When I was in Senegal one of the best weeks was the Stage, a whole week of teacher training with lots of other teachers. It was how I met fellow English teachers and saw some inspirational examples of teaching. It was all in French of course so I lost a lot, but it is amazing how when you have the context some information goes in. And today even though I have had a translator the two hours training I have just had have been excellent for example how to get young children to engage with material, ask questions (which they do not like to do) and see material from a different angle. We were encouraged for example to take apart Aladdin, which I could read in the Cyrillic, from the point of view of the sound, heart and eyes of the piece. Seeing my colleagues acting out their part was lovely. The training was done by our I think Director of Studies (he was properly introduced so sorry that I am not sure) who has been here all week to try and find ways to support the school and ensure that what we offer is good. As part of his work he interviewed all the second year students. When I was at HRC Ofsted would do something similar, but it was very interesting to see his gentle approach and how the children responded. They were talking in Russian which is the children's second language (English will be their third) and offered a chance to assess their progress as well as how satisfied they are with their education.
I attach a picture of my students in front of some of the work that they did today. Two classes each did half the work representing material from the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Then when I got home the neighbouring children were out playing with their lovely hand made kites. I now know a use for old video tape.
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