Meri Primary School Training
Addis Ababa Education Bureau
Government School

by Dagim Melese and Atsede Tsehayou
TSE Country Lead Professional Development Facilitators
970

Thinking Schools Ethiopia facilitated a half day refreshment training for whole staff of Meri Primary School. Meri Primary School is part of the 300+ government schools in the Addis Ababa Education Bureau.

The purpose of the training is to support class room use of Thinking Maps for educators which were previously were introduced to the school staff and also included new educators of the school. Forty eight (48) educators partcipated in the training with the majority of them being female educators. Brief introduction of the Thinking Schools Model and description of three broad principles of the model was followed by a round table modelling of introduction and use of all eight thinking processes for the eight Thinking Maps. Educators were then asked to work in collaborative groups exercsing the use of the maps using first general topics and later in departments with subject specific topics . Examples were shared, discussed and reflected upon.

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The group was observed being purposeful, actively engaged , with educators exhibiting competence in the use of the maps – coming up with great examples .

The training continues with on going school site visits by TSE Trainers. Above and below are some of the still pictures taken of the training.

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Thinkabout Blog
Building from the Ground …Down

a-david-k-children

by David Hyerle
Founder of Thinking Foundation, Developer of Thinking Maps
www.thinkingfoundation.org
Last month I travelled for two reasons. One reason was to work with educational leaders in Ethiopia and the other was to travel across northern Ethiopia. Little did I know that the real reason was waiting far beneath the ground.

After flying into Addis Ababa and then north, our Thinking Foundation team began working in the city of Mekele in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia. We are collaborating with a dozen university professors and lecturers, lead by the Tigray Development Association, to initiate the Thinking Schools Accreditation Process (TSAP). This means that the 37 public schools (that have begun professional development in the TSI approach some months ago) will begin documenting their own evolution as a Thinking School with direct support from highly qualified university researchers. The two day, highly collaborative, seminar was ground breaking for all of us. I wanted to make sure that these leaders evaluated, challenged, and adapted our design to fit the culture, language, values and goals set by Ethiopian educators. The vision is to build quality model sites from which an educational movement supporting high quality teacher professional development in Ethiopia can grow – indigenously.

After the work it was time to explore: we went on several very bumpy road trips in northern Ethiopia to historic Aksum and surroundings (now a international travel destination). Three eight hour journeys took my breath away: crossing high mountains laced with terraced farming, broad river valleys, Grand Canyons one after another, and 15 mile long high plateaus graced by small villages. This trip was beyond my imagination, and ultimately, brought me to sit on the barren floor of an unlit kindergarten classroom surrounded by smiling, eager faces in a town called Lalibela. I had only heard about and looked at a few pictures of the UNESCO site at Lalibela. They call the town the 8th wonder of the world. Like sculpture through which an artist releases a form from solid, cold stone, what I witnessed in this dry, mountain top village transformed my vision of what is possible. There are wonders of the natural world, and then there are the natural miracles of imagination and human potential that transcend our notions of the possible. As this is a season of miracles for many, if you visit here you may come to believe that the human mind can envision most anything … and build it. I certainly see transformative, secular education as such an endeavor.

church-lilabela

A sculptor emancipates a vision from stone, slowly bringing it into light, into sight that then often sits untouched upon a pedestal. But what happened in the late 12th and early 13th centuries in Lalibela was the sculpting of 11 churches carved out of stone – literally from the ground…. down. Like building an intricate sandcastle on the beach downward rather than up. Give your mind a moment to consider this: imagine being up high on a mountainside in a village and at that turn of a dusty road, you take a tight, curved steep pathway down into a courtyard nearly two hundred feet to the base of a church. Look up and you see a multistory church … and then above it the ground level from which it was carved. The church was NOT BUILT. It was carved. Completely from the level ground, down. From the outside in. Walk into the church center, a scared crossing of rooms, that could hold a hundred people, and see in the darkness men, women and children dressed in pure white, glistening, sitting or standing while leaning their hands and chins on prayer sticks. Chanting scripture by candlelight. Become transformed as I did by the strange feeling that you were standing INSIDE a sacred sculpture seeking light from the underground darkness.

After stepping out into the full light and heat from the churches (many connected by underground passage ways) up the road we visited a Lalibela kindergarten school owned by a single teacher. She is a mother who started the school in her small home, on her own, to serve the community and the memory of her son who passed away in early childhood. I was sitting on the floor amongst 20 or so 4-5 year old children. I began playfully showing them the hand signs for each of the eight Thinking Maps– each for learning how to visually pattern ideas from a blank page. I looked up at the teacher and beheld the smile of a mother. Outside in the courtyard, I asked her what she needed. And then I immediately asked myself within… as I listened to her: “What doesn’t she and these children and this school and this community need?”

She said she needed $400 for a computer as she needs to create and transmit reports of attendance and other key information to the government so that she can receive funding. And toys – simple toys as she explained – to bring the kinesthetic development required for growth. She needs the basic tools of the trade for the 21st century. I told her I would reach out to my friends for help.
You are those friends.

I have always considered education in its hightest form to be the release of the unlimiting thinking capacities of students into the open, rippling across generations, centuries, human kind – yet all projected forward from thousands of years ago. In Ethiopia you can visit the the bones of our ancestors: the archeologists’ remnants of Lucy under glass at the National Museum. This in a country dominantly Christian in the true cradle of civilization. Many Ethiopians hold, quite naturally in mind, a belief in God and the science of Darwinian evolution.

I was reminded on my visit to a Lalibela church that one of the three wise men, Balthazar, came from Ethiopia and, from a kindergarten classroom in Lalibela, that every child should have the opportunity to grow wise with age.We are seeking funds for one computer in Lalibela, resources for Thinking Schools teachers and students across Ethiopia, and for supporting an evolution in thinking.

For donations to the Lalibela kindergarten and the Thinking Schools Ethiopia projects, please contact David through www.thinkingfoundation.org

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Short History of Lalibela from Wikipedia:
During the reign of Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela (a member of the Zagwe Dynasty, who ruled Ethiopia in the late 12th century and early 13th century), the current town of Lalibela was known as Roha. The saintly king was named so, because a swarm of bees is said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future reign as Emperor of Ethiopia. The names of several places in the modern town and the general layout of the rock-cut churches themselves are said to mimic names and patterns observed by Lalibela during the time he spent as a youth in Jerusalem and the Holy Land.Lalibela, revered as a saint, is said to have seen Jerusalem, and then attempted to build a new Jerusalem as his capital in response to the capture of old Jerusalem by Muslims in 1187. Each church was carved from a single piece of rock to symbolize spirituality and humility. Christian faith inspires many features with Biblical names – even Lalibela’s river is known as the River Jordan. Lalibela remained the capital of Ethiopia from the late 12th into the 13th century.

