Nearing the completion of the sixth week of teaching EDC 202 English Teaching Methods to our second year students at the College of Education, University of Rwanda, we realized that the other two courses we were scheduled to teach - English for Special Purposes and English for Academic Purposes - might not be added to our first term teaching assignment. These two courses were new ones that had late start ups anyway. Whew! We were relieved when we discovered that these two courses had sections of 100-200 students and met from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Our "light" teaching load has given us the opportunity to become involved in extracurricular activities in the College of Education and to reach out to the community at large to volunteer our services.
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Aspire Debate Rwanda (ADR)
At the beginning of the academic year in early September, in the initial meetings with the Principal of the School of Education (who heads the six Colleges at the University), the Dean of the College of Education, and the Head of the Department of Humanities and Languages, we were told that one of their goals was to strengthen the campus debate club to develop students' speaking skills.
In late October, we met with one of our colleagues and were informed that there was an upcoming National Female Debate Championship 2016 to be held from October 27th and 28th organized by Aspire Debate Rwanda (ADR). The event would bring together female students from universities in Rwanda. The theme of the event was Women in Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Economic Development of a Nation. The debate format was British parliamentary (something totally foreign to us). Our assistance was needed to promote the event, recruit our female students to participate, and serve as advisers to the debate participants. It was time to get educated and find out just what British parliamentary debate was all about. Youtube came to the rescue and this short video was our Introduction to British Parliamentary Debate.
On October 24th, an organizational meeting was scheduled at 4 p.m. to see if, in three days, the University of Rwanda-CE would have a team to enter. Emergency alert! Code Red! Emergency Alert! Three days till the "Day." When we arrived, we met the dynamic and very competent President of Aspire Debate Rwanda-CE, Samuel Nishimwe. Sam is in his fourth year at the University studying computer information systems and doing his internship at a secondary school in Kigali. By 6 p.m. eight other students were in attendance: four females and four males. Theoretically, we had a team, even two teams, if these female members committed to participate in the debate. We were assured that they would! (Loud approval here in British parliamentary style - feet stomping!)
The following day, the Coordinator of Aspire Debate Rwanda sent a letter to all Principals of all Higher Learning Institutions in Rwanda informing them, "due to some logistical issues beyond our control, we have shifted this worthwhile event to 3rd and 4th of November 2016." A week's reprieve for our women! We attended another club meeting held on the following Wednesday and the same four female debate club members showed up. We had two teams to enter! We gave them a pep talk about style, delivery, and content and Sam and some other male club members met with them afterwards to brainstorm topics and rehearse.
We arrived on the campus of UR-College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine just in time for the opening briefing session in the institution's large hall. Between 350 - 400 people gathered to participate in or support the event. There was a total of 16 teams from 10 higher education institutions all from Kigali. (Photo of Martin and Mark, advisors to Aspire Debate Club-CE)
At 10:05 a.m. there was a general session to go over the rules, assign rooms, speaker roles, etc. There would be three rounds on Day 1 and two on Day 2, the semi-final and final debates. The motion for Round 1 was read aloud several times and there was a lot of misunderstanding initially. It read, "This House (meaning the Rwanda Government position) would subsidize women enterprises 10% tax reduction." Many heard subside. Some heard deduction. Our teams paraphrased it as, "The government should subsidize women enterprises by giving them a 10% tax reduction."
Our two teams were in separate debates so we split up. In this way, each team had a support and foot-stomping 'cheering' section from the College of Education. One of our teams - with two experienced debaters - blew the opposition out of the water by making a strong case for subsidizing women enterprises. (Photo of Round 1, our debaters in red, Aline and Console) Here is a sampling of quotes from other debaters on both sides of the proposition:
"We are not here to capture your hearts; we are here to capture your brains."
"We (women) can carry our own cross."
"He-for-she movements are initiated by men."
"Nobody is an island (pronounced Iceland)."
Round 1 ended around 12:30 p.m. with a long break for a "no-host lunch." Rather than the ten minute preparation time, the debaters had from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. before the start of Round 2 whose motion was "Female leadership is the ultimate way forward for sustainable economic development." Our female debaters and their male debate club counterparts spent the two hours planning and researching how to make their case.
