参与者
Mr. Bello MOHAMADOU
Topic:
Being educated differently: the result-oriented pedagogic approach and method focusing on ICTs/STEM, SDGs and early entrepreneurship
Merits:

Teacher of English as Foreign Language (EFL) in Ngaoundéré Classical and Modern High School

 

I have seven years of teaching experience during which I am teaching English language with focus on the integration of ICTs in language learning through the usage of LMS, blogs, social media platforms, but also offline tools like virtual and augmented reality resources, videos, interactive comics, and presentation slides.  I also initiate my learners to entrepreneurship and raising their awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We work on environment protection projects by recycling plastic materials to create a large variety of things. 


I am an active member of International Education and Resource Network (iEARN-USA) which trained me in Global Project-Based Learning during a three-month course on a collaborative learning center. Besides, I am a member of American English for Educators; thanks to this platform I got access to many e-teacher training programs. I am equally member of the Africa Education Innovators’ Network of the African Union (AEIN-AU) where I submitted a pedagogic innovation project. I am also a team member of the Sub-Saharan Africa Universities MOOC Building Project at the University of Ngaoundéré, where we build online courses for universities and other people.


From these experiences I was awarded the National Best ICT Teacher Prize in 2015, and I was again beneficiary of the Best Secondary School Teacher Award in 2019.

 

Member of iEARN (International Education and Resource Network)
Member of AU-AEIN (African Union - Africa Education Innovators' Network)
Member of REAMOOC (Réseau Africain du Développement de MOOC) pour les Université de l'Afrique Sub-Saharienne
Bilingual Studies Graduate (English and French), EFL Teacher, Web Developper, Blogger, Freelance Translator, e-learning Developper, Graphic designer (visual identity/logo/web design), Business and Entrepreneurship, Radio Presenter

Contribution:

According to experience and observation, the social and environmental contexts are changing but the way we teach people to handle it is not following the same rate. Thus, there is a discrepancy between the need of the learners and what they actually get. There is an urgency to update the teaching methods to fit today’s generation to handle the challenges of tomorrow. Otherwise, we are failing in our mission as teachers, as to agree with John Dewey who said “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow”.


To handle education differently, I opt to put in practice methods that actively involve learners; the level of engagement and commitment is a crucial factor in their acquisition. I, therefore make use of active learning, visual learning and collaborative learning. Students are working collaboratively on projects with other students even virtually (through LMS, blogs, social media platforms, etc.) without consideration of the physical boundaries. And the content is less boring because it involves the use visual materials/aids like charts, comics, videos and other graphics.


Besides, I am very focused on the Sustainable Development Goals literacy with my students. The safety of the planet and its inhabitants is the everybody’s duty. Luckily, the modules of our national curriculum are practically covering all the 17 goals, however, not every teacher is striving to raise awareness of our learners on their duty for the actual action regarding the goals. Thus, for each of the five modules, I work on projects answering to the needs of the SDG in practice.


One of the most neglected part in our education system is the will of making our learners to create value, to live a significance life. There are few involvements and interest on leadership and entrepreneurship, though they are of paramount importance. For this reason, I get time to discuss on leadership with my students, and initiate them on basic elements of entrepreneurship for them to become the future leaders in the world.


All these methods are making the teaching-learning more efficient, and students gain more autonomy in their learning and the teachers learn also from their (students’) experience. And this is how the teaching should be according to John Hattie who claimed: “The greatest effects on student learning occur when the teachers become learners and […] when students become their own teachers”.

Expectations:

I strongly believe that my participation to the Global Education Forum will be the greatest opportunity for my professional and personal development, for the international recognition for what I am already doing, and more importantly the occasion to build a very large and efficient professional network for global education partnership. From the different plenaries and workshops, I will acquire skills that will certainly be useful for my subsequent teaching practice. And the people I will meet during the event will be a very rich resource for my online collaborative activities. It is an occasion for me to learn and share.