The second humanist methodology seminar for teachers
Kenya – Island of Hope, Rusinga – 2011 (7-11.8, 13-17.8)
Coordinator of the project: Daniela Cachová
Lecturers: Daniela Cachová, Hanka Dvořáková
Project of Community for human development with cooperation with Centre Narovinu
The second humanist methodology seminar for teachers with emphasis on teaching methods, effective communication skills and non-violent attitude was attended by 61 teachers from the whole Kenya in two five-day runs.
Together with Kenyan organizers we realized an experiential interactive seminar at humanist community centre Island of Hope on Rusinga Island, whose intention was to provide Kenyan teachers with a large scale of universally usable teaching methods and activities. Apart from own practicing of various activities from prepared manual teachers had space for common sharing of their own experience and observations from teaching practice.
A big topic was to let the teachers in particular steps of non-violent respectful communication, which is very different from local traditional authoritative attitude with active role of the teacher. Teachers could use and train insights from that one-day "mini-seminar" in the course of the whole seminar. Teachers could master then those communication skills through studying the book "How to Talk so Kids can Learn" (A. Faber, E. Mazlisch), which were donated in three copies to three most active cooperating communities in Kenya.
By introducing of the project of Education towards Non-violence, which we launched in CR in 2005, we wanted to inspire Kenyan teachers to actively use our pilot manual or its parts within "actively - non-violent" enlightenment at school, family and community. One-day seminar connected with presentation of this project, with practical trying of several sample activities and sub sequential giving know-how to potential lecturers met a big response and positive reactions.
At the end of the seminar teachers formed an active group which took the aim to spread the newly gained skills (methodical, communicational and non-violent) in their neighbourhood with our distant support. Our aim - to inspire teachers and motivate them to actively spread newly gained skills and attitude further - succeeded (at least according to final positive mood of teachers).