The following afternoon, we learned that neither of our women's teams made it to the semi-finals. The women and their male debate club coaches were devastated to say the least. All in all, the experience was a learning one and our female debaters will continue to participate in Aspire Debate Rwanda-CE. We assured Sam that we would continue to facilitate the club and encourage our students to be a part of an organization whose slogan is "Aspire to be informed, inspired and involved." (Although our favorite is the slogan for the mother organization, "Aspire to inspire before you expire." Ha!)
Some observations on our experience with Aspire Debate Rwanda:
Meetings or events may not start at previously notified times or dates. Why the rush anyway? Evelyn Waugh's insight is more meaningful the longer we live in cultures outside of our own: "Punctuality is a virtue of the bored."
Flexibility and adaptability are keys to living the good life...here...anywhere! When frustration looms, we envision the bamboo that bends with the wind, yet is resilient and versatile.
The Rwandan woman's voice is strong and convincing.
In British Parliamentary Debate, feet stomping indicates approval by listeners. No clapping is permitted although muted sounds of approval are often heard.
The following video is less than three minutes long and captures the female debate competition in which our two teams participated on Nov. 3, 2016. The intermittent soundtrack is a popular song currently playing on radio stations in Kigali - Complete Me by Bruce Melodie. Enjoy!
Association of Teachers of English in Rwanda (ATER)
During the August Fulbright Orientation week, we learned that there is an organization here in Rwanda for teachers of English. In mid-October, we accessed the Association of Teachers of English in Rwanda (ATER) website and decided not only to join the organization but to become active members. We learned that ATER had their 2nd Annual Conference in 2016 in Kigali. The conference attracted over 200 teachers and presenters from around the globe. A very professional video was produced in which the dynamic ATER President, Richard Niyibigira, explains the purpose and mission of ATER.
Our timing was perfect because ATER was looking for members to become involved in the planning and hosting of Africa TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) 2nd Conference 2017 that will be held on May 12 and 13 in Kigali. The theme is New Horizons in Language Teaching. Proposals are now being sought so if you are so inclined, please submit one or more at the link provided on the website.
We were added to the Conference Proposal Review Committee and also volunteered to be on the Hospitality Committee. The twenty committee members have lots to do before May 12th but it appears everyone is up for the challenge. (Photo of ATER Africa TESOL 2017 committee members)
Some observations on our initial experience with ATER:
The ATER organization seems to have strong and experienced leadership.
Working in a diverse group brings different perspectives and innovative ideas.
Networking to achieve results works!
Our American ideas are...well...ours...and...American...and are not necessarily valid, worthwhile or practical everywhere. We listen and absorb and patiently wait to contribute...when asked.
This TESOL conference is all about teaching English on this continent. The focus is the African experience. Cool!
Access Micro-Scholarship Program
Also at the end of October, we had the opportunity to co-facilitate a workshop for ten recently trained Rwandan Access teachers from all over the country. The Access Micro-Scholarship Program (ACCESS), sponsored by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is a two-year 360-hour program which was launched in Morocco in 2004 and came to Rwanda in 2010. Over 100,000 students in 85 countries have benefited from this program. In Rwanda alone, at present there are 600 Access students who are participating in the program. The student to teacher ratio is 20 to 1. There is an active Access alumni community, too, in which members can submit project proposals and apply for small grants.
The purpose of the program is to provide a foundation of English language skills to gifted 13-20 year-olds from economically disadvantaged areas through after-school or weekend classes and intensive sessions. The program has a U.S. culture component which includes enhancement activities, such as native guest speakers, community engagement projects, field trips to companies, college application writing, and resume writing. Graduates of this program can compete for better jobs in their own countries or compete for and participate in future exchanges in the United States and admission to local universities.
We facilitated two sessions of the One-Day Teacher Training (Induction) Workshop. The morning session was on learner-centered methods, while the afternoon session was on strategies for boosting student participation, cultivating confidence with a focus on speaking skills. Two experienced Access teachers had a session in which they shared with the new Access teachers best practices, and challenges and ways to overcome them. In the last session of the day, these experienced Access teachers fielded questions from the new teachers on the logistics of starting their first Access class (scheduled for the next day in the teachers' home towns).
During the coffee and lunch breaks, we networked with the new Access teachers and exchanged email addresses so that we might later be invited to their schools as native guest speakers.
