Day One
The first day of the workshop was filled with nervous and eager anticipation as we finished our last minute set-up and lesson preparation. Before the participants arrived, we headed out to Kabalega school in Masindi for our final primary school visit. After sitting in on P3 and P4 lessons we were treated to a marvelous display of song and dance as the choir students performed two pieces that advanced them into the district finals for us. Their performance was one of indescribable joy, and I hope we might be able to display a video Courtney took on our website in the near future. After returning to Hotel Aribas, our participants began to trickle in, and by dinner most had arrived. We finished off the night with a few ice-breakers, which was a great way to ease the trepidation any were feeling. The room was soon filled with flying balls and laughter, and we ended the day knowing most of each other’s names and feeling excited about what lay ahead.
Day Two
Our second day was a long (very long!) and jam packed day, filled with sessions on environmental education, cooperative and experiential learning, as well as multiple intelligence theory. As much as possible, we tried to practise what we preached, and led the Ugandan teachers through an interactive food web, and animal identity activity. Our participants were troopers and stayed very engaged from 8:30 to 6:30, and the knowledge they amassed was evident in the lesson plans and posters they developed the following days. The PACE videos we showed on environmental initiatives in East Africa sparked some interesting debate on access and funding, and many of our participants raised thought-provoking questions about new ideas introduced to them throughout the day. In addition to Courtney’s hit game Mingle Mingle, our Planet Earth movie night proved to generate much lively enthusiasm. The atmosphere was one of a sporting event as the men wildly cheered on the predators, and the women the prey, in the high-octane chase scenes. Watching animals in unfamiliar environments such as the Arctic tundra and deep undersea was fascinating for most and Planet Earth movie night quickly became an anticipated part of our nightly routine.
Melanie
