During my prep, I was fortunate to already have a few items on hand from past excursions abroad. That being said, there was still quite a few pieces to look into and acquire before going to Uganda. Vaccinations are needed, Malaria pills prescribed, ample amount of insect and sun protection gathered, and making sure wardrobe pieces were suitable for the more conservative area without melting in the 90+ degree temperatures. The heat will most certainly be a bit of a change from the current climate here in Virginia (as I write this, it's currently foggy, raining, and set-in-your-bones chilly outside)!
As for the work we'll be doing with the Arlington Academy of Hope, we're currently putting together our strategies and materials for the workshops to be done with teachers at the Academy as well as teachers in government-run outreach schools. The two main instructional strategies we'll be working on with them are differentiation strategies and grouping strategies. I'm working with Rob, Dillon, and Pim on the grouping strategies portion of the workshop. We plan to present, emulate, and practice a number of different grouping strategies with the teachers to give them different options to incorporate into their classrooms. We'll have 60 minutes for our portion of the workshop at the Academy to do this (30 minutes at the outreach schools), and while that seems like a lot of time, I have a feeling it'll fly by! I'm looking forward to meeting and working with these teachers to both help them improve their own teaching styles as well as expanding and learning more of my own.
I'm anticipating this trip to be very enlightening, eye-opening, and an all-around great experience. This is a unique opportunity and I plan to step on the plan next week with an open mind to be sure I take in as much as I can.
That's all for me- back to packing, prepping, and crossing the days off the calendar!
Ryann
T-10 hours...I hope everyone is ready for our African Adventure. I am really excited to gain a new perspective of Africa, my social studies classes and the media have not created the best impression of what Africa holds for me. I know that it will be a very different world from my own, but I am hoping to find a place of hope and happiness, a place that knows their is more to behold and yet is happy with what it has.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that you feel differently now! I think everyone does. Arlington Academy of Hope couldn't have a more appropriate name. It truly is a place of hopes and dreams.
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