Observations on our Access Teacher-Training workshop:
The English language teaching community here in Rwanda is small. The two experienced Access teachers were the ATER President and Vice-President whom we met again a few days later at the ATER Africa TESOL organizing meeting.
Deferring to experienced practitioners before offering 'sage' advice has worked well for us.
We attempt to practice what we preach in our training/teaching/facilitation sessions. Learner-centered teaching is a difficult sell here in Rwanda because of the large class sizes and the pedagogical tradition of lecturing at all levels of education. We, therefore, attempt to use as many communicative language teaching strategies as we can in our presentations with the hope that some may inspire our colleagues and students to give them a try.
U.S. Embassy Rwanda Educational Programs Outreach
We learned about the educational programs facilitated by the U.S. Embassy in Kigali during our orientation the week after we arrived in Rwanda in early September. The mission of EducationUSA is to promote U.S. higher education through its offering of information about educational opportunities in the United States and guidance to qualified Rwandan students on how to take advantage of these opportunities.
Some of the educational programs offered through the embassy are monthly open presentations for all levels of students interested in applying to universities in the States. There are workshops in TOEFL, SAT, and ACT preparation and students receive assistance in completing their university applications. Feedback is also provided on university application essays and mock college interviews are offered. The accompanying photo is of the Information Resource Center at the US Embassy in Kigali which is open to the public and includes all sorts of materials that can be borrowed.
At the American Corner in Kigali, students have access to multimedia materials about the U.S. There is a media zone equipped with tablets, computers, headsets, and educational software. American Corner programming includes guest lecturers, book clubs, and MOOC clubs.
Not only is there an American Corner in Kigali, but there is also one in the northwestern part of the country in Rubavu, located on the University of Tourism, Technology, and Business Studies campus. On a recent Friday afternoon, Lara Gooding, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, invited us to her English Club at the American Corner to talk to her students . We were delighted to see about 45 students on a Friday afternoon interested in practicing their English. We fielded lots of questions from the students on all sorts of topics and prompted a short discussion on Veteran's Day, the day of our visit.
In early December, we will facilitate an SAT writing strategies workshop in Kigali at the American Corner on the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) campus for students who will soon be taking the essay portion of the SAT test.
Our observations after our American Corner experience:
Students are very curious about life in America and ask many questions related to the American educational system, our reputation as a super power, and issues related to cultural assimilation and acculturation.
Our Rubavu American Corner visit made us realize how diverse the student population is in the Western Province of the country compared to the student population we are working with in Kigali. With a population of about 100,000, Rubavu has students from Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and even Nigeria. There are about 19 Rwandans of the 45 students who regularly attend the twice-a-week club meetings at the American Corner in Rubavu.
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)
Through the Peace Corps office in Kigali, we learned that the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), also referred to as the NextEinstein Initiative, was looking for English language teachers to improve the language proficiency of their students who are enrolled in a 10-month master's program focusing on the mathematical sciences.
AIMS is located in six different countries: South Africa, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, and, as of early 2016, in Rwanda. Lecturers from all over the globe instruct three-week intensive courses. The goal of AIMS is to prepare "Africa's most talented students to become innovators driving the continent's scientific, educational and economic self-sufficiency."
AIMS Rwanda opened in August of 2016 with its first cohort of 44 students from 10 different countries (Photos below from google images). They will graduate in June of 2017. Of the 44, 19 are Rwandans and 15 of the 44 are women. The inquiry-based learning environment is highly interactive. Tuition is free for students who are selected for the master's program. Tutors are assigned to each student. In addition, the students have health insurance coverage and receive a small stipend. They, their tutors and lecturers are housed in the same building (a former hotel) in which they attend classes. The building has state-of-the-art classrooms, a cafeteria, and a 50-station computer room. We toured the facility with our mouths agape.
We have discussed administering a language proficiency test to determine who would need this communication class (with the focus on speaking). What is still very much up in the air is how often and how long these classes will last. It will, of course, depend on our schedule next term. Click here to view a short 4-minute video of students' experiences during their first year in the AIMS program.
What kind of community outreach activities have you done recently that you would like to share with our readers? Why was the experience impactful? Suggestions to offer about any information in this post? Please comment and click here to contact us directly and/or receive future posts.