This Mentorship Program is a binding contract between ……………………….. (herein called “mentor”) and …………………………. (herein called “mentee”).

We hereby agree to the terms and conditions below:

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The mentorship commences on ………………. and ends on …………………………
2. We will commit a maximum of 30 minutes per week towards the program. In case circumstances disrupt the program, the disrupted session will be recovered at a time agreed between the mentor and the mentee. The mentorship would be given in an educational environment and that the experience is for my benefit.
3. The mentorship program is not a guarantee of employment in the organization within which the mentor works.
4. AKU has the right to suspend or terminate the mentorship under this Contract as they may deem appropriate at its sole discretion.

WORK MANDATE

1. We understand that the terms and conditions are meant to guide and at upon agreement between the mentor and the mentee, may change.
2. We agree to adhere to the time and duration set.
3. We agree to maintain the organizational objectives and public image of AKU and shall not engage in any activity deemed to damage its reputation.

I understand the legal consequences of signing this document, which include (a) releasing AKU and the partner university of placement from all liabilities whatsoever, (b) undertaking not to sue AKU and the Auxiliary Organization, (c) and assuming all risks of participating in this mentorship.

Mentee  Signature:                              Date:

Mentor  Signature:                                Date:

Head

During the workshop on 3^rd august 2021 facilitated by Rose Iminza on Gender and equity in education, I learnt that there can be no gender sensitive classrooms without proper understanding of gender sensitive education. From the workshop, I got to know that giving all learners a sense of belonging, giving value to diversity and promoting equal opportunities for all students are key to inclusive education.

Though bias exist in our classrooms, it can be minimised through focus on individual students rather than groups, awareness, behavioural/ attitude change, monitoring tipping moments and ensuring proper judgements of our learners.

To respond to specific needs of each gender in teaching and learning, gender responsive pedagogy and gender responsive school management should be applied.

Heart

It is my belief that inclusion is possible in my school and that if practised then an all-educated society can be created. If only education equally caters for all learners irrespective of their gender, ability, social status among others, then there can be a rise in school completion rates and each learner can attain his or her maximum educational outcomes. This can only be achieved through an inclusive practice in our schools.

Hand

Having realised the gains of inclusivity in education, it is my pledge to work with policy makers in formulating policies that enhance inclusivity in education. At community level, I will take it upon me to create awareness on the benefits of inclusivity and to champion for gender responsive pedagogy in local schools, beginning with my school.

The workshop conducted by Dr. Jane Rarieya on Tuesday 27^th July 2021 was about reflection. During the workshop I learnt that reflections are very important activities in teaching and learning yet the most ignored by most teachers, leading to undesirable results. The workshop demonstrated the cyclic nature of reflection, including description stage-feelings-evaluation stage-analysis stage-conclusion-action plan, and finally back to description stage. The speaker stressed that for a better result-yielding reflection experience, no stage of the reflection process should be ignored.

The speaker then highlighted the 5W’s of reflection; what, why, who, where and when. These 5W’s must be adhered to during reflection. Finally, the workshop ended with various ways of reflection.

I was challenged to reflect before, during and after my lessons since it is through reflection that I get to handle subsequent lessons and classes in a different way so as to experience different results. In addition, it is through reflection that I get to know the positive and negative experiences during my lessons. Being that learners are never the same, reflection also assists in devising mechanisms unique for each cohort of learners.

Having known the benefits of reflection, the cyclic nature of reflection, the 5W’s of reflection and the various ways of reflecting, I plan to conduct reflection exercises in school once I resume my teaching classes. I will also develop a habit of reflecting in future workshops.

Reflection on Smart classroom-tech integration by Kolb (2019)

MIND

The article, Smart classroom-tech integration by Kolb (2019) captures various strategies that can be applied by teachers to use technology tools in ways that can successfully impact on academic and social-emotional growth. It aims at solving pressure that school heads put on teachers to integrate technology, yet the teachers and the same heads lack a strong conceptual framework on how technology should be integrated.

According to the author, success in using technology in learning lies not on the technology tools but on the instructional methods that the teachers employ with the tools.

When integrating technology into learning, the Triple E Framework elements of engagement, enhancement, and extension should be considered.