Thinking Schools Ethiopia Tigray
Reports from the Field
Wolkayt Woreda Primary and Secondary Schools

Thinking Schools Ethiopia, Thinking Foundation, Initiative Africa
Year 1 • 2015-2016/2007-2008 • Monthly Report
Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out:  Empowering Young Girls: Building Communities
Westwrn Zone, Wolkayt Woreda
wolkayt-all-maps
Report written by Berihu Alay (COC) • November, 2015 • Humera

The objectives and strategies for the quality improvement of general education during the forthcoming years have been clearly spelled out by the MoE in the General Education Quality Improvement Package (GEQIP). The package is composed of a number of components and sub-components which are complementary to each other and form part of an integrated school effectiveness model.

The strategy have made devised system of assessing, upgrading and certifying quality of education delivery of schools as well as professional capacity of all staff in the education system. However challenges are threatening the successful practice of these policy intentions. The Tigrai regional Bureau of education and TDA believe the introduction and effective and efficient implementation of the project “Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out –Empowering Girls Building Communities” , Educational ideology, which is currently being proven within the international school communities around the world, to have a significant accelerating effect in transforming the quality of provision of education in Tigrai Schools.

Thinking Schools Ethiopia – Tigray is a collaboration of Tigray Development Association and Thinking Foundation for 37 model schools in 12 Woredas located in all  7 zonal administrations with funding administered by Initiative Africa for a Girl’s Empowerment Whole School Change grant from Sida (Swedish Development Agency) that began as a grass roots project by Robert Seth Price along with lead country trainers Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese. Read the chapter on Ethiopia in the Corwin Press book Pathways to Thinking Schools.

wolkayt negash primary school3

The approach of Thinking Schools is a systems approach that uses lifelong thinking and problem solving methods that support deeper understanding and methods of sharing understanding including students, teachers, leadership and parents. This includes secondary, elementary, across all disciplines and supports special needs. The Thinking Schools approach provides an equal opportunity for all students regarding of gender to develop their thinking skills equally for mutual understanding and success. Additionally, the methods are skills that parallel tools an entrepreneur would use to develop and succeed with all students’ professional development.

In wereda Wolkayt, three schools are targeted under this project. These are Getachew Azenaw Secondary School, Negash Primary School and Teshome Primary School.

After the TOT training given for top performing teachers, schools have been accomplished different activities to implement the objectives by accepting the rational of the project. It is believed that the rational for implementation of Thinking Schools Ethiopia is that lifelong skills for use with problem solving in school, life and work for students, educators, school leaders and parents which is vital for growing school community in particular and the whole school system in general.

Hence, target schools have accomplished different activities in the last three weeks. In Nov, 05, 06 and 08, 2015 all the target schools (Getachew Azenaw Secondary School, Negash Primary School and Teshome Primary School respectively) have given trainings for teachers. (See photos if necessary)

Wereda Education Leaders
The role of the wereda education head and management experts has taken a lions position in leading the target schools to give trainings for their teachers in their schools. A meeting with management committee has been held on 03/11/2015 and we gave directions for target schools to plan action plans and give trainings.

wolkayt group meeting


Getachew Azenaw Secondary School
wolkayt getachew secondary school
In this secondary school, all the trained teachers and the TOT trainers together have made an open discussion on how to give training for all teachers of the school. Based on this, they have assigned different committees. (See their minutes). Besides, they have discussed on the action plan prepared by the school director. Then they have all agreed to give the training based on the scheduled time.

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Teachers of Getachew Azenaw Secondary school community building exercise.
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Teachers of Getachew Azenaw Secondary school community building exercise.

During the training session, all the responsible trainer teachers have been led the training and all teachers in the school have been participated. The eight different thinking maps have been posted at any angle of the school and discussed in detail.

wolkayt getachew secondary school4

Participants were satisfied and they reflected that they are committed to implement these maps in their class rooms to ensure quality education with clear understanding of the rational of the project.

wolkayt getachew secondary school5
Personal Frames of Reference.

Negash Primary School
Similarly in Negash primary school, TOT trainers with other trained teachers have prepared an action plan and assigned committees to implement the training. Besides, this school has prepared a budget.

wolkayt negash primary school1

Hence, they have accomplished the training with a much needed manner and all trainees have decided to implement the project in their school in general and the THINKING MAPS in their class rooms in particular.

wolkayt negash primary school2

Teshome Primary School
In this school similarly with other target schools, have planned an action plan assigned committees based on the direction given by the top leaders of the wereda education office and me (IEGRS project COC). Therefore, they have given the training for all concerned teachers.

wolkayt teshome primary school3

Tesfa Birihan Secondary School
Whole Staff Professional Development
Addis Ababa Government School

12308881_968501049890665_1772976399_nThe training descriptive that follows is part of the Thinking Schools Ethiopia Addis Ababa government schools project that includes 6 city model laboratory schools and 6 rural model laboratory schools near Addis Ababa.

by Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese
co-country lead facilitators
The training with Tesfa Birihan Secondary School on the 27 November 2015, was a one day training on Thinking Maps . It involved 115 participants constituting the whole staff of the school.  The participants included teachers, teacher professional development experts, deputy directors, and the support staff  including accounts, store keepers, cashiers, people of the pedagogical centre. The goal of the training was to introduce whole staff with Thinking Maps and initiate whole school use with implementation of the maps in the classrooms for students and with the staff for leadership.

12305573_969500083124095_1251699250_nThe training began with community building exercises (e.g. commonalities) which was followed by work on personal frames of references (which was modeled by Atsede Tsehayou, the country co-lead facilitator).  Atsede collaborated with participants in the training including the vibrant educator Marta. They modeled Think – Pair – Share:

  • first Teacher with Student,
  • then Student with Student,
  • then the whole group in pairs.

Participants were then asked to read and reflect on page 25 of the Growing Thinking School guide (a page on Comparison between Thinking and Traditional Students), and asked to share observations on the validity of the comparison given their experiences. This was later followed by a brief introduction of the Thinking 12283006_968497566557680_1349611696_nSchool Model and communication on the emphasis of the days training:  Thinking Maps .

Thinking Maps were introduced with their hand symbols. We modeled the use of one of the Thinking Maps. Subsequently participants were first asked to use general topics to be explored by all 8 maps and next organised into departments and worked on subject relevant topics .

