. In a matter of minutes my lesson was stopped and the boys and girls were
asked to kneel down and pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Grace, the school prayer
and offer their own individual prayers. Religion is important in the Ugandan
culture and this is reinforced to children from a young age.
Even notes I receive
from the children finish with ‘God bless you’.
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| 'May God bless you' |
This street kid Solomon, like many others has been immersed in the Christian culture in Uganda and told me on Sunday 'God loves you'.
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| Solomon is always smiling! |
Unfortunately despite the ‘Christian culture’, ironically there are people especially in the government of Uganda who do not uphold Christian moral standards.
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties
today of its strength.” ― Corrie Ten Boom
(cited in Franklin, 2008, p.175)
Despite this truth as expressed by Corrie Ten Boom I am known
to be the world’s biggest worrier. I worried before I arrived in Uganda that I would find settling into a new culture difficult, but this was most definitely time wasted. With the development of technology the world is a smaller place and the warm welcome extended by those I meet has help me to relax and settle. I am enjoying the
relaxed lifestyle, characteristic of the African people. I have grown closer in
my relationship to God, have read book after book on kindle and look forward to
a few lengths of the swimming pool each day after school. I hope not only to make the most of this in my time here but when I go home to integrate elements of this lifestyle into my own life thus relaxing and enjoying the little things in life.
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| Enjoying time to relax with friends |
Otiso, K (2006) Culture and Customs of Uganda, USA:
Greenwood PRESS.
Franklin, B.(2008) When You're Down to Nothing, God Is Up to
Something, USA: Library of Congress.
CCEA (2009)
Assessment for learning, a practical guide, Belfast: CCEA.
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