Teachers Forum
June, 2000

Interview with Sabina Seesurrun,
conducted by Ray Harris

Tell me a little about your teaching approach before you were introduced to Education for Development.

Answer: Before I started with the project my teaching was very teacher-centred and I found it very difficult to help children with difficulties. I knew no better than to teach from the board with the only voice being my own. My initial training did not prepare me well enough for the challenges of a class of more than 40 children, with few resources and few practical techniques - it was all theory.

Question: As part of the Education for Development 'changing classrooms - changing attitudes' project - what did you attempt to change within your classroom?

A: The changes I was able to implement in the classroom include the following four innovations:

1. Using children's own ideas for changes within their classroom, particularly the physical environment;
2. Activity corners established to encourage more active learning; A committee is set up for each activity corner for example, the language committee, maths committee and environment committee.
Every month the committees are changed so that everyone gets a chance to take some responsibility.
3. More group activities with a group leader, noise checker, time keeper and scribe. Giving children roles within the group helped them to be more cooperative and better able to focus on the task.
4. The class parents' committee where parents are invited to exchange ideas and views for the improvement of the classroom and to support their children's learning. I was surprised to find that the parents, when consulted rather than being told, are more than ready to help and offer not only their interest but also their practical skills to improve the learning environment. The discussion on learning also reminded them of their own needs - one parent asked if I would help her to learn to read.

Inviting parents to design and make visual aids and practical materials for maths, for example, enabled them to understand new methods of teaching and learning and allow parents to feel more confident when trying to help their children at home.

I have been particularly pleased with the activities of the committees as this has helped integrate their academic work with more affective goals.

The committees have allowed children to take real responsibility and to learn citizenship skills which will allow them to participate more as a young adult. Cooperative group work has helped both the 'slower' learner and the 'high flyer' as both have something to offer within the planned activities. Role play and other simple dramatization techniques, the use of big books for shared reading and encouraging children to express themselves in pairs and small groups all have helped my children improve their literacy skills.

Q: What impact have these changes made on you as a teacher?

A: I have learnt to appreciate that children learn in different ways and so I have to plan a wider variety of activities so that all children can participate. I also have learned to ask more open questions to allow all children to provide an answer.

My teaching approach is much improved and quite professional now which has given me far more confidence. I have become a learner again and have registered for a distance learning course in psychology so that I can understand children's learning difficulties.

My colleagues have also been able to make changes in their classroom from the practical suggestions I have made emerging out of my own classroom practice and reflective teaching approaches.

Q: What are your hopes for the future?

A: I hope my experience in this project will benefit other teachers so that their children can participate more actively and learn to be effective citizens.

Would you like to read other interviews with practising teachers?