Thinking Outside the Gender Box: Part 3
An inclusive teacher is one who identifies each student’s learning needs and is reaching and teaching every child. They treat every child equally and make space for them in the classroom. Learning to be an inclusive teacher is one key teaching in our Gender Responsive Formative Assessment (GRFA) training. It’s aimed to help teachers combat gender bias, identify the learning needs of each student (especially girls), and develop strategies to make sure they are empowered and succeed in their learning.
Fidele—a teacher from Rwankuba School and one of the participants—was engaged as he grappled with topics of gender stereotypes, inclusion, goal setting, and data collection. After our first GRFA module, he shared how excited he is to use this training to reach and teach every child according to their unique learning needs.
What have you learned from this workshop that will be helpful to Rwankuba School?
“There are a lot of things that I have learned especially when we were working in small groups during this training. Working in smaller groups has been a great experience for me. I have learned a lot from the trainers and my fellow participants and it is important for teachers to learn, look at challenges, and find solutions together. When we don’t find solutions, it is okay for us to seek support from the school leader. This was encouraging for me to learn from this workshop.
This will be powerful for students when they work in small groups. I want to encourage boys and girls to discuss the challenges they face in their learning process so they can find solutions within themselves. This will empower students to find solutions within themselves and be available when they need me.
I learned that including all children in the learning process is key when it comes to assessing a learner’s understanding and performance in the classroom. This can look like giving students opportunities to share their thoughts with the class or write answers on the blackboard. An inclusive teacher is one that is able to treat all learners equally—girls and boys. I want to value all learners equally moving forward from this workshop.
Reaching and Teaching Every Child
I want my students to love school. I want our school to be a child-friendly school and a girl-friend school. Many of my learners come from broken families. I want them to see school as a solution, a place where they can feel safe and can learn. I have learned that inclusive education is about teaching different learners with different needs, and including boys and girls in the teaching and learning process. As a teacher, I need to understand and learn how I can support them. I understand that each child needs different support, and I now know how I will be able to support them.”
Fidele is looking forward to reaching and teaching every child, addressing their needs, and tearing down stereotypes that have limited learning opportunities for girls. We are so encouraged to see how our GRFA training and our wider “Learning and Leading for All” program will make a difference at Rwankuba School. We can’t wait to see Fidele’s classrooms transform as he continues grappling with big questions of inclusion and gender equity, and for his students to be encouraged and empowered as a result!
Our vision is to see schools across Rwanda become places of hope, inclusion, and true learning for every child…and you can help us make this happen! Will you join us as we develop and launch this brand new program across Gasabo?