Earlier this month, the CITW Zambezi team, together with Lisa Witherden from the Johannesburg office, and 12 Eco-Mentors from Maramani schools, met at Nottingham Estate’s Kuduland on the banks of the Limpopo River for four days of training.
The aim of the training was to familiarise Eco-Mentors with the Eco-Club Curriculum for Term 3, as well as enlighten them on more student-centred and participatory teaching methods. Lisa went through each lesson for Term 3 with the mentors; this included topics such as photosynthesis, endangered and threatened animals, the watershed, using a compass, energy-efficient stoves, preserving natural resources, and problem-solving.
The CITW Eco-Club Programme utilises the ‘Flow Learning’ Technique. This comprises four stages of learning that are more practical, getting students involved and active, as opposed to the classroom-teaching that they are exposed to every day. ‘Flow Learning’ includes an energiser game, followed by a theoretical lesson and practical activity before culminating in a debrief and reflection on what they have learned. Much fun was had with these lessons as the Eco-Mentors got fully involved.
The training was a huge success and mentors gained confidence and enthusiasm to take what they had learned and pass it on to their Eco-Club members. We look forward to seeing how Term 3 goes for the Maramani Eco-Clubs!
