|
· Session 4: Counterparts and Resources
You will need tools to do your work. Others have done similar work before you, and you can take advantage of past volunteers' work by using the same resources in your work. Volunteers basically undergo a three part journey in Peace Corps.The first part is where they start looking all over for work materials. Teachers look for classroom ideas and innovative methods. Agroforestry volunteers look for growing tips and project ideas. Computer people look for software and references for fixing computers. The second part is where each volunteer settles into using the tools he successfully scrounged or applies the best ideas she uncovered. The third part is where many a volunteer tries to write a manual or guide to make future volunteers' work easier. You will too! And ironically, in this stage you uncover past volunteers' materials you wish you had in the first stage. So, instead of waiting until it is too late, you should visit the Peace Corps IRC (In-country Resource Center) and talk to Beatrice about your work. Ask other volunteers and your APCD for information; they have helped volunteers with just about every type of project you can imagine. Finally, consider consulting some of the recommended resources below. This list is short but every item listed comes highly recommended by some volunteer: Internet Pages The best pages are listed in back issues of the Education/IT sector newsletter, Some Helpful Info for Teachers. Here are three examples: http://www.hardwarecentral.com - a place where you can ask tech support questions and get some good suggestions. http://venus.spaceports.com/~canada/webhq/ - a place to find software for diagnosing computer problems or download manuals for old motherboards. http://fishbowl.stormloader.com/itc/index.html - site with copies of Peace Corps / Gambia IT documents from 1999-2001. http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/water/africa/index.html - Peace Corps official World Wise Schools Page IRC Final Project Reports from RPCVs are available through Lamin Cham, the records clerk. You can read what past volunteers did and what they would not do again. SPA Reports give you information about how money has been spent in communities by Peace Corps, so that good ideas continue and bad ones don't rise from the dead. IT Folder - starting in 2000, important documents about IT are compiled in a Folder on IT. You can read old IT newsletters, examples of IT projects world wide, the Gambia computer survey or read about agencies which deal with IT/Computers. ITC Newsletter - The Information Technology Consortium newsletter is filled with tips for fixing computers and web site recommendations, as well as news about volunteer projects. IT Survey - August 2000, volunteers tried to describe all the computers and computer people in the country. It is out-of-date but good for ballpark figures. Books on computers are available for checkout. Several computer manuals written by volunteers from all over the world are also available. Volunteer Lounge Computer Hardware Bank is a collection of spare parts that you can use to fix minor problems with computers. Due to the amount of donations The Gambia gets, not all the parts get used and they are redistributed through this bank. Volunteers' Software Collection includes the sort of programs that schools need to teach, along with about 100 donated CDs of less useful software that you might like. You can also check out a portable ZipDrive to help install Win95, Win3.1, word processing software, and typing tutor software. Email Computer - at least one computer is dedicated for Email use in the Peace Corps office. You can also surf for work related Internet pages here if you log your time. VSO - Volunteer Service Overseas usually places a few volunteers in IT jobs at Gambia College or at DOSE. (495-469/550) Action Aid - This European NGO has spearheaded several rural IT initiatives. They don't place volunteers but like to collaborate with volunteers. They have offices in Wassau and Banjul. (392-244/004) DFID - This group works out of the British High Commissioner's Office in Bakau. They are trying several pilot projects to determine what IT projects will work in developing nations. They are running a major 3 part undertaking: They are helping Gambia College train its new teachers in the field using Internet. They are building Internet cluster computer centers in regional education offices for senior secondary teachers to continue distance learning. They are establishing a computer skills training center for disadvantaged youth in Kombo. (495-133/34) UNESCO - Has expressed interest in doing computer related work. (225-214/275) WAEC - West African Exams Council is responsible for the exams syllabi in this country. They are trying to create a computer curriculum. (228-814) GTTI - Gambia Technical Training Institute ran a teacher training class in 2000. (392-600) GambiaHELP - Is a donor organization started by a former volunteer which is trying to bring books and computers to this country. WorLD - World Links for Development is a spin-off of the World Bank which is trying to get developing nations on the Internet. Computers For the World - Builds computer labs in developing nations if the location is a place likely to be sustainable. Volunteers frequently attribute the source of their work frustrations to counterparts. This arises out of the difference in goals between the volunteer and his or her partner. You need to consider several things when finding the people you will train. First, what sort of people do you want to work with? Your job description was specifically designed to allow you to roam and work at a multitude of places. This freedom allows you to take time to assess the work situations in your area and start in a place that can most use you help. Remember that the places that can most use your help are not necessarily those that are in the process of falling apart; they are the ones where people have training needs you can fill and that have people willing to be trained. So the sort of people you want to work with are first and