[Xmca-l] Re: Request for advice

[Glassman, Michael]

Hi Helena,

There is a possibility that your university is attempting to follow the Open Educational Resource model that is being promoted by UNESCO (that is just a guess).  Are they using OpenCourseware, which started at MIT, where major universities post their curriculum and some related resources in their native language (mostly at this point in English?)  A number of universities similar to yours are attempting to follow this model.  However UNESCO itself recognizes the problem that you describe.  There is a second part to the OER movement which involves Learning Objects.  These are locally developed, much smaller approaches to teaching - even taking parts of OpenCourseware and experimenting with them in local classrooms and then posting them to share and in the best possible worlds discuss with other universities in Learning Object Repositories.   African Virtual University is a good model for this.  You can make one an argument that the university can achieve the type of recognition is requires by developing a Learning Objects Repository for Southeast Asia.

Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-l-bounces+mglassman=ehe.ohio-state.edu@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-l-bounces+mglassman=ehe.ohio-state.edu@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Helena Worthen
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2016 11:39 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Request for advice

Thank you, Elinami.

H

Helena Worthen
helenaworthen@gmail.com
Vietnam blog: helenaworthen.wordpress.com

On Jan 3, 2016, at 11:32 AM, Elinami Swai wrote:

> Dear Helena.
> Your dilemma resonates with what we are experiencing in Tanzania. As a 
> post colonial country, we have been grappling with the issue of 
> language of instruction for a very long time. Our education system has 
> been jogging between Kiswahili and English and for a long time we had 
> settled on Kiswahili for all the subjects in elementary level (primary
> 1-7) and English for secondary  to university level.
> 
> Talk of silences in classrooms. Here and there you could hear a sound 
> of broken English from the teachers. The end product of such a process 
> does not need to be described here.
> 
> Of recent, the new policy has granted the use of both languages 
> (Kiswahili and English).
> 
> In your case, think of code-switching and code-mixing. Another 
> strategy is team teaching (check Stanford University).
> 
> Kind Regards,
> 
> Elinami
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 03/01/2016, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu> wrote:
>> Helena,
>> 
>> Is it possible to ignite their imaginations around the concept of a seminar?
>> Or dare I say, peer-learning / study groups?
>> 
>> Vera devised the peer-exam, which is really cool, how about that?
>> 
>> I don't think peer-exam technically qualifies as an "Ivy-League method"
>> (though it certainly is innovative), but it's peer-led learning, and 
>> that may be useful for overcoming the obstacles you and your teachers face?
>> 
>> So those are my (naive) pieces of broccoli and spinach for your 
>> Vietnamese noodle soup.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> Annalisa
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> --
> Dr. Elinami Swai
> Senior Lecturer
> Associate Dean
> Coordinator, Postgraduate Studies
> Faculty of Education
> Open University of Tanzania
> P.O.Box 23409
> Dar-Es-Salaam
> Tell:255-022-2668992/2668820/2668445/26687455
> Fax:022-2668759
> Cell: (255) 076-722-8353; (255) 068-722-8353 
> http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Womens-Empowerment-Africa-Dislocation/dp/
> 0230102484
>        ...this faith will still deliver
>        If you live it first to last
>        Not everything which blooms must
>        wither.
>        Not all that was is past