Peace Corps Rwanda

Guide to Teacher Training

The following is a useful guide for starting your own Teacher Training Workshop
Series at a school(s) near you!

Developed in 2015 by Elisabeth J. Turner, Education 4 PCV

The following is a guide to begin thinking about how you will organize your English Language Training
Workshops. There are 8 action steps to take in planning and implementing training, each with questions
listed to help you make the best decisions based on your community needs.

Steps:

Action Notes
1. Establish Need Do teachers at your school or surrounding area want and need
English language training? What are the current levels of English
amongst the possible participants?
2. Create Plan Who will lead trainings (a PCV, an English Teacher, an outside
expert)? *Remember, you can rotate who teaches each lesson!
How many teachers/schools will you provide training for? When
and where will training occur? Will you provide pre/post
assessments? Will you divide sessions by English Level? Will
there be attendance requirements? Will you provide incentives?
See the Variations section below and the sample proposals for
ideas.
3. Get Support Depending on the need and plan, you will need various support
structures. A) Teachers: without their support your plan fails; B)
Head teacher: they will be critical for venue and timetable; C)
Sector leaders: also may provide venue support as well as
connections to other schools; D) District: if your plan covers
several schools, the District may provide printing or venue
support. See the Support section for advice.
4. Logistics When will training happen? Where will it take place? Is money
necessary to conduct your training: why/how much/who will
pay? (see budget section) How will you track
attendance/participation? What will you do if there is rain?
5. Curriculum Check out the lesson plan ideas available. Adapt them as
necessary or create your own. Be flexible if lessons take longer
than planned or teachers want different topics.
6. Teach! Be consistent. If you fail to show up regularly, attendance will
suffer. As will your credibility.
7. Re-evaluate Throughout your program, gather feedback. Whether that’s
checking if teachers are falling asleep or look confused or if they
stop attending. Talk to the teachers about what they like and
don’t like. Ask them for suggestions on topics they are
particularly interested in. Do a formal assessment to see if
information is being gained. Incorporate micro-teaching into
your sessions so teachers must demonstrate new knowledge,
vocabulary, or skills.
8. Reward Certificates go a long way in Rwanda. Whether your training is
one day or many, you can provide a certificate as incentive.
Depending on your program and budget, you may also provide
lunch, tea, or even a small transport stipend.
Variations:

When you’re creating your plan, consider the different variations below based on community need.

A Certificate Series
One/Two-day
B or if you are using a cascade model of training. A cascade module means you
Workshop
C Distance Options
Conduct a fifteen (15) session series over the course of several months.
Award a Certificate of Continued Professional Development for participation
(set a minimum to receive certificate). It is best to secure support from
Sector leaders and/or the Headteacher to establish 2-hours per week on the
school timetable.
Conduct a one-time full-day workshop. This variation may be best if teachers
request training on a specific topic, if there is no support for a longer series,
provide training to Teacher Leaders from several schools and they return to
their schools to share the training with their respective colleagues.
Either of the above variations can include a distance option. This means that
the Trainer travel to schools other than the local site. Depending on your
availability and budget allocation, this can be a longer series or a one-time
workshop. Support from Sector officials can gain you access and
introductions to many schools.

Topics:

English Language Support Teaching Methodology Additional Development

Vocabulary by topic Classroom Management Public Speaking
Grammar Inclusive Classrooms Finances
Reading & discussions Resource creation & use Library use
Public Speaking Assessment ICT
Debate Critical Thinking CV writing
Listening activities Learning types Interview skills
Writing skills Content-based Learning Giving/Receiving feedback
Story-telling Games and Group Work Research skills

Support:

Once a need is established, gaining support of all the relevant parties is critical to success. Below is
advice on gaining support of various people/groups:

Teachers You will always need to first secure the support of teachers:
 Begin by discussing your idea with teachers you know. Get their advice and
feedback on your plan and refine as necessary.
 Ask supportive teachers to spread the word and see if others are interested.
 Discuss the idea informally: at a social gathering or over lunch.
 Present the plan at a staff meeting, but make sure it is a suggestion for discussion
and not stated as mandatory (unless you have support from higher up).
 If the Sector is introducing you to a distant school, they may present the plan as
mandatory or highly encouraged. Having Sector or District support will generally
 make teachers more engaged, so long as no punitive measures are attached.
Head Having the Head Teachers support is important for securing time for your training. Teachers
Teachers are much less likely to attend if sessions are afterschool or on weekends. Convincing the
Head Teacher of the importance of this program will help get you time during the normal
school day:
 Ask to meet with the Head Teacher. Share a written plan and explain that the
teachers want to participate and helped create the program.
 Make sure you invite them to participate as well. Even if they are too busy or don’t
believe they need training, it is polite to make them feel welcome.
 Many Head Teachers will especially like the idea of gaining professional skills that
will help them in their own goals. Emphasizing skill-development topics can gain
their support.
 Be very clear about what you need from the Head Teacher (and what you don’t).
Asking them for money is a sure way to LOSE their support. Explain that you only
need 2 hours per week and a classroom (and maybe access to the school’s printer).
 Frame your proposal in light of the growing need for English skills, the benefit to
students if teachers become fluent, and the national focus on the new curriculum
and student-centered teaching methods.
 At Boarding schools, lunch time is the most likely to be used for sessions (two days a
week, for example). At a day school, it is possible for the Head Teacher to approve
sending students home 2 hours early one day per week. This is even more likely
with Sector support. The same is true for a one-day workshop (cancel school one
Friday). If all of this is absolutely refused, consider increasing the incentives offered
to get teachers to attend in the evening or on weekends (lunch, Fanta, transport).
 Whatever you agree to, write it up and get a school stamp as evidence of the Head
Teachers support.
Sector It is always good to inform your Sector Education Officer [SEO] of any programs you do. It
Leaders improves the image of Peace Corps and opens opportunities for future projects and
integration. Having their support can also help your Training Program:
 If you are only reaching your primary school, you may not need any actual support
from the Sector, but it is still good to provide them with a copy of the plan. They will
likely share it with the District, who will share it with REB, as evidence of positive
interventions in the region. Everyone wins.
 If you want to reach multiple schools, your SEO can help you get a foot in the door.
They can identify schools that need training, tell Head Teachers to support you, and
encourage Teachers to attend.
 If you are trying to train multiple teachers in a central location, your SEO may help
you negotiate a venue (at a nearby school or the Sector offices).
 If you know your SEO well, that’s great! And all of this communication will be easier.
If you don’t know them well, this is a positive way to introduce yourself. Try to make
an appointment, but if you don’t have contacts, then you may need to trek to the
office and just see if they’re around (fyi, every Head Teacher or School Based
Mentor should be able to give you the SEOs phone number).
 Take your plan. It is acceptable to have it written out on clear print paper (versus
typed) but make sure it is neat. Begin with introductions and how the idea got
started. Focus on the benefits to the local education community the program will
provide. And again, be specific about what you need (or don’t need).
  If you want to provide certificates for your program, it will be great to have the
Sector Education Officer or Sector Executive Secretary sign them (makes them more
official). Discuss this as part of your plan.
 Finally, ask if the SEO has any advice or ideas. Be open, be available, and let them
know you’re here to help.
District Unless you are doing a massive project across multiple Sectors, District support won’t be
Leaders very necessary. However, as with the Sector, it doesn’t hurt to keep the District informed
(and you may actually need their help):
 When you speak to your SEO, you can ask them if they want to inform the District.
They have a natural chain of communication so it’s great if they take the lead.
 Provide your SEO with a copy of the plan (hard or soft copy) to share.
 If you want to provide certificates for your program, it may be possible to have the
District Mayor sign them (even more official than the Sector). If this is your goal, you
will need to meet with the District Education Officer (DEO) and get their support.
Don’t go to the Mayor without the DEO alongside, you’ll be skipping a step. Plus the
DEO can help navigate the politics and inconsistency of the Mayor’s schedule. (fyi
rather than the Mayor, it could be the DEO or the Vice Mayor of Social Affairs who
sign, as they oversee education issues in the District).
 Depending on budget availability, you may request the District to print your
certificates. They typically have a printing budget, as well as a color printer on site.