Observations during the training include:

  1. Vibrant school leader – Ato Yohannes Asefa sees the value of the work and is excited to regularly collaborate with Thinking Schools Ethiopia.
  2. 12319604_968516576555779_1109016025_nTeachers shared that one day is not enough. They said they need to master the use of the maps if they are to transfer the maps to their students. So more training in the maps for mastery was requested.
  3. The sub-city supervisor was accidentally there at the school where witnessed and was appreciative to see the teacher attending training on Thinking Maps as shared by the school leader Yohannes.
  4. The educators were serious and purposeful. They were seriously engaged and really trying to exercise using Thinking Maps.

 

 

Black Minds Matter

Published on The Huffington Post
Co-written by Eric Cooper and Robert Seth Price
30 November 2-15 • article online at the Huffington Post
download pdf copy of article

P1140296More than 200 years ago, the English historian Edward Gibbon wrote about a people who ignored the world and nearly lost their society.

“Encompassed on all sides by the enemies of their religion the Ethiopians slept near a thousand years, forgetful of the world, by whom they were forgotten,” Gibbon wrote in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: “Only after the ancient Portuguese gave them modern weapons and materials did the Ethiopians take steps toward prosperity and independence.”

Today, Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world, and at 94 million people, it has the second-highest population of any African country.

By ignoring what was happening in the rest of their world, the ancient Ethiopians made a dangerous mistake. But theirs is more than a history lesson. The “sleep” Gibbon wrote about centuries ago has implications for modern societies — not only Ethiopia, but also here in the United States and elsewhere. It is a different type of “sleep” — a lack of appreciation for historic struggles for human rights and racial and gender equality that bind people throughout the world — yet it, too, threatens the future and prosperity of young Blacks and people of color in the United States, Ethiopia and across the globe.

Young people need the tools and skills to connect past, present and future. They need educational approaches that teach them to understand and respect different perspectives — and to harvest those perspectives for mutual benefit, in a way that allows them to solve problems collaboratively, whether they are battling City Hall or consulting as an adult with a multi-national business halfway around the world.
Without this level of awareness and engagement, it is Blacks, people of color and those struggling with poverty who are endangered.

It’s not enough to say Black Lives Matter. We must believe Black Minds Matter. We must teach every young person not only content, but also the processing and evaluation skills — or the pedagogy — needed to give subject matter context, and employ it to solve society’s problems. Skills to be taught and learned for 21st century success include: global awareness; international collaboration; critical thinking; synthesis; creativity and computing. This is how we create confident, inquisitive, lifelong learners who will build a better world by protecting the environment, addressing poverty, managing unprecedented human migration and deepening the support for human rights.

Time and again, we have seen what happens in the United States when people from different backgrounds fail to acknowledge each other’s reality. This continues to split people of color and many Whites — causing fear of change and strident calls for retrenchment and changes in governance. In Ethiopia, where gender inequality is a top social issue, the divide often occurs between men and women.
We must continually mediate these and other issues before they become entrenched and pervasive misunderstandings. We must accept that “frame of reference” is an important part of the “prior knowledge” necessary for bridging academic gaps. Not all knowledge comes from a book, lecture or classroom teacher. Knowledge also can be witnessed, felt, perceived, experienced. And that “frame of reference” can enable us to relate to events we do not personally experience.

Education models of change are well underway. For example, in the United States, the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education provides professional development so educators can harness a student’s culture or “frame of reference” and use it to help every student, regardless of race or cultural or economic background, to reach his or her potential. In Eastern Africa, the Thinking Schools Ethiopia project uses a pedagogy that includes frame of reference, inquiry and collaboration. The pedagogy explores subjects such as relationships between historic oppression and the subjugation of the Black experience in Ethiopia today. By so doing, commitment to learning and effort is expanded and lives are improved.

The classroom can and should be the incubator for change — the great equalizer for children and communities across the globe. In an age of global strife, to lose sight of the role of progressive education in the lives of children is to admit defeat in a war of ideas we cannot afford to lose. What do we tell the children when the lives of so many remain in turmoil? Is it not the responsibility of adults and children to defend the values of social and human justice in a diverse world? The children deserve answers in an increasingly scary global community.

Robert Seth Price is director of Thinking Schools Ethiopia www.thinkingschoolsethiopia.com. He can be reached at robert@eggplant.org.

Eric J. Cooper is the founder and president of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, a nonprofit professional development organization that provides student-focused professional development, advocacy and organizational guidance to accelerate student achievement. He can be reached at e_cooper@nuatc.org. He tweets as @ECooper4556.

 

 

Tigray Ethiopia: Thinking Schools
Aksum: Seka School

tigray-axum-seka-school2by Tsehaye Hagos
Tigray Seka Elementary School
Thinking Schools Ethiopia Trainer of Trainer
The photos above and below are from Seka Elementary School in the Aksum region in Tigray Ethiopia. Seka Elementary School is one of 37 model laboratory schools part of the Thinking Schools Ethiopia Tigray project.

First we are given some training about the Thinking Schools Ethiopia training. After that these photos of students are when the teacher teaches for the students about the topic in the English subject. The students are learning one topic about TENSE using the map of Circle Map in tigray-axum-seka-school6English subject. The teachers use Circle Maps and Flow Maps and other Thinking Maps in Seka Full Elementary School. The other Thinking Maps are being regularly used in our whole school. We have been starting grades 1-8 especially with math & English subjects.

The school recently participated in both the Trainer of Trainers professional development and the whole school training with the Trainer of Trainers under the guidance of Thinking Schools International Global Trainer Robert Seth Price and the Thinking Schools Ethiopia County Trainers Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese. Thinking Schools Ethiopia – Tigray is a collaboration of Tigray Development Association and Thinking Foundation for 37 model schools in 12 Woredas located in all  7 zonal administrations with funding administered by Initiative Africa for a Girl’s Empowerment Whole School Change grant from Sida (Swedish Development Agency) that began as a grass roots project by Robert Seth Price along with lead country trainers Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese. Read the chapter on Ethiopia in the Corwin Press book Pathways to Thinking Schools.

tigray-axum-seka-school5 tigray-axum-seka-school4
tigray-axum-seka-school2 tigray-axum-seka-school1

 

 

 

 

Thinking Schools Tigray Ethiopia Professional Development
Trainer of Trainers
12-15 October 2015

By Robert Seth Price and Dagim Melese

By Dagim Melese
P1130208Thinking Schools Ethiopia Lead Country Trainer
Professional Development conducted in Wukro, Tigray, Ethiopia on the 12-15 October 2015
Whole School Staff Training for developing models of Thinking Schools in Tigray region.
Thinking Schools International (TSI) and Thinking Schools Ethiopia (TSE) facilitated whole staff trainings for educators of 37 laboratory schools in Tigray region. The schools involved two primary schools and a high school from each of the 12 Weredas of the Zonal Administrations in Tigray and one additional school in the Mekelle area. The TSI Global Trainer Robert Seth Price, and the TSE Global Trainers Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese collaborated on facilitating the professional development.

