CAS Collaborative Project: Reflection on Refugee Law Project

 Refugee Law Project

Located at the heart of Old Kampala, Refugee Law Project (RLP) has a modest but firm building structure.  There are three plots that RLP own as operating headquarters.  The office that I was based in was on Plot 9.  My supervisor was Ms Winfred Agabo.  However, due to her irregularity with attendance because of the nature of her job, I worked with three other people; Mr Robert, Mr Charles and Ms Ignaciana.  They are the ones who taught me the basics of proper teaching and student management.  Ms Ignaciana and Mr Robert have been at the institution for over four years while Mr Charles was an intern who was studying education at Makerere University.

I have had minimal experience actually conducting and teaching a lesson, let alone to adults some much older than me.  One can imagine then that it was sometimes intimidating.  I remember the first day when I was introduced.  On that day, the school decided to give out identification cards to its students.  The students were to take a passport photograph in the order of names on the class register.  I learnt that there were four levels of English Classes.  I was assigned to the literacy class which was had the largest amount of students.  It was the most basic class so my skills could be appreciated more than say if I was to teach level four English that required a few more qualifications.  It was a good start.

The hardest part of the project was coming up with enough teaching content to fill a lesson of two hours.  During planning, I consulted a lot with Charles, whom I had become very fond of.  He told me that the first time he was here he had problems with the literacy class.  I distinctly remember a quote he said, “It will be easy but not so easy.”  This resonated for much of the first lesson.  But nevertheless, everything generally went off without a hitch. The lesson was about telling time and so I decided that in order to create a more visual aspect a real clock was needed. The students responded to this very well.

They had some complaints though.  In a meeting that I attended for all staff and class leaders, I was informed that I was not being loud enough.  This was to my absolute surprise because I sincerely felt that I was being very audible.  This is something that did improve over time and it was acknowledged and appreciated by the students. 

Working at RLP taught me a lot about the real world.  The “real” world is not as bad as it seems.  The experience I gained here was truly a maturing process for me.  I tasted the fruit of semi-hard labour and all I can say is in the future, I hope I can help organisations like RLP to keep doing what they do in society. With that I conclude by saying, I never expected to learn so much while teaching.

Lesson Plans For the Project

 Lesson One: Telling the Time

• ·         Bring in a clock that shall be used to demonstrate the different parts of the clock face.
• ·         Start off with explanation of the four main parts namely,

   Quarter past

    Half Past

    O’clock 

    Quarter to

• ·         Then go on to explain the difference from ‘to’ and ‘past’ on the clock face
• ·         Give out an the exercise given in the EFA textbook

Lesson Two: Things in a Bathroom

·      

            Explaining all of these items in detail.

Basin, Comb, Mirror, Slippers, Soap, Sponge, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Towel, Deodorant, Brush, Sink, Water, Taps

·        Explanation of all of these verbs:

Brush

Clean

Put

Use

Wash

Wear

·        Make a table of things in the bathroom with the name, use and location in the bathroom

·         Make an exercise which is to be photo copied.