June 24 – 29, 2018 – Ashesi welcomed 28 lecturers, school administrators and staff members from 17 different institutions to the second annual Education Collaborative. Participants of this year’s workshop joined from institutions in Zimbabwe, Niger, Nigeria, United States, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mauritius and Ghana.
Building off from the pilot run the year before, the Collaborative this year centered on how to make learning relatable, engaging and relevant.
Driven by a vision to tackle current and complex challenges affecting the African continent through education, the goal of the Education Collaborative is to facilitate the circulation of useful models, tools, and techniques for learning among institutions.
This year’s program sought to explore how contexts unique to Africa, and the technology available, impact the feasibility and adoption of new teaching and facilitation techniques. The week-long session brought together faculty, staff and administrators from across the continent.
“It really stood out to me how members of the Collaborative were very proactive in networking with each other,” commented Rose Dodd, Facilitator, “They took the initiative on establishing how to maintain open lines of communication so they can collaborate further in future, and agree on an initial set of values by which they will take back home to their institutions, work and live by.”
Following this year’s session, members join a larger network of educators who are exploring ways to implement the tactics learned at the Collaborative in their respective classrooms and context.
“Here at Ashesi, we are keenly anticipating evaluation reports on the outcome of the program which will enable us to design next year’s program, as it will be built incorporating lessons and findings from this year’s collaborative,” added Rose.
Over the next few months, building on the established networks, attendees will take part in a series exchange programs between participating institutions, where they will assist others in their classrooms and work together to develop curricula aimed at making learning relatable, engaging and relevant.