P1120977The training had begun with the leadership team of schools and experts from Tigray Education Bureau, the  Teacher Education Colleges and Mekelle University. Deciding upon the model’s importance to the government school systems in
the region TDA (Tigray Development Association) planned the development of   37 Thinking Schools in 12 Weredas of the region. Following from the principle of whole school transformational change processes the training then was facilitated to most of educators at Wukiro , Aksum and Shira training sites.

Thinking Schools Ethiopia – Tigray is a collaboration of Tigray Development Association and Thinking Foundation for 37 model schools in 12 Woredas located in all  7 zonal administrations with funding administered by Initiative Africa for a Girl’s Empowerment Whole School Change grant from Sida (Swedish Development Agency) that began as a grass roots project by Robert Seth Price along with lead country trainers Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese. Read the chapter on Ethiopia in the Corwin Press book Pathways to Thinking Schools.

P1120848Four (4) Days Trainers of Trainers (TOT) Leadership Professional Development Training
A strategic plan by TSI global trainer, Robert Seth Price, had it that a successful trainings of about 850 educators was forethought to be facilitated involving ToT trainers assuming leadership roles. Accordingly , a four days hands on, highly interactive and participatory training was conducted for about 74 ToT trainees. The training involved a demonstration lesson with students conducted by a TSE trainer Atsede Tsehayou while the ToT trainers were observing, recording their questions and observations. This was followed by discussions on the questions raised and observations aired. The demonstration lesson enabled P1130023ToT trainees to see the practical aspects of the pedagogical strategies, and tools the thinking schools model provides. Mastery of use of Thinking Maps with frame of reference, exercising elements of collaborative networking of ideas, and planning the steps/events of whole school implementation of Thinking Maps, and other pedagogical strategies were the key elements of the TOT training. Other pedagogical methods included question for inquiry, community building exercises, and collaborative learning methods.

P1130117Subsequently a two days whole staff training was undertaken for over 320 teacher educators under the leadership role of the ToT trainers . The ToT trainers played key role in effectively transferring via modeling the essential components of the training to ALL educators from Wukro. After the two days training teachers from 2 primary and 1 secondary schools from each Wereda came up with their plan (in a Flow Map) of whole school implementation of Thinking Maps in their respective schools. Worth mentioning it is, here,  that the training hall chosen at Wukro site contributed a lot to the success of the overall training. The training was in the P1130313auditorium within a Catholic School located in Wukro. It was superb in space, excellent in sound, and sufficient quality chairs and tables for the large group.

by Robert Seth Price
TSI Global Trainer
Professional Development conducted in Wukro, Tigray, Ethiopia on the 12-15 October 2015
www.eggplant.org

The Trainer of Trainer model implemented with the Thinking Schools Ethiopia: Tigray project is equal parts ToT and Leadership professional development. The first four days were training for the ToT educators with two from each of the 37 school. The goal is to have equal gender representation P1120924as role models in respect to the Sida support with ‘girl empowerment’. The second ‘step’ of the ToT training has the ToT trainers leading their schools while ‘apprenticing’ under the leadership the the TSI Global Trainer and TSE Trainers. The ToT trainers clearly took the roles as leaders in facilitating what was modeled within their respective school contexts. In addition to the leadership with their schools, the ToT were very supportive of coaching one another. This is reflective of Ethiopia being a collaborative society as a much as the professionalism of the educators.

P1130129The Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out handbook guide was translated to Tigrinya which was welcomed by all the participants, especially the ones who had been in the initial school leadership trainings when the guide was in English. From this training, we will further refine the translation. Additionally a Student Practice Guide was developed and shared with all participants to comment on prior to translating the final guides for primary and secondary implementation. The trainings are conducted with the TSE trainers whom speak both Tigrinya and Amharic. The ToT facilitators also took leadership roles in regards to translating.

ethiopia-tigray-visual3
Visual overview of the Growing Thinking Schools Project in Tigray Ethiopia. What began with a social media connection is now 37 laboratory model schools representing 12 Woredas in all seven Zonal Administrations. Each Woreda has 2 primary and 1 secondary model laboratory schools. In addition to the 36 schools, there is one additional model laboratory school in Mekelle: Kallamino Special High School for a total of 37 model laboratory schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6796The Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out Professional Development Guide / Handbook
The Growing Thinking Schools has been translated by Mekelle University into Tigrinya for training educators throughout the Tigray region. Growing Thinking Schools is a guide, much like a travel guide that you have closely looked through before visiting a new place, or visiting a website with information about different pathways for investigating a new concept.  This guidebook is only used with support of a certified Thinking Schools International and Thinking Schools Ethiopia trainer who will guide you and your colleagues through a process of:

  • envisioning what a “Thinking School” might look like in your culture and environment;
  • considering the different possible approaches you may take; and
  • beginning the planning stage for the short and long term process of explicitly and systematically integrating “thinking” processes into the existing “learning” processes within your school.

This guide does not provide an answer, but offers starting points for the journey toward becoming a “Thinking School” of the 21st century.

IMG_6798Using the Working Field Guide
At the back of this guide is a pullout document called the Working Field Guide. This is like a journal that you might take along on trip for writing down your ideas. In this case, you will be collaboratively mapping out your ideas and reflecting on uses of thinking tools, techniques and strategies with your colleagues.  It is a place for you to be creative, to capture ideas, and for reference as you move forward.

Thinking Schools Shire Tigray Ethiopia Professional Development
Whole Schools Training
22-23 October 2015

P1140176By Dagim Melese
Thinking Schools Ethiopia Lead Country Trainer
Professional Development conducted in Wukro, Tigray, Ethiopia on the 12-15 October 2015

Whole staff training for schools in Shira began with community building exercises guided by the ToT trainers of Shire. The 250 educators were effectively lead and coordinated by the ToT trainers throughout the two days training that focused on introduction and expert use of Thinking Maps with frame of reference.  The trainees worked on Personal P1140076Frames of reference which spoke powerfully on the need for assessment of students’ prior knowledge and teachers being informed about background information of each and every single student they teach. Use of context circle with a frame of reference helped the trainees realize the importance of knowing the school context they come from. The use of Thinking Maps for general contents and subject specific themes was exercised under the leadership of the TOT trainers.

