Some TeachUNICEF committee members visited the Peace Room at the Perry School on Friday, April 1st and continued the unit on disability awareness. This time the members had an older group of children.
Sita: We arrived at the Perry School a bit early, and did some more preparation with our lesson plan for the day. Our plan was to teach the kids about Japan and the tsunami, the different types of disabilities and the Ethiopian case study. We had other topics planned, but would probably concentrate on the three listed as we did not have much time.
Ms MJ moved the group of about 10 kids from the Peace Room to a classroom because she said the kids were a bit agitated and had not been very cooperative earlier. She warned us that this was their group of the hardest kids, which made me a bit nervous. Once we got inside the room we sat around a circle and all introduced ourselves and what made/broke our peace.
While it was rather difficult at the beginning to get some of the kids’ attention, as the class progressed they started to become more interactive. There were some kids, Jordan especially, who did not want to participate but at the end of the class he came up to me and showed me where he was from on the map! Overall, I think we did a good job even though it was not an easy experience because we were all dedicated to getting something across.
Nadia: I was slightly nervous about our visit this Friday, as right away it seemed like the kids wouldn't be at their most attentive that afternoon--and on top of that, the disability issue might prove to be a tricky subject to present. However, with much appreciated help from the other volunteers there, I think we had an overall pretty successful lesson--we tried to keep it interactive with questions and pictures, which definitely helped. I think it may be a worthwhile idea, for future lessons, to try to incorporate some aspect of role-playing into the lesson, as this would get the students even more involved in their learning rather than feeling lectured at. Great job, TeachUNICEF!
Jordan: Our visit to the Peace Room Friday 4/1/11 was challenging but still worthwhile. The boys were rowdy and full of energy but we persevered and delivered our message. Even though they often acted as if they did not care about what we had to say, in actuality they found it quite interesting and were enthusiastic during the interactive portions. We did our best to stress treating children with disabilities with respect because they are children first. I think the boys were able to grasp this concept and I hope they will stay true to it. Overall, I think our visit was a success.
Lotus: During our visits to the Perry School, we had always worked with the youngest group of children, but this time we had an older group. We began with some info on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and what kind of relief response there had been, using pictures to help the children visualize both the destruction and the relief efforts. We then moved on to giving brief descriptions of the different types of disabilities, then began discussion on the Ethiopian case study, going over the case study write-up with the children and discussing what was being done to prevent disabilities and help children with disabilities. Ms. MJ then brought over a map, and we pointed out where Japan and Ethiopia are, and then just to mix things up and have some fun, identified where some of us committee members are from, and asked the children to point out where they are from. We made much more use of visuals this time around – showing pictures and writing things on poster boards – which perhaps made it easier for the children to understand what we were trying to convey. Despite the initial difficulties we ran into while trying to teach, as the lesson progressed, the children grew more interested in what we had to say, and my team members kept up their energy and positivity. I truly appreciate their perseverance, the children’s engagement, the volunteers’ assistance, and Ms. MJ’s guidance and support during this visit. All of your cooperation combined is what makes the TeachUNICEF Committee’s work possible. Thank you!
On March 14th, some TeachUNICEF members made the committee’s third visit of the semester. This time, we went to the Perry School, and since this group of children was different from the group at the Beacon House, we again gave an introductory lesson on disability awareness, focusing on the fact that children with disabilities are children first and should not be defined by their disabilities, the different types of disabilities, and the story of a girl, Nodira, who couldn’t go to school because she had spina bifida and couldn’t walk. Here is what the members have to say about their teaching experience this time around:
Ally: I really enjoyed my second trip to the Perry School. I feel like we really made progress even though it was only our second trip. I feel like I am getting to know the kids and understanding what kind of attention/teaching styles certain individuals need. I think our use of videos and then asking the kids about what they saw/heard was the most effective tool we used. I think we should keep trying out new methods while sticking to the ones we find work best. I would like to try and design a game that incorporates an aspect of the lesson so the kids can be more active while learning because they have so much energy!
Berk: I believe that there was a significant improvement during my second visit to the Perry School. The group was around the same age that we had during our first visit; it was not surprising to see that getting the initial attention tend to be tough. However, I believe we made a good beginning with exercise. Since we were four at the Perry School, it was useful to sort of divide the group among ourselves in order focus on different points and be able to draw everyone’s attention to the topic. I believe that although our main topic was disability, it was a very good idea to start with the earthquake incident in Japan. Kids were very interested about the topic and they did participate by telling their stories related to that. We were able to convey the main ideas on disability and I was confident that they all got something from it. As always, I guess the most important and necessary tool to maintain efficiency in these sessions is the amount of audiovisual and interactive material we use. Therefore it would be even better to elaborate and improve that area of our presentations. Discussion was very productive, and the developing leadership among the kinds themselves was one of the memorable moments for me. I think seeing them involving in discussion and leaving the Peace Room with something about disability in mind shows our success in taking our ideas into action.
Charlotte: I absolutely loved visiting the Perry School this past Monday! Because I said the children were amazing after my last visit, I can't even begin to think how to describe them now! When we first arrived, they were pretty frisky - as to be expected on a Monday. But within 15 minutes, the effect of our presence was obvious. Having seen us before, the children seemed to have found a sense of comfort and security in us, which was apparent in their behavior. Whereas last time they were easily distracted during our lesson, on Monday they listened whole-heartedly to us. Not only did they seem focused and concerned, but they also interacted with us. Our account of Japan's recent catastrophes resonated with them, as they were asked us several detailed questions. They had no trouble grasping the misfortunes of the opposite side of the world - a challenging feat for many children. Likewise, they seemed to grasp the concept of "children with disabilities" quite quickly. After this visit, I can say with 100% confidence that we have expanded their mindsets. I'm beginning to think they look forward to our visits just as much as we do. That being said, I cannot wait to go spend more time with them!
Lotus: I believe the four of us walked into Monday’s lesson mindful of what occurred during our last visit to the Peace Room and what worked and what didn’t. It was heartening to see how the children were so eager to participate in the discussions, and how some of them were starting to assume leadership roles. At the same time, I’m immensely proud of my team – they too showed commendable leadership skills as well as an incredible amount of patience during our lesson. The children took away from the lesson some knowledge of what disabilities can do to a person and the awareness that those with disabilities deserve as much respect as those without disabilities. We came away from the lesson with the knowledge that we had helped carry out TeachUNICEF’s mission.
