Working with our co-tutors, we decided


to address this issue in our sessions. In our math sessions, we included games and play- based activities that showed educators how to teach numeracy through play. Educa- tors were running and engaging in all sorts of physical activities while practising math skills. We had so much fun as the field echoed with the laughter and joy of participants. To- gether, we problem-solved to help educators address multiple expectations from different subject areas. To address the challenge of lack of equip-


ment and resources for physical education, our co-tutors showed us how to use grass, banana leaves and banana leaf ropes to cre- ate soccer balls. Te ropes were also used for skipping. It was beautiful to see how items were repurposed to address and meet stu- dent needs. We also shared several games and activities that could be done with the students with little or no equipment. Upon coming back to Canada aſter this ex-


perience, I began to look for ways I could re- purpose items and resources in my classroom. Like many other boards across the province, funding cuts have impacted access to learning materials. As a School Improvement Process Coach, I work with school administrators and educators to look at ways of repurposing some resources and materials and think of my time in Uganda as inspiration. Volunteering in Uganda was such a thrill-


ing and life-changing experience. I learned so much from the people I met and enjoyed tremendously the cultural exchange and privilege of engaging in rich discussions about education from different perspectives. In 2023, I decided to apply to Project Over- seas again and was overjoyed when I was chosen to lead the team going to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Tat year, instead of organizing our learn-


secondary school-aged girls in communities of the country’s western and Teso regions. Another discovery we made during our


visits and discussions with educators was the challenge they faced trying to address all subject area expectations in their curricu- lum. Tey felt that there was not enough time to do this and as a result focused on subjects like language and math that they considered more important. Tere was inconsistency in the teaching of physical education lessons, which was compounded by a lack of equip- ment and resources for programming.


32 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2024


ing by subject areas, team members focused on themes like assessment and evaluation, technology, differentiated instruction and leadership. I was responsible for co-facilitating the assessment and evaluation session with my SVG co-tutor, who was a lecturer at the teachers’ college in Kingstown. For our session, we included a video clip


that showed a North American classroom with students sitting in groups and the edu- cator engaging in small-group instruction. Te classroom was well equipped with a va- riety of resources and materials in various learning centres. As soon as the clip came on, one of the participants immediately said that this would not work in their context.


PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR AND CTF/FCE.


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