It's hard to believe we are almost done with module 6 and the entire diplomado. I am inspired by the teachers' commitment and desire to become more effective teachers for their students. This is the first module that all four of us (Mitzi, Kris, Julie and Beth) were at, and it has allowed us to bounce ideas off of each other and determine the best way to proceed for the final module activities!
On Monday, we began with a review from the previous modules. The participants were in groups to discuss the major concepts and to share how they have used it over the last two years. There was a sense of confidence in their sharing as well as support from their colleagues.
Mitzi introduced the topic of collaboration and the participants were so engaged in the activities! The self reflection took a lot of extra time because Nicaraguans are not generally expected to do this. We could have spent days on this topic and they would have loved it.
Moving on to families, the participants created their own genograms and discussed how their families communicated and reacted to varying events. We spent time on the grieving stages that families experience when realizing their child has a disability and the importance of being sensitive to other people's emotions without judgment.
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Indiana's group were here "foes"
She was instructed to walk on desks |
Kris spent Tuesday afternoon introducing Social Emotional skills of children. They especially loved the label activity!! Wednesday morning Kris continued the teaching of social emotional skills and gave away some awesome books by Julia Cook (Fremont, NE) that were in both Spanish and English.
Beth & Mitzi realized the participants were at their saturation limit...so much content that we covered over the past 2 years and with the final exam looming on Friday, they decided to scrap the Writing Strategies information and begin some intensive review. Cooperative learning groups were assigned different modules and created four questions for each module. We were very impressed with how the students examined the content of the modules and chose the most important concepts. This truly shows the growth the teachers have made over the past two years!
Thursday morning the groups presented the information while also sharing how they have used the strategies in their classrooms.
Thursday afternoon, the groups used the game boards from last summer to review over 35 questions! This was also collaborative because different people remembered different content and were able to help explain information to others. This also helped our one and only translator Martha Celia. It was an exhausting week for her as our only translator, but we appreciate her commitment! Thank you, Martha!
The final day.....Friday morning. The students will complete a self-efficacy survey on inclusive practices, the final exam and the evaluation of the training.
We know they are cooking up (literally and figuratively) a great party. It is going to be so hard to say good-bye to my friends-- but I hope I will be able to visit them in their schools someday.
- Julie
There was such a positive energy in the room and I can only attribute that to the sense of pride & accomplishment in becoming even better teachers. The gratitude was palpable also in the gifts the teachers gave us which were individualized. The dean's office ordered meals for each of the teachers and Johanna Jiron made some pasta for us. She also brought fresh vegetables and garlic bread. :-) 
One of the first things that made me fall in love with the Nicaraguans, is the authenticity of the relationships. They have so little in material possessions but they are wealthy in ways that most Americans can only dream about and I am blessed to share in it.