foremost the ones who are receptive to your training. Because computers are new and enhance career opportunities, you will find a lot of people willing to learn computer skills at first. There are many types of receptive people, and you should be aware of the different types. The first type you will probably meet are the people who know absolutely nothing about computers but want to learn. These blank slates are a wildcard. Since each one starts from ground zero, watching each one learn is like watching one of your children grow up. They take an incredible amount of your time before they can train others. Past volunteers have only resorted to them when they have other rare and admirable qualities, such as being really nice people who like to work with students without pay and who are natural leaders. The second type are receptive to your training because they want to advance their careers. They typically have some computer skills already and use you to learn more. Many of them are extremely smart and learn fast, and some even learn using a book rather than a teacher. After working with them, you will find that these people can train others around them in little time. However, the biggest drawback is that the opportunities for which these people learn computers are seldom attainable without switching jobs. So you will be able to utilize their abilities to train others for only a limited time. However, these people do not always disappear when they leave. If they start their own business and they are genuinely grateful for your training, they will usually assist others on a part time basis. So long as these people don't leave the country, they remain an asset to others. The third type of people are ones who appear receptive but ultimately are not committed to training. Since they take a lackadaisical attitude to learning computers, they are even more reluctant to take the time to show other people. You might be able to teach them a few things but most of that knowledge stays with them. There may be a few people who are receptive and learn what you teach, but who understand the power of knowledge and refuse to share it. It might seem like a ridiculous notion that a person would be averse to training others because he fears that those he trains will take his job, but the belief is there. Since you are working specifically towards the goal of having your students take your job, you will need to identify these people and avoid them. Few benefit from a person who hoards knowledge. In general, the sort of person that you will likely enjoy success in working with is the one who is receptive, generous, committed, and a quick learner. Good teaching and leadership skills are a bonus. However, a person with all of those traits is often a target for transfers or able to find a better job. So you might have to settle for a person with many but not all of those characteristics. Keep in mind that some of the brightest people might be students, so you will need to consider both students and staff at schools. However, not all schools are receptive to the idea of putting students in the role of teachers because it undermines the hierarchy. This will be a problem, as you find that your best protégé is suddenly not an available resource to others. Nevertheless, training students makes a lot of sense: Students will remain in the same place for up to three years. They usually learn faster than adults. And because they are beginning their careers, you might inspire them to become computer teachers permanently. Now that you have an idea of who to work with, what methods can you use to weed out the people you don't want? After all, you need a good way of both assessing the skills of people in a workplace and those intangible personality traits that will either be a boon or a burden. Volunteers have used all sorts of methods to separate the chaff from the wheat. A few methods are listed below: "King of the Hill" - Offer a free computer class to a large group of teachers in your school. Those teachers who continue to come to class after a month are your best potential counterparts. Commitment is a large part of counterpart reliability. Drawback: Some of the people who are most committed to attending classes are doing so in order to seek other employment. Selective Promotion - Offer to teach a variety of the best students from different classes and ages. After a month or two, one or two students tend to stand out. Promote these students to more rigorous training which will enable them to teach others. Drawback: Takes a large time commitment to find the best and the best are not always the ones who are permanent. Benefit: Grade 10 students are less likely to leave the school in 2 years than their teachers. Appointment - Meet with supervisors and work with the people they identify as the best. Drawback: Supervisors can overlook the best for a variety of reasons. Benefit: They usually pick people who are likely to remain in the office. Pseudo-Nepotism - Pick your favorite people. Drawback: Maybe your friends are not the best choices. Benefit: You will at least enjoy your work environment, even though you aren't achieving results. Squeaky Wheel - This method means you train the people who show the most persistence in convincing you to train them. Drawback: These people may be persistent without a clear idea of their goals. They usually are working towards leaving their current job and need your skills to help. Benefit: They attend class reliably until they succeed in leaving. Chapter 5: Peer Training Practice Session 5: Teaching computers in the States is a bit different from teaching computers in The Gambia. Children in the States are surrounded not only by technology, but also by simple toys and sports that allow for the development of eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity.In the Gambia, this exposure to computers, buttons, keys, dials, and bouncing balls is less. Consequently, you may need to teach at a little slower pace and be patient.You will hopefully have your chance to sample the experience of teaching Gambian children later in Model School or at