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.