Month: February 2016

“…before the refreshment school site visit training and class demonstration lesson we did in two of the real classrooms of our school, I thought that Thinking Maps were only selectively used with some contents but now I realize the fact that thinking maps can be used with all kinds of contents…”
Hayelom Elementary School Teacher at the most recent school site professional development

By Dagim Melese and Atsede Teshayou
Photos and Video by Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese
Hayelom Elementary School was paid a site visit by Thinking Schools Ethiopia (TSE) trainers. The site visits was aimed to support whole school implantation of thinking maps for facilitating students thinking and learning in all the subjects taught . The site visit began with professional development (morning session in which the TSE model was reviewed and a refreshment training on thinking maps was conducted).

TSE trainers appreciated and were encouraged by the collaborative spirits, the level of seriousness and purposefulness with which the teachers were engaged, and their reflectiveness and feedback on the training.

Hayelom Elementary School is one of the 37 laboratory schools TSE is providing support for. The teachers have been using the maps and now intensifying its use in class rooms with flexibility and creativity for sharing experience of model of excellence with the other schools in the project.

Below are the pictures taken during the site visit at the school;

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.

By Dagim Melese and Atsede Teshayou
Photos and Video by Atsede Tsehayou and Dagim Melese

Thinking Schools Ethiopia—Thinking Schools Tigray began a third phase with ongoing scaffolding support for whole school systematic implementation of Thinking Schools pedagogy including Thinking Maps across all disciplines and at all grade levels. 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.

Kalamino Special High School
The scaffolding support began being provided to Kalamino Special High school located in the regional capital – Mekelle.  On site school support includes collegial coaching, brief  refreshment / reinforcement training and class room demonstration of lessons modeling the actual use of Thinking Maps in real class rooms with students employing other interrelated pedagogical techniques and tools. Thinking Schools Ethiopia (TSE) trainers (Atsede and Dagim) began on Feb. 22, 2016 working with the educators of Kalamino High School for strengthening the whole school implementation of the maps and documentation of impacts on such dependent variables as student engagement, levels of independent learning skills, literacy and communication skills and others.

The on site schools support is believed to motivate and encourage intensive class room use of Thinking Maps and support better practices of student centred techniques / methods . Following are photos taken of the site supports.

Andishumdihun Elementary School 
Site visit at Andishumdihun elementary school encouraged the school leader to employ a more systematic implementation of thinking maps by having them posted on walls of all class rooms for students to learn and get to know them . Some vibrant teachers at the school were part of the demonstration lesson done in a physics class room . Taking a lead in terms of modelling the actual use of the maps in class rooms for supporting student centred learning . Below are some of the still pictures taken of the site visit.