Welcome to E*Stars, the Nairobits E-learning environment

The ‘NairoBits way of teaching’

Interview with Fiona Whelan

Is there a difference between youth from Nairobi and youth from western Europe, in relation with education?
‘Yes, a very big difference. Especially at the age of 16, 17, 18 years. Here, in Western Europe kids of that age, just go to school. That is taken for granted. They are most of the time, not too much concerned about the things they learn. Education is not a privilege, it most of the time is just the way it goes. That is completely the opposite in Nairobi. They are like sponges. They want to learn very much. They are retaining information all the time. They put it all in their heads, but at the same time they cannot put it in to practice. They are used to learn things by heart. They are not used to do something with information.
I remember Emer doing an internet-browse exercise with the Nairobi kids. She used palmbeach image as an example and asked the kids to search for a picture on the net, they thought was nice. The results was that the kids showed here all kinds of palmbeaches they found on the net. They didn’t really searched for things they liked themselves, but they searched for things, they thought the teacher would like.’
‘They come from a culture and a situation where they have learnt to share. Where they have learnt to respect their older, a bit regardless. They do not show the same level of egocentricity. They are very modest.’

Is there such thing as a ‘Nairobits way of teaching’?
‘I am not sure. What I know is that I do know what is good education. Back in Ireland I myself used to learn a lot of things by heart. The old Irish way of teaching, looks like the today African way and I don’t think that is the most sufficient way. Teaching hasn’t got much to do with learning things by heart. We try to learn the youths to think a bit more for themselves.
We want to stimulate creativity. We don’t want them to copy us, we want them to make their own decisions.
For example. They tend to take things literally. I once did an exercise with a few lines of text, a paragraph, and I wanted them to translate the text into an image. A visual thing. Most of them did, but one guy, gave the text a different font. So he did change the text into something else. I thought that was quite brilliant.
What we want to do is, basically, to create a situation where they feel save and easy to learn and explore and express.And we succeed, yes I believe so.’

What is your goal with the NairoBits youth?
‘I would like to discuss with them about all kinds of things. In the first few weeks of the course discussions were hardly possible. They where shy and quite slow to speak. And in first they always went for the obvious. That attitude is changing. One day one of the girls spoke out in the room and she made clear that she didn’t understand, and in a way she spoke for the whole group. I was very glad with that. That was quite a change for them, because such a thing normally is not done.
Maybe we also want to create some kind of political attitude. Not that we want them to be activist or anything. We would like them to stand for something, they don’t have to live their lives in a numb way. We want them to develop an opinion about politics, about democracy. But that hasn’t happen so far.’

What are your ideas or methods of education with the youth in Nairobi?
‘We discussed a lot about teaching. In general we try not to be authoritarian. We like a bit equal conversations. And they are very well behaved, so you don’t have to put much effort in discipline. Although sometimes you have to be firm. In tutorials, personal evaluations, you need to be tough sometimes. In those situations I personally tell them where they have improved and tell them what they did well. And sometimes you tell them where they still have to improve, or you must tell them they are lazy. For them, such personal attention was new. They didn’t know what that was about. But they liked it very much, I believe. They liked the fact that somebody had observed.
We have a lot of exercises who stimulate creative thinking and associations.
In general I don’t teach much different here than in Nairobi. My believes about teaching are the same. Of course the students have different cultural backgrounds and different stories.
We don’t want and we never can, change them in ‘western way thinking’ people.’

But the Nairobits vision on teaching, is not taken for granted in Kenya. Pupils aren’t used to teachers who want to discuss, or who admit they have doubts, or who say that wrong questions don’t exist and who do want pupils to take initiatives. Do you think that is a problem?
‘We are aware. I think about that a lot and it is difficult. Who are we to say what is the right way. And it is a big responsibility. ‘But I don’t think that is a purely western way of thinking we put in their minds. It more is a universal way. And for me there is not much choice. I can either go there and try to teach the way we think is the good way, the way I believe in. Or I shouldn’t go there.’
Overall I believe that we have given the kids benefits. Maybe they think ‘what strange white girls, with their strange lessons’, but for me that wouldn’t be a problem. I think they have accepted us.
They probably think: that’s just the way they do it there in Europe.
In here we tend to think that our way is the best way. And over there they don’t have such a feeling. They are more open.
I am for sure that they enjoy the lessons in the moment, and that’s positive. In the end they will remember something, it is all something they take with them.’

Cultural exchange is important for Nairobits. They get education and some kind of self awareness. What do you get from them?
‘Their attitude towards normal things in life is different, and for me that is enriching to see. Education, school, really means something. Here we exist much more as individuals.
In Nairobi you don’t get the feeling you’re being tested all the time. Children around here are more concerned about their environment, they focus on their own behaviour. In Nairobi their expressions are more neutral. They don’t use the opposite action to express how they feel, as we often try to do here. When you confront the Nairobits youth with something, you can have a much more open conversation.
In general: One is confronted with a different set of priorities in Africa. The basics are more in focus.’

Do you have any tips for new teachers, here and in Nairobi?
Try to demonstrate what you wish to teach, in a way they are familiar with or where they can identify with.
Test them to see if they have understood, not only verbally but practically.
They are not willing to admit that they do not understand something. So it is important to explain to them that you would really appreciate if they would tell you when they do not understand. It is a key to learning.
They use a different set of communication codes, it is necessary to observe these codes in order to communicate well with them and to build a trust with them.
It is necessary to realise when teaching Internet and ICT skills to kids who are not formiliar with such, that it is like teaching a new language. You have to make sure they understand the basics and structure of this new language before continuing.
They tend to work slowly. Give them some time pressured exercises, frequently to bring them up to a good working speed.
Give them lots of tests and exams, individually.
Give them problemsolving exercises to help them think creatively and lasting.
It is important to follow up assignments with them. It is important that they understand why one assignment follows another. The learning order must become logical to them.
Plenty of discussion about the learning process is very valuable.

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