P1140293A very important component of Shire’s two days training was a demonstration lesson conducted by a TSI Global trainer, Robert Seth Price. All educators were required to observe the lesson as it takes place and record their questions and observations about it. Fifth graders were brought in from a Catholic Primary School Called Donboxo where the training was conducted. The students studied about water with Robert Seth Price using a Circle Map with a Frame of Reference, community building methods and collaborative learning strategies. Questions and Comments about the different aspects of the lesson led to deep discussions P1140164and reflections. Similarly , the two days training have had all the educators with their plan of whole school implementation of Thinking Schools and Thinking Maps along with collaborative learning methods in their schools .

In all the trainings a remarkable feature has been female educators with their young children in the training halls while exhibiting strong commitment and active and competent participation in group works .

Thinking Schools Aksum Tigray Ethiopia Professional Development
Whole Schools Training
19-20 October 2015

P1130810By Dagim Melese
Thinking Schools Ethiopia Lead Country Trainer
Professional Development conducted in Wukro, Tigray, Ethiopia on the 12-15 October 2015

The training in Aksum was also successfully carried out with the ToT Trainers playing leading roles. About 250 participants took part in the training . The ToT Trainers led community building exercises, modeled each of the activities to their groups, and enabled effective communication between TSI and TSE trainers and all the teachers. Reflective discussions P1130809on the meaning of Personal Frames of Reference, Context Circles, and exercising the use of Thinking Maps were important elements of the training. Collaborative Learning strategies were being used with questioning techniques along with exercising the use of thinking maps for general contents and academic relevant themes. Planning steps of whole school implementation of thinking maps and teachers’ comments on Student guides (guides meant for exercising use of Thinking Maps for students in all the schools )took place at the ends of the training in Aksum.

Thinking Schools Wukro Tigray Ethiopia Professional Development
Whole Schools Training
16-17 October 2015

P1130509A two days whole staff training was undertaken for over 320 teacher educators under the leadership role of the Trainer of Trainers (ToT). The ToT trainers played key role in effectively transferring via modeling the essential components of the training to ALL educators from Wukro. After the two days training teachers from 2 primary and 1 secondary schools from each Wereda came up with their plan (in a Flow Map) of whole school implementation of Thinking Maps in their respective schools. Worth mentioning it is, here,  that the training hall chosen at Wukro site contributed a lot to the success of the overall training. The training was in the auditorium within a Catholic School located in Wukro. It was superb in space, excellent in sound, and sufficient quality chairs and tables for the large group.

St. Paul’s Millenium Hospital and Medical College
Thinking Design
Professional Development

P1120716Thinking Design:
Models and Methods for Patient Centered & Student Centered Practices
For Healthcare Professionals, Educators & Students
10 October 2015 • Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Introductory Training for St Paul’s Hospital &  St. Pauls Millennium Medical College
Attendees included provost, vice provost and all key heads of departments
The St. Paul’s Medical College and Hospital professional development was a full day participant centered P1120808training with a focus on implementing Thinking Design throughout the hospital and medical college with a goal of a patient centered approach (hospital) and student centered learning (medical college).

Introduction and Background
Thinking Design is a systems approach that uses practical research based methods to assure a healthy organization that supports and grows effective communication with and between leadership and the whole organization. It uses tools that smartly communicate ideas within and outside organization to create collaborations. It honors and understands the abilities and gifts of all members of an organization.P1120821

Thinking Design training uses the Thinking Design research based methods that include:

  • Visual Tools (Thinking Maps) – the use of visual tools to map out ideas;
  • Questioning for Inquiry – high quality use of questions and shared inquiry;
  • Collaborative Networking – collaborative thinking; collegial coaching & community building methods;
  • Developing Dispositions – characteristics, dispositions, habits of mind;
  • P1120785Designing a Thinking Environment — how the physical space is organized & resources are used.

Thinking Design methods are lifelong skills used for problem solving individually and collaboratively in the whole organization including leaders, professional and staff members.

To live fulfilling lives, people will need to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to shape the lives they can imagine for themselves and their families. The thinking tools are instrumental in knowing oneself, connecting with others, and exploring pathways of successful collaborations supporting a healthy and success organization.

coverthinkingdesignThinking Designs Guide
The Thinking Design training is participant-centered learning with hands-on application using content that is relevant to the participants. The key pathway of the training is “Thinking Maps” which is a cognitive visual mapping language providing a concrete foundation to organize one’s thinking, understand each other’s thinking and each other’s perspectives (frame of reference). This maximizes an organization’s capacity to think, understand, and perform effectively to succeed individually as well as collaboratively.

Training Methodology: Thinking Maps® (Visual Tools)
Thinking Maps are consistent visual patterns linked directly to eight specific thought processes. By visualizing our thinking, we create concrete images of abstract thoughts. These patterns help the whole organization reach higher levels of critical and creative thinking individually and collaboratively. Thinking Maps establish a consistent language for thinking and problem solving.
Download the Thinking Designs Guide

• Making Change Happen
• Thinking: Quality Education
• Thinking Schools Tigray Ethiopia

tigray-training2
Thinking Schools Ethiopia training in Wukro, Tigray, Ethiopia in April 2015. Teams of eight teachers from 15 model laboratory schools participated in the 2 day Growing Thinking Schools training. They were from 5 Woredas, with each Woreda having 2 primary and 1 secondary school part of the training. Trainings were also held in Aksum and Shire.

October 2015 Thinking Schools Ethiopia:  Tigray Trainings
Thinking Schools stage 2 professional development will continue this month with Growing Thinking Schools. The trainers include Robert Seth Price (Thinking Schools International Global Trainer), Atsede Tsehayou & Dagim Melese (Thinking Schools Ethiopia – TSE) and coordinated by Tesfay Nassr Mohammed (Tigray Development Association – TDA):

  • classroom-maps-students-teacher212-15 October 2015: there will be professional development with 72 Trainer of Trainers for the 36 model laboratory schools. The schools represent 12 Woredas with 2 primary and 1 secondary school from each Woreda. Previously 8 teachers and schools leaders from the 36 model laboratory schools (288 educators) received 2 days of Growing Thinking Schools training. The Trainer of Trainers coming from this group will include one woman and one man teacher from each school. The funding from Sida administered by Initiative Africa is for whole school change with a focus on empowerment and equality for girls. This training and others listed here will be in Wukro, Tigray. The Training will be facilitated by Robert Seth Price (Thinking Schools International – TSI), Atsede Tsehayou & Dagim Melese (Thinking Schools Ethiopia – TSE) and coordinated by Tesfay Nassr Mohammed (Tigray Development Association – TDA).
  • P1120291b
    Teachers and school leaders at Thinking Schools training in April 2015 in Aksum.