To engage the learners, the tools used should trigger social interaction among the learners. For enhancement, the technology tool should support high order thinking and skills among the learners. Finally, technology should be extended to the real world of the learner. It should bridge the learner’s natural world with the classroom lesson.

Heart

The article has enabled me to think of the methods that I have been using to instruct and I have realised that my lessons, though sometimes accompanied by technology, have still been missing a lot. Perhaps, that’s the reason why my learners keep failing despite the strides I make. I have been using technology in teaching without fully considering the three elements of the triple E framework, and this has impacted on lower productivity.

Hands

Having fully internalised the triple E framework and followed the timely workshop by Felix Mwawasi, I have resorted to applying the triple E framework once I resume my teaching duty. At personal levels, it will increase my interaction with technology and help realise other ways of using technology for better conceptual understanding among my learners. In turn, the learners will be able to apply learnt concepts for their cognitive growth.

The workshop on design thinking to leverage teaching and learning resources facilitated by Dr. Wachira on Wednesday 4^th August 2021 stressed on the role of teaching and learning resources in enhancing quality education and the whole process of designing teaching and learning resources. During the workshop, I learnt that to be a great teacher, I must be able to design resources for instructing a particular concept, rather than just having knowledge about the concept. Design thinking transforms challenges into opportunities, leading to improved outcomes. It is therefore imperative that teachers should apply design thinking approach to solve crises in education like mass failure and disengagement among the learners.

The workshop sensitised me that there is need for design thinking pedagogy if focus on content and cramming are to be replaced by competencies like creativity, problem solving and critical thinking. To a very great extent, this shift is able to solve most of the teacher issues.

The worship further guided me on all the steps in design thinking, from empathy to testing stages. I also learnt about the process of designing a maker space and learning resources, identification of the users and their needs being key.

Thinking of the classes I teach in comparison to design thinking, I realise there is so much I ignore while doing my planning and even in the entire lesson process. Ignorantly, I attend classes minus designing a teaching and learning resource to support my pedagogy, and for a very long time, my learners have been unable to develop competency skills even after several weeks of learning. Developing competency skills like innovation, creativity and digital literacy among the learners demands a Design thinking pedagogy.

Having known the steps of design thinking and the requirements of designing teaching and learning resources, I must make at least one science teaching and learning during this practicum period. After this course, I will make it a routine to design teaching and learning resources for each of the concepts I will be handling.

The respiratory model has been designed for teaching gaseous exchange in class six, form two and university biology students in the Kenyan education set up.

Competency skills

Observation skills

Cognitive skills

Collaboration skills

Psychomotor skills

Requirements

13 L water bottle

Rubber bands

3 balloons (2 should be smaller, with equal sizes)

Silicon

Insulation tape

3 straws

Procedure

• Using a knife, remove the base of the bottle.
• Open the bottle lid and drill a hole through the lid.
• Fix a straw through the hole. Using silicon, fix the straw in position to prevent it from movement. Close the bottle with the strawed lid.
• Cut another straw into two equal halves and attach each half on the lower end of the straw
• Attach a balloon each on the ends of the two branching straws
• Cut the remaining balloon to remove the upper part. Fix the lower part into the lower end of the bottle.

The mentorship by Mr. Kipelo Obed on Friday 30^th July 2021 through a WhatsApp chat was about becoming a change agent after the master’s programme at AKU.

Being our first mentorship activity, we opted to chart through WhatsApp so as to maximise our conversation within a shorter time.

From the mentorship, I got sensitised on the need to always be ready to utilize the AKU knowledge and experience to change my surrounding, bearing in mind that I will be leaving AKU as an agent of change rather than conservative of traditions. I learnt that by doing things differently, I can create significant changes in my school and the larger community.

Stressing on the need for patience during the change process, the mentor made it clear that change is not abrupt but rather gradual, and therefore I should just start and never give up even if things are not working my way.

Being an agent of change means changes starts with me and brings an impact on others. I was given an example of work place where I will meet colleagues and leaders who are different in terms of experience, philosophy, interest among others, yet I will be expected to link up with them and bring change.

The mentorship challenged me that I have yet a greater role after AKU- to create a change. Change is good since it brings a different view of something, and might yield better results, breaking the monotony of consistent failures.  Because of this, I have developed a change mindset and preparing to leave AKU as an agent of change rather than an addict of traditional methods.