Projects

It's all about the teacher

What does a school need? Textbooks and classrooms are certainly part of it. But the qualifications and teaching skills of teachers are at least as important for successful learning. For this reason, PROBONO has been involved in teacher training since 2013 and has systematically developed an innovative training program to improve the quality of teaching in Tanzanian schools on the basis of existing training programs.

The background to this is the poor exam results in secondary schools, especially in science subjects and mathematics. In addition to the lack of school infrastructure and materials, the main reason for the poor academic performance is the lack of professional and methodological qualifications among teachers. 

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Projects

Reflect and understand instead of learning by heart

One component of PROBONO's teacher training is methodology workshops that teach modern pedagogy. The specific conditions at Tanzanian schools, such as very large classes, are taken into account. The methodology workshops follow a student-centered participatory approach: while in Tanzania unreflective memorization is still widely the order of the day, students are now actively involved in the lessons, participating in the development of solutions and thus encouraged to think analytically and creatively.

PROBONO's cooperation partner for the methodological-pedagogical training is MWENGE Catholic University (MWECAU) in Moshi, which provides qualified lecturers and the infrastructure for the methodology workshops.

Projects

Deepening of subject knowledge

In addition to the methodology workshops, the subject-related workshops are another component of PROBONO's teacher training. Here we work together with the Senior Expert Service from Bonn (SES), through which German teachers and university lecturers are sent to Tanzania. They conduct on-site subject-specific workshops in their respective subjects and advise their Tanzanian colleagues on how to conduct more student-centered lessons.

The subject-related workshops are to be seen as a supplement to the methodology workshops: They primarily broaden and deepen the subject knowledge of the Tanzanian teachers and combine it with the skills acquired in the methodology workshops. The methodology and subject workshops in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and English are followed by classroom visits and reflection meetings at the participating schools.

The program also includes investments in school infrastructure such as the construction of laboratories and the purchase of scientific equipment, books and teaching materials.

Projects

MMINT promotion: Three new laboratories for teaching science inaugurated

Good scientific knowledge is indispensable for many professions and an important prerequisite for sustainable economic development. This includes learning in practice! With three new laboratories at secondary schools in Tanzania, PROBONO is making a contribution as part of the PROBONO teacher training program. At the ceremonial inauguration of the three science buildings in Mwanga in February with many representatives of the local education authorities, there were self-written poems, rap songs and numerous speeches - and of course the official cutting of a green ribbon with a bow. This was done by PROBONO Chairperson Andrea Alleker- Fendel and Mwanga District Commissioner Abdallah Mwaipaya.

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