    16-17 October 2015:   professional development with ALL teachers from ALL model laboratory schools in the Wukro region. The Trainer of Trainers will collaborate with the global TSI trainer, the TSE trainers, and the TDA project coordinator. There will be 450 teachers participating with the 2 day training.

  • 19-20 October 2015:  professional development with ALL teachers from ALL model laboratory schools in the Shire region. The Trainer of Trainers will collaborate with the global TSI trainer, the TSE trainers, and the TDA project coordinator. There will be 250 teachers participating with the 2 day training.
  • 22-23 October 2015:  professional development with ALL teachers from ALL model laboratory schools in the Aksum region. The Trainer of Trainers will collaborate with the global TSI trainer, the TSE trainers, and the TDA project coordinator. There will be 250 teachers participating with the 2 day training.

Thinking Schools Ethiopia:  Tigray is a collaboration of:

The Thinking Schools whole school, whole system change model focuses on foundational pedagogical teaching practices that are life long thinking and problem solving methods (see below in this posting and throughout earlier postings).

The Thinking Schools Ethiopia project in Tigray continues with Stage 2 Trainings this month, October 2015, in three Tigray locations in Ethiopia.

The Thinking Schools Ethiopia: Tigray project:

  • Connecting through social media
    social media brings key people together (TDA communications director Weldeslasie Reta
    and TSI global trainer Robert Seth Price  which then connected TDA executive director Dr. Taddele Hagos with Robert). Three weeks after the initial contact a training took place in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia.
  • Introduction to Growing Thinking Schools Training
    P1120196
    Thinking Schools Ethiopia Tigray training in April 2015.

    In 2014 the Tigray Education Bureau team is trained by TSI Global Trainer Robert Seth Price and his TSE colleagues Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese in a 2 day Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out training held in Mekelle. Robert, Atsede and Dagim have collaborated for 5 years including trainings with thousands of educators in SNNPRS, Addis Ababa and Tigray.

  • Stage 1
    In April 2015 thirty six (36) model laboratory schools are selected from 12 Woredas with 2 primary and 1 secondary schools from each Woreda. Each school selects eight key educators to participate in a 2 day Growing Thinking Schools trainings held in Shire, Aksum and Wukro. Aksum and Mekelle university professors also participated.
  • Stage 2
    October 2015:  two Trainer of Trainers from each of the 36

    P1120259
    Thinking Schools Ethiopia lead trainer Atsede Tsehayou with two students at a Aksum Government School.

    model laboratory schools (one woman teacher and one man teacher to be consistent with the focus of whole school change including girl/woman empowerment for a total of 72 Trainer of Trainers) will receive 4 days of intensive training to build on their initial 2 days of training in April. Then they will collaborate with the TSI and TSE trainers to train ALL the teachers from all 36 model laboratory schools in three trainings which are two days each in Wukro, Aksum and Shire.

  • Stage 3, Stage 4, Sustaining
    Future stages include:
    —regular site visits from TSE lead trainers to support the school site Trainer of Trainers;
    —use of video to create a library of ‘models of excellence’ to share locally and regionally;
    —collaboration with Mekelle and Aksum Universities for accreditation and action research (see www.thinkingfoundation.org);
    —scaling the model to all schools in each Woreda and throughout the region

Quality change in education benefits from:

  • a quality education model that focuses on foundational pedagogical processes
  • understanding the brain seeks patterns and the importance of collaborating with models of excellence
  • focusing on building the ‘foundations’ first
  • knowing and understanding change is a movement. A movement of change fast enough for the whole to see and implement.
  • a movement is the whole village collaborating, together in the best interests of the children, of family, the health care of the whole community.
Ethiopia_districts
Subdivisions of Ethiopia. The darkest lines indicate Regions or States, the lighter lines Zones, and the white lines Districts.

Key acronyms:

The Tigray model:

  • social media brings key people together (TDA communications director and TSI global trainer -> TDA executive director and TSI global trainer)
  • training for the whole team of 80+ Tigray education experts from the regions education bureau. The training is facilitated by the TSI trainer and 2 lead TSE trainers.
  • DSC_8209selecting 36 laboratory model schools representing 12 Woredas which are typically collected together into zones, which form a region. Each Woreda will have 2 primary and 1 secondary laboratory schools. The regions key universities, Mekelle and Aksum will be active participants. The trainings of the schools is divided into 3 cluster areas:  Shire, Aksum, Wukro.
  • training for the leadership teams comprised of 8 people from each school including principals and key teacher leaders
  • training of 2 trainer of trainers from each school. The funding (from SIDA and administered through Initiative Africa) from this project focuses on whole school change and girl empowerment as a focus of the change. There will be one woman and one man teacher from each school as the trainer of trainers. The complete teaching and leadership staffs will be trained together in collaboration with the ‘trainer of trainers’.

The Thinking Schools approach is a whole school transformational design that requires minimal materials for implementation and use. What is needed are school leaders, teachers, students and parents immersed in understanding the methods of Thinking Schools Ethiopia pathways for thinking. Thinking Schools Ethiopia focuses on key methods and pathways that aim at the professional development of teachers to improve the quality of their pedagogy and decision-making. This mindset and practice successfully brings a student centered quality thinking education with the whole school environment through the use of:

  • Thinking Maps
    P1120485-2use of visual tools to organize ones thinking (students, teachers, leaders) with visual tools that are a visual verbal collaborative process of seeing each other’s thinking
  • Reflective Questioning
    high quality questioning, listening and discussion skills
  • Collaborative Learning
    collaborative learning for students; collegial coaching for teachers; community building for the whole school
  • Thinking Environments
    how are space (structure and the educators presence) and materials (local and recycled) used with intentionality
  • Dispositions
    a mind that is reflective about internal dispositions and actions, while remaining open to other ways in which people are thinking and acting
P1120176
Thinking Schools Ethiopia training with teachers in Aksum (2015).

