Background

Interview with Linda Gershuny, Director of CAFT

 

Video Project Notes: Before the Interview

By Ruhi Zandra

This morning I planned to interview Linda Gershuny, Director of CAFT, in the office but because they were conducting a training in downtown Port Au Prince she invited me to come and film on site.

When we arrived the program was already underway.  Before I shoot I like to observe for while – but today was different.  They would be breaking for lunch soon so I jumped into action.

As one of the CAFT facilitators stepped into the hallway to gather materials for the next module I asked why she thought the school administrators enjoyed the training so much.  Marie Paulette L. Payen smiled and paused to explain:

“There is a program that we do, that focuses on values-based learning and moral education – and the acquisition of these types of qualities. We offer this to schools via teacher training and it is already possible to see the children’s behavior changing.”

It is because of the way the teachers applied these new methods in their lesson planning that the administrators took notice and wanted to see for themselves what the training was all about.

Marie grabbed a stack of handouts and began to head back into the classroom. She motioned to me that it was ok to come in and film.  I greeted the administrators in Haitian Creole.  Marie briefly introduced the Mona Foundation video project and the purpose of having a camera present.  They replied ‘byenveni!’ – ‘welcome!’

I took a few shots – and noticed that Linda was reviewing some paperwork near the door.  I asked her a direct question – what is Haiti’s greatest challenge?  She told me that there are 500,000 children here that don’t currently have the opportunity to be educated.  Then what is Haiti’s greatest strength?  Her answer to this question – the people themselves.

Interview with Mathieu Ybrahim, CAFT Facilitator and Field Worker

 

Video Project Notes: Before the Interview

By Ruhi Zandra

Mathieu smiled politely after I accidentally knocked over one of the presentation boards in the CAFT office.  I propped it back up right away and he continued writing out the training plan for later that week.  As I was setting up the camera our interpreter let us know that because the participants in the up coming training are school administrators this program was even more significant than a typical session.  Their teaching staff had already completed a round of modules however in some cases since their Head masters and principals did not have personal experience with the material they were unable to support the use of new methods in the classroom.

I panned the room – gathering shots of a small office, the staff at work, exchanging ideas.  Mathieu looked up from his notebook and I nodded; we are ready to begin.  He motioned to the interpreter to listen in.  I could tell that it would not be necessary for me to ask too many questions. As soon as he saw the red record light flashing he started to speak:

“Often there is a tendency for some teachers to threaten students to make them ‘learn’.  But with a cooperative discipline approach there is an emphasis on working in groups.”  Mathieu explained that “the principles established through the training allow the children to explore and truly understand the material; the teachers don’t have to pressure the children, beat them, force them to their knees, hit them on the head, or pinch them.”

The interpreter added that once the administrators became aware of how cooperation between teachers and students can assist the learning process and eliminate the need for corporal punishment they are very eager to see what that looks like in practice. CAFT has been asked by numerous government agencies and other institutions to offer training to schools both in the city and the countryside.  Mathieu began to recount the story of one such visit to the northern region of Haiti.  This is a clip from that moment during the interview.

To learn more about the CAFT program, please visit us here.

Translation of Materials before Trainings

Before the 2008 summer workshops could be held, all of the course materials had to be translated into French, the working language of Haitian educators. With the help of Mona Foundation and a grant from Vista Hermosa Foundation, the 50-page Badi Foundation, "Facilitator Training Course," was translated into French in June 2008. After this was completed, the following seminars were held:

From June 30 - July 4, forty participants from 15 schools benefited from math seminars conducted by Dr. Arthur Powell of Rutgers University. Later that summer, three seminars were conducted which permitted CAFT to invite teachers of the Artibonite satellite schools, Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School (AZBS) and two other Cite Soleil schools.

Under the direction of Alex Christian of Badi Foundation, and assisted by Linda Gershuny (CAFT's director), a five-day training session on the principles and practices of active cooperative learning was conducted from July 7-9.

From among the teachers in the initial seminars, 20-30 facilitators were chosen to participate in additional training to complete the first "Enhancing the Learning Environment" course and to plan ways to serve as facilitators of active/cooperative learning trainings in their respective schools. The facilitator training course is proposed for the coming months.

Refresher Trainings for
Continued Support

CAFT is working to establish a documentation center and to create a series of teacher training refresher sessions for teachers from troubled areas. Materials and equipment for these sessions have been created and purchased. Meetings will be held in spring 2009. Dozens of schools CAFT has worked with in past projects are interested in these refresher courses. In February 2008, CAFT conducted a one-day seminar for 100 teachers of 12 Cite Soleil schools and they plan more events of this kind.

Partnering with the Haitian
Education Ministry

With the help of trainer Alex Christian, the staff at CAFT is working to refine and harmonize these teacher training programs to respond to the Haitian Education Ministry's request to conform to their requirements. During Alex's visit, three meetings were held to take advantage of his rich experience to launch more systematic reflection about refining CAFT training modules.

Education Module Revisions

The support from Mona Foundation during this period enabled staff members to begin work on several modules to bring them into conformity with the Education Ministry's official teacher training program and to integrate exercises and instructions that make them more "self-learning" in the style of Badi Foundation modules. For example, participant worksheets are being converted into modules more suitable for group self-learning including:

• . Active and cooperative learning methods
• . Teaching of language arts, in particular Creole
• . Teaching of special classes for out-of-school children
• . Environmental protection
• . Gender equity

Training Sessions for Mentors

In December 2008, the recently translated “Mentor's Guide,” and the materials needed to do science experiments, construct solar cookers in a box, and teach children sewing, measuring and carpentry were provided to Anis Zunuzi School and a newly-established school for 25 street children, started by one of the teachers at Anis Zunuzi.

College Suisse (a school that teaches 500 severely disadvantaged out-of-school kids using high school student volunteers with excellent academic records), has also been offered the support materials and “Mentor's Guide,” which CAFT has written. This sharing of educational materials and training programs is having a positive impact on many children in the Port-au-Prince area.

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