Advice:

Certificates:

 Unless you plan to have a rigorous pre- and post-assessment, certificates should be granted for
participation and not performance. Make sure this is clear from the start. A good title is:
Certificate of Continued Professional Development (see sample).
 If the Sector or District prints your certificates, make sure you are clear about whether they will
be in color and the type of paper which will be used. You don’t want someone to print 50
certificates that look bad.
 When arranging to get a Sector or District leader to sign certificates, allow PLENTY of time. They
are busy and signing certificates is very low on their priority list. You may need to remind them
frequently, but don’t be rude. Be clear if you have a deadline.
 Make sure you have the names of teachers spelled correctly! Don’t be afraid to double check
with teachers, even if you think they’ll expect you to know. Certificates are important to
Rwandans, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. (same goes for anyone elses name that you use).
 If you have both Peace Corps and a local leader sign the certificate (and possibly yourself),
understand that Rwandan authorities generally expect to be the last to sign and the teacher’s
name should already be printed on the paper. This means you really need to start in advance
and be organized.
If your training requires funding, you may need to write a budget to request those funds. The budgets
below are samples only and not meant to be used directly. You should consider the needs of your
specific plan (food, transport, materials, etc) and then gather information on local prices.

Budget A:

Budget based on 15 session series with 25 teachers at local site.

Item Explanation Cost Final Budget

Venue In-Kind In-Kind
Food Fanta/Coffee/Tea if necessary for 500 rwf per person/per
187,500 rwf
incentive session
Printing Lesson Plan examples, exams,
(in-kind if possible) 15,000 rwf
handouts, schedule/fliers
Resources Chalk, Duster, Items for resource
- 25,000 rwf
creation lesson, etc
Certificates Color printing, nice paper 1,500 rwf per person (in-
37,500 rwf
kind if possible)
TOTAL 265,000 rwf
(based on max amounts)

Budget B:

Based on 2-day Workshop with 25 teachers at local site. (See SAMPLE B proposal for alternative budget
based on a cascade-model to multiple schools).

Item Explanation Cost Final Budget

Venue In-Kind In-Kind
Food Fanta/Coffee/Tea 500 rwf per person/per
25,000 rwf
day
Food Lunch 1,000 rwf per
50,000 rwf
person/per day
Printing Lesson Plan examples, exams,
(in-kind if possible) 15,000 rwf
handouts, schedule/fliers
Resources Chalk, Duster, Items for resource
- 25,000 rwf
creation lesson, etc
Certificates Color printing, nice paper 1,500 rwf per person (in-
37,500 rwf
kind if possible)
TOTAL 152,500 rwf
(based on max amounts)
**potential additional line-item if accommodations necessary for Trainer on a multi-day distance
workshop (5,000 rwf per night)
Budget C:

Based on 15-session distance series, reaching 75 teachers at multiple schools (3: 1 local, 2 distant).

Item Explanation Cost Final Budget

Venue In-Kind In-Kind
Food Fanta/Coffee/Tea if necessary for 500 rwf per person/per
562,500 rwf
incentive session
Printing Lesson Plan examples, exams,
(in-kind if possible) 25,000 rwf
handouts, schedule/fliers
Resources Chalk, Duster, Items for resource
- 40,000 rwf
creation lesson, etc
Certificates Color printing, nice paper 1,500 rwf per person (in-
112,500 rwf
kind if possible)
Transport: Necessary for transport to 2 2,000 – 10,000 per
300,000 rwf
Trainer distant schools session/per school
TOTAL 1,040,000 rwf
(based on max amounts)