Thinking Schools Ethiopia is a whole school systems approach based on building capacity inside out with the aim of developing a foundation that is reflective, sustainable, collaborative and replicable. TSE is part of a greater global collaboration that supports multi-directional development. Multi-directional development is a belief system and model where all participants recognize their own capacity for aiding the others globally: ideas and innovation originate within and across ALL places globally. The Thinking Schools Ethiopia training uses research based thinking methods that are lifelong skills for use with problem solving in school, life and work.

If you would like to know more or are interested in attending a training please contact:

  • Robert Seth Price (TSI Global Trainer)
    website:  www.eggplant.org
    email:  robert@eggplant.org
    Viber:  +1 323.397.0630
    Skype:  robertsethprice
  • Atsede Tsehyou (TSE Country Trainer)
    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 0912192667
  • Dagim Melese (TSE Country Trainer)
    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 0912102276
group
Tigray Education Bureau Experts at Thinking Schools Ethiopia training.

Thinking Design
St. Paul’s Millennium Hospital
and Medical College

Thinking Design Training on the 10 October 2015:
Models and Methods for Patient Centered & Student Centered Practices 
For Healthcare Professionals, Medical Educators and Medical Students

stpauls2St Paul’s Hospital and St. Paul’s Millennium Medical College
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
October 10, 2015 • Saturday:  Training for Key Decision Makers and Leaders including key hospital administrators, hospital doctors, hospital professional staff, hospital support staff, medical college faculty and students.

Robert Seth Price and Seble Hailu (more information below) will be co-facilitating the training.

Connecting Healthcare and Education:
Thinking Schools and Thinking Design = Life Long Problem Solving Skills
The connection is simple. Life long thinking skills support problem solving all areas of life including with the key areas of health, education, shelter and community. Thinking Design and Thinking Schools Ethiopia methodologies are life long practical problem solving skills. As important with a child’s mindful development as with making thoughtful decisions in healthcare.

“No one is born fully-formed: it is through self-experience
in the world that we become what we are.” 
― Paulo Freire

img_3661Introduction and Background
Thinking Design is a systems approach that uses practical research based methods to assure a healthy organization that supports and grows effective communication with and between leadership and the whole organization.  It uses tools that thoughtfully and effectively communicate ideas within and outside organization to create collaborations. It honors and understands the abilities and gifts of all members of an organization.

Thinking Design training uses the Thinking Design research based methods that include:

  • Visual Tools (Thinking Maps):  the use of visual tools to map out ideas;
  • Questioning for Inquiry:  high quality use of questions and shared inquiry;
  • Collaborative Networking:  collaborative thinking; collegial coaching and
    community building methods;
  • Developing Dispositions:  characteristics, dispositions, habits of mind;
  • Designing a Thinking Environment:  how the physical space, human interaction
    and resources are organized, integrated and used.

stpauls1To live fulfilling lives, people will need to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to shape the lives they can imagine for themselves and their families. The thinking tools are instrumental in knowing oneself, connecting with others, and exploring pathways of successful collaborations supporting a healthy and success organization. Thinking Design methods are lifelong thinking and learning skills used for problem solving individually and collaboratively in the whole organization including leaders, professional and staff members.

Thinking: The Most Important Human Resource
for Life Long Visioning, Problem Solving, and Decision Making

The training has multiple sequential stages:
Hands-on training for learning, practice for mastery, and   mastery.

Learning Outcomes
The Thinking Design approach is recommended for the whole organization including the organizations leadership, teaching faculty, professional staff, support staff, students, and volunteers. The Thinking Design model are life long tools and skills for communication, understanding each other’s perspecitve, problem solving and a quality collaborative learning environment. The Thinking Design approach is concurrently student centered (medical college) and patient centered (hospital professional and support staff) that promotes active thinkers and problem solvers.

Training Outcomes
The Thinking Designs trainers will build understanding, mastery and capacity within the hospital and medical college with the methods of thinking. This will include:

  • personal mastery
  • building a shared vision
  • team learning
  • developing mental models
  • creating a systems thinking organization

thinkingdesignguidecover
The outcomes will be assessed by The Five Areas for Reflection and Fifteen Criteria Thinking Organizations Assessment Process.

To learn more about the training please contact either of the co-trainers below and/or read the training guide. Download the training guide PDF.

Consultants

Robert Seth Price has extensive experience with whole organization (NGOs, universities, foundations) and school change through a transformational design process. Simply, how can we collaboratively and thoughtfully affect learning outcomes as a process for our whole community, our vision, and individually. His work with a participant learner centered systems approach includes collaborations in the USA and globally, including with Thinking Foundation, Thinking Schools International and Thinking Schools Ethiopia. Further information on Robert can be found at his website www.eggplant.org
email:  robert@eggplant.org
Skype:  robertsethprice
Viber: +1 323.397.0630
USA Mobile:  323.397.0630

Seble Hailu has worked in government, private, non –government and UN organizations in different managerial positions leading project and program management for nearly twenty years throughout Ethiopia. In addition, she has extensive experiences in training and consultancy, in management, HIV/AIDS, psychology, counseling, education and community mobilization related fields.
More about Seble Hailu
email:  seble.hailu@gmail.com
Ethiopia Phone:  0911-6060055

change2

Hossana Thinking Schools Ethiopia Training

by Dagim Melese – TSE Co-Lead Country Trainer
hossana5Thinking Schools Ethiopia (TSE), part of Eminence Social Entrepreneurs, facilitated a two days instructional leadership training for educational leadership team of Wachamo and Heto Secondary and College preparatory schools on July 6 and 7, 2015 in Hossana. The training is part of the different phases of an ongoing transformational change processes employed for developing Thinking Schools. The participants of the training included school directors, department heads, key lead teachers, LIAE (Love In Action Ethiopia) experts, local education bureau experts, and experts working in the area of gender and family planning issues. A total of 97 people took part in the training. The purpose of the training was to introduce educational leaders to the thinking school model for reflective evaluation of its relevance, instrumentality, and adaptability in the contextual realities of Wachamo and Heto Secondary and College preparatory schools.

hossana3Two other purposes of the training are: enabling administrative /leadership support for systematic implementation of the techniques and tools at all grade levels and across all disciplines and building capacity within the schools and ensuring sustainability of the practices using the techniques which is key for achieving the teachers , instructional leaders, and students outcomes of having thinking schools developed . The training was highly interactive, collaborative, and participatory. Day one was devoted for allowing participants explore essentially constituting elements of the TSE model : Community building exercises, Personal Frames of References, exploring the context of Wachamo and Heto schools, and Five Pathways for Thinking . Day two was all about Thinking Maps, modeling the use of Thinking Maps introduction, practicing the use of thinking maps using general topics and later using subject specific themes . Examples of models of direct instruction of thinking skills were also shown. The two days training finally was completed with participants’ reflection of the overall training.

