Visits to Schools

On Friday I visited some primary and secondary schools. It was a real eye opener. In the secondary schools there appeared to be a lot of chalk and talk, but the primary schools were incredible, in one place there were ten classes in one big room, separated by blackboards, and with very little space between. There was a high level of noise and lack of privacy for the teacher to establish a relationship with their class. The teacher had to repeat the question to each group of children in the class so they could hear. Again the main method was copying from the blackboard. It is difficult to see how children with special needs could receive the support they need. We have also found out that the organisation we work for (NCERD) is responsible for continuing professional developement and provision of materials for teachers, but that responsibility has been devolved to Regional Councils for things like providing and maintaining equipment.
Today I went to a unit for children with a visual impairment which is attached to a secondary school, but also supports children in nursery and primary. I met the head teacher who said that the main difficulty they had was in maths. For other subjects the children go to the mainstream classes, then bring the work to the unit where they go over things, and record bits onto casette for them to listen to. But for maths they only do basic number work and money in the unit itself. So there is a lot of work that I can contribute there. She said that I was the answer to her prayers. Let's hope so. However I have to do things in a sustainable way, ie I have to make sure that I work alongside a local person so that they can continue when I leave. I am arranging to go to observe sessions later this week hopefully.