Train Effective Afghan Teachers

From January through September of this year, 1,266 teachers have been trained by the staff of the Afghan Institute of Learning.  In addition to the Technique Seminars, where they learn the hands-on methodologies of teaching, the teachers are attending workshops and seminars sponsored by AIL.  Topics that these teachers have studied include Health, Democracy, Peace, Leadership and others.

Here is what one of those teachers had to say:

“I am one of the teachers of this school. Since I have taken AIL’s seminar, I can feel changes in my teaching methods because I am getting very good input from my students and I am very much glad and satisfied. AIL’s seminar teaches us how to use available and natural materials for our lessons and how to stimulate students and how to get a student to participate in the class work such as group work and asking questions.  Through which the students can take the lesson easily and comprehensively and also I learned how to make plans (annual plans, monthly plans and daily plans) so a teacher can be successful by having plans.”

For the period of June through August, 2011, another 160 Afghan Teachers attended the Afghan Institute of Learning’s Ten Day Technique Seminar.  During this seminar, they ` learn about many different topics such as the good characteristics of a teacher, lesson planning, class arrangements, principles of teaching, psychology, grading and problem solving.  The master teacher trainers use question and answer, role playing, group work, and individual work in order to interact with the teachers and keep them interested in the topics and learning different teaching principles to take back to their class rooms.  When they leave this seminar, they are far better prepared to interact with their students and to get the students involved in the class.  For years, the teachers in Afghanistan have used the rote memorization method in the classroom.  AIL is changing this so that the students will learn critical thinking skills.

Another AIL Project, “Transform Lives of 70,000 Afghan Adolescent Girls” has been chosen to be part of the Girl Effect Challenge, which runs from October 15 through November 15, 2011.  Approximately 60 projects have been included in this challenge.  The top six projects with the highest number of unique donations will become part of the Girl Effect Fund for one year and each is expected to earn an additional $25,000.  Please check out our project #8791, and thank you for your generous support of our programs!