The training will continue in late August , 2015 just before the New Academic Year with whole staff training at the schools sites. The photos were some of the still pictures taken during the training.

hossana4 hossana2 hossana1

Cheffie Primary School
Addis Ababa Education Bureau
Model Thinking School Ethiopia

Cheffie Primary School is one of the ten model Thinking Schools in the Addis Ababa Education Bureau which is the government school system for Addis Ababa of 300+ schools. The Cheffie leadership team comprised of 8 teachers and school leaders initially received training in June 2014. They have been receiving school site visits by lead Thinking Schools Ethiopia trainers Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese. The vice principal Getinet Gebremichael has been coordinating the whole staff implementation of Thinking Maps and other aspects of the Thinking Schools Ethiopia model. The video and still photos provide a glimpse of the whole school change currently happening at Cheffie. The video taken on the 24 April 2015 includes visits to several classrooms and an interview with Vice Principal Getinet.

 

Abyiot Primary School
AAEB Model School
Systematic Implement of Thinking Maps

abyiot1Abyiot Primary School
by Dagim Melese – Thinking Schools Ethiopia lead trainer
Abyiot Primary school is one of the 10 Addis Ababa Education Bureau (AAEB) model Thinking Schools in Addis Ababa. Some of the educators of Abyiot were participants of the cluster trainings given in March, 2015. The teachers have been implementing many of the Thinking Schools tabyiot2echniques and tools they learned at the second phase of the training –whole staff training at school site .
The school now plans to take a refreshment and consolidative training just before the coming September and integrating Thinking Maps in all lesson plans. It is also prepared to systematically implement Thinking Maps at all grade levels and abyiot3across all disciplines /subjects in the coming New Academic Year. The still pictures share the introduction of Thinking Maps for  5TH Grade students.

 

 

 

Thinking Design
Patient Centered Healthcare Model
Ambassador Bole Hotel – Addis Ababa

img_3661A training for Thinking Design facilitated by Robert Price in collaboration with Seble Hailu, and coordinated by Aha Psychological Services was held at the Bole Ambassador Hotel on the 25 April 2015. Participants were from the mental health field, NGOs, education, and universities.

Thinking Design is a systems approach that uses practical research based methods to assure a healthy organization that supports and grows effective communication with and between leadership and the whole organization.  It uses tools that smartly communicate ideas within and outside organization to create collaborations.  It honors and understands the abilities and gifts of all members of an organization.

Thinking Design training uses the Thinking Design research based methods that include:

  • Visual Tools (Thinking Maps) – the use of visual tools to map out ideas;
  • Questioning for Inquiry – high quality questioning and shared inquiry;
  • Collaborative Networking – collaborative thinking; collegial coaching & community building methods;
  • Developing Dispositions – characteristics, dispositions, habits of mind;
  • Designing a Thinking Environment — how the physical space is organized & resources are used.

Thinking Design methods are lifelong skills used for problem solving individually and collaboratively in the whole organization including leaders, professional and staff members.

To live fulfilling lives, people will need to develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to shape the lives they can imagine for themselves and their families. The thinking tools are instrumental in knowing oneself, connecting with others, and exploring pathways of successful collaborations supporting a healthy and success organization.

The training has multiple sequential stages: Introduction for learning, practice for mastery and mastery.

 

Ethiopia Education Strategy Center
Ethiopian Universities
Thinking Schools International & Ethiopia
Concepts, Principles and Practice

The Ethiopia Education Strategy Center hosted a one day training for representatives from all Ethiopian Universities on Thinking Schools International / Ethiopia concepts, principles and practices. The participant centered training was facilitated by Robert Price (Thinking Schools International Global Trainer) and Dagim Melese (Thinking Schools Ethiopia co-lead country trainer). The Ethiopia Education Strategy Center reports to the Ministry of Education with recommendations of innovative quality education practices. The one day workshop included a hands-on participant centered training on the Growing Thinking Schools Inside Out practices, looking at a balance of theory with practical methods (e.g. Thinking Maps visual language, inquiry, dispositions, collaborative learning) and also looked into the Thinking Schools Accreditation Process (TSAP). The training was held at the Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa on the 23 April 2015.

Download a copy of the TSAP process. Also go to www.thinkingfoundation.org for further information.

 

Thinking Schools Wukro Tigray Ethiopia
Stage 1: School Leadership Teams Training
20-21 April 2015

group

Stage 1 Leadership Teams for Wukro Cluster Model Schools
map_of_ethiopiaThe Stage 1 trainings for Leadership Teams (8 principals and lead teachers from each school) of the 36 model schools held training in Wukro Tigray Ethiopia on the 20-21 April 2015. The trainings were facilitated by Thinking Schools Ethiopia Lead Trainer Dagim Melese and Thinking Schools International Global Trainer Robert Price. The Thinking Schools Tigray project director Tesfay Nassr Mohammed coordinated and collaborated on the training. The 18 schools in the Wukro and Mekelle regions are part of the 36 model schools with the Tigray project. There are 12 Woredas participating with 2 primary and 1 secondary schools from each of the Woredas for a total of 36 model schools.
read more about the Wukro region

 

Photo Below:  Commonalities community building exercise
at the 18-19 April 2015 Thinking Schools Ethiopia training in Axum.

community

Thinking Schools Axum Tigray Ethiopia
Stage 1: School Leadership Teams Training
17-18 April 2015

IMG_3943
Axum, Tigray, Ethiopia — read more about Axum
which is the original capital of the Kingdom of Aksum,
and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Africa.

IMG_3950
Commonalities community building exercise
at the 18-19 April 2015 Thinking Schools Ethiopia training in Axum.

Stage 1 Leadership Teams for Axum Cluster Model Schools
The Stage 1 trainings for Leadership Teams (8 principals and lead teachers from each school) of the 36 model schools held training in Axum Tigray Ethiopia on the 20-21 April 2015. The trainings were facilitated by Thinking Schools Ethiopia Lead Trainer Dagim Melese and Thinking Schools International Global Trainer Robert Price. The Thinking Schools Tigray project director Tesfay Nassr Mohammed coordinated and collaborated on the training. The 9 schools in the Axum region are part of the 36 model schools with the Tigray project. There are 12 Woredas participating with 2 primary and 1 secondary schools from each of the Woredas for a total of 36 model schools.