Engaging Teachers in Myanmar - Center for Inspired Teaching

A Joyful “Gift of Education” Workshop

In early February, we had a unique opportunity to share our approach with English teachers from Myanmar who work with a program called Gift of Education. We designed a session focused on engaging learners in an online setting, showing how activities can still be interactive, fun, and community-building when the class is remote, a difficult and ever-present reality for this group of educators. Longtime Inspired Teacher and friend Susan Coti is the Executive Director of Gift of Education and when she shared with us the challenges her teachers were facing we saw an opportunity to help.

“Gift of Education began as a teacher training program working primarily with teachers in small village schools including monasteries and nunneries,” Susan explained. “After the pandemic, we took our classes online, trying our best to adapt to this new way of teaching and learning. Following the military coup in February 2021, we shifted our focus to the country’s children who were unable to attend school due to safety concerns. We hired some of our teacher graduates as teacher assistants.”

This constituted two shifts for the organization, teachers were no longer being trained to go work in person at schools, and students were no longer going to schools to learn. Susan told us about the learning curve involved for everyone and while her educators had a curriculum and materials to assist in their teaching they were struggling to recreate the kinds of learning experiences that came more easily in person. She was delighted to work with Inspired Teaching because, as she explained, “We needed some fresh ideas to keep online learning engaging.”

The session we provided included an introduction to warm-up activities that get students talking and moving and reflection activities that build vocabulary and involve drawing and art appreciation. Participants learned about the ABCDE of Learner Needs and thought about ways in which they could build community with their students even as they learn remotely.

Susan said, “Aleta and Jenna delivered an energetic, meaningful, and fun morning with activities that addressed the physical, intellectual, and emotional aspects of learning. We are so happy we were able to work and play with the outstanding Center for Inspired Teaching.”

The feeling is mutual! As teachers of this workshop, we were inspired by the ways in which these tools we’ve been exploring in the U.S. for years were useful and applicable to our colleagues on the other side of the globe.

Gift of Education is providing learning opportunities for children and their teachers that they cannot get anywhere else. They have adapted to ensure education continues despite the conflict in Myanmar. We invite you to check out their website to learn more about this important work and consider donating to help keep it going.

Learn more about Gift of Education.

Micaiah Anderson

Community Outreach Specialist

As a Community Outreach Specialist, Micaiah is responsible for program promotion and outreach support for Inspired Teaching events and workshops. Micaiah has a passion for collaborating with community members to build-power and connect. She is an educator with a heart for youth and has experience supporting students fight injustices within their schools and communities. She has a BA in Political Science from, the real HU, Hampton University & anticipates graduating in May 2024 with a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Policy Transformation from Georgetown University.

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.