WATER COURSE FOR TEACHERS STARTING IN FEBRUARY 2010
| THEME: WATER USAGE: RETAIN, REUSE, AND RECYCLE
TOPIC: Contextualizing teaching and learning using Natural Resources-A case of a Rain water harvesting reservoir. TARGET GROUP: 20 Secondary school Teachers in Ugandan Schools and other countries. One from each school. FACILITATORS: 3 well trained teachers in facilitating an E-learning course METHODOLOGY: The course will last for five weeks with participants required to design a project that would enhance development of water management and sustainability issues in their schools. |
| In many of our schools rain harvesting has not been a focus for management. The students waste a lot of water since management has not sensitized them. At Gayaza High School like most of the other schools, we pump our water using a borehole drilled a few kilometers away from our school within the neighbouring community. Management has not taken an audit of the water source degradation that has since taken place as we draw millions of litres from the ground without taking steps to sustain the source. The other human activities that happen within the area are also destroying this source and in a few years time we shall hit a water peak. This is what most areas will be facing in a few years time allover Uganda and other parts of the world. It is important that we begin to educate our students who are the future leaders about such environmental challenges and draw them to participate in changing actions and attitudes of our community members. It is important that the teachers are sensitized and trained in integrating water sustainability issues within their teaching as a strategy of changing the way we teach towards solving societal problems. |
RATIONALE
The course will help participants to get a broader understanding of problems and issues related to water shortage in schools and our communities within the framework of education for sustainable development, and to analyse information and find workable solutions.Specific objectives of the training course are to share experiences in contextualization of teaching and learning using natural resources,to demonstrate how concepts and principles of water management can be made relevant to secondary schools and their communities,and to identify opportunities for and constraints to school-community linkages related to water and natural resource management projects.
| Free subject teaching resources that would help teachers to teach using the context of water management within their lessons. |
| What the teachers will do is shown below in its sequency |
INTRODUCTIONS
Online introduction of self and interests, stating what motivated them to join the course. They also indicate their expectations.Participants respond to at least three postings.
| Teachers and Facilitators introduce themselves and respond to each others’ comments.
The participants read about each others’ expectations and the facilitators moderate the discussions.
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DISCUSSION OF LOCAL SETTINGS
Individual teachers report on the water availability in their local settings including:
- Water availability, sources and usage
- Water harvesting
- Overall planning of water sustainability in the local settings.
- Use of photos and videos will be encouraged
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CONTEXTUALISING TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH A FOCUS ON A RAIN WATER HARVESTING RESERVOIR
Teachers begin to discuss how a rain water harvesting reservoir can be used to teach a particular topic within their subject curriculum.
| Teaching ideas and student notes are generated on how a rain water harvesting reservoir could be used to teach certain topics.
-The facilitators help to focus the participants towards including sustainability issues within the lesson notes designed.
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FORMATION OF STUDENT GROUPS
Teachers form classes and introduce the students to water management issues. -The students make a trip to the available natural water source and discuss how it can be improved and sustained. The students further discuss how the available water can be retained, reused and recycled
- The students report about the trip and their views.
- The teachers posts this report to the course forum.
- The teacher downloads the other reports for the benefit of his/her students
- Students comment about at least three other postings and the teachers makes available such comments to the forum
- Use of photos and videos will be encouraged
| Student classes are formed and the class reports about their visit in the forum.
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TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS PLAN PROJECTS
Teachers engage students to plan a project that would enable their school to;
- harvest and retain more rain water
- reuse the available water
- recycle the available water
Teachers post these plans in the course forum and the students discuss other group projects and make comments.
| Student projects are designed and shared in the forum.The discussions of the projects in the forum help to concretise ideas and improve on the planned projects.
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'GENERAL REVIEW OF THE E-LEARNING COURSE
Teachers report about what they have gained, liked and disliked most during the course.This session will act as an evaluation of the course objectives and expectations.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS TO HELP US FACILITATE THIS COURSE STARTING FEBRUARY 2010
Gayaza High School hopes to find partners with an experience in conducting online courses in water education or organisations dealing in water education to support us and we realise this training for teachers. Please send an email to ronaldddungu@yahoo.com