RDI. This week you will slowly ease into your role as a trainer of future computer teachers by teaching your fellow trainees a simple task on the computer (see suggested topics below). When teaching, pay special attention to the way you instruct. We all have a natural tendency to try to demonstrate the task ourselves. Resist this temptation, as you are stealing the opportunity to practice the task from your student. You've heard of "hands-on" teaching? Well, for you it should be "hands-off". After, your student will have the opportunity to evaluate your effectiveness as a teacher (see the form following this lesson). And after everyone has had a chance to practice teaching, you should all get together and discuss your teaching styles. What seemed to work best? What part took an annoyingly long time to demonstrate? Is there any tidbit of computer wisdom that you assumed your student already knew? How would you change this lesson for the next group so that it provides more constructive and concise critique of your teaching methods? SOFTWARE HARDWARE Evaluation Questions: Chapter 6: Technical Training Up to this point, the discussion has been mostly about the issues you will face. This chapter gives you a chance to experience one of the most effective ways to train people in computer maintenance, but as a student this time instead of a teacher. When you are teaching someone how to do something, the best approach is to practice actually doing it, not just describe how it is done. If you want to explain how to fix common computer problems, the best approach is break your computer and demonstrate the troubleshooting process. Demonstrate how you identify the problem by eliminating possible causes one by one. Also show how to record observations, explain the problem in a clear way, and how to fix the problem. Therefore, you are going to practice fixing computers yourself using this method. This exercise also serves to fill in the gaps in your computer hardware knowledge. After participating in this workshop, you should have all the experience necessary to run a similar one in your work zone. To aid you in this, we have included a summary of a Maintenance Workshop that was conducted in 2001 (below). At the heart of what makes a successful hardware problem troubleshooter is an understanding of how to apply the Scientific Method. You should always encourage others to tackle a problem in an organized fashion and record their observations on paper, using their logic and critical thinking skills. Practice doing so yourself during this workshop. Another benefit of teaching maintenance in a group setting is that people get to meet other skilled people. This can establish connections that ultimately create a network of people who can put their heads together to tackle a problem. Chapter 7: Peer Lectures ecause the skills trainees bring with them tend to differ from group to group, this session was intentionally left "open" to allow each group to decide what topic they need to cover in greater depth. The technical trainer should ask you what you would like to discuss in this session during the Week 5: Resources session. This session can be either a technical or conceptual topic. The concepts to which you have been introduced are the following: Infrastructure Educational System Brain Drain Planning for the Future IT Best Practices Sustainability Small Project Assistance (SPA) The Dilemma of Stuff Counterparts Training of Trainers Workshops (IT-TOT) Possible Secondary Projects (even non-IT related) Possible technical subject areas include, but are not limited to: Computer Hardware (many topics) Solar Energy Electrical Wiring Computer Networks Programming Software Diagnostic and Troubleshooting Methods Use this session to share the most useful skills among the group. The topics above are so broad and are only useful as a guide to job your memory about something you wanted to learn. If no consensus can be reached about which topic is the best one, have 3 or 4 people prepare short 10 minute talks on subjects that interest them. Only if there is a lot of interest in one topic should a person monopolize the whole hour. Furthermore, Beatrice, the IRC manager is available to help you prepare in those two weeks before your session. Chapter 8: Notes on Model School Session 8: Model School
Model School is an innovative way of providing you with most of the answers to questions about what your work will really be like. Each year Peace Corps takes the 20 best students from each class at Kwinella Junior Secondary School and pays them to be model students in a mock classroom setting for two weeks. Trainees teach all the classes according to a timetable and develop their own lessons for these excited students. Each day there is an assembly just like at a real school, during which two volunteers present a lesson on some moral concept, such as honesty or diligence. The latest addition to the timetable will be a one class for each IT/Computer trainee on computers. The trainee will take 4-8 students into the computer lab (4 computers at last count) and explain what a computer is. These students probably have limited knowledge of computers; in fact it is likely that none have ever seen a computer before in their short lives. After explaining a little "Theory" on computers, you should get them on the computers and have them attempt to use the mouse and keyboard with a basic learning game, such as Jacks or Spell the Fruit. Use this exercise as an opportunity to gauge the skill level of the sort of students you will likely work with. Your introductory class on computers needs to be a true introduction. Most people who have never used a computer in America at least have used a television, car, arcade game, radio, fishing reel, or light switch. Your students may not have used anything similar enough to a computer to understand keys, buttons, and mice at first. Nevertheless, you can teach them quite a lot in 30 minutes. Just try it, and have fun. After all, Peace Corps is providing you with the best students at the school, and your 30 minute class is sure to be the highlight of their day.
|
|