Introducing the winners of the Upskill Kenya Student of the Month Awards!
Our online learning platform, Upskill, has been rolled out to various colleges in Kenya and we would like to highlight the most active and competent students on the platform for the month of July.
Nkatha Nelly - Meru TTC (DTTC UPGRADE)
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that all children are unique and must have a stimulating educational environment where they can grow physically, mentally and emotionally. As a teacher, I aim to bring an open-minded positive attitude and high expectations to the classroom each day. I also owe it to the students and the community as a whole as a part of what I do. I also believe that all children are unique and have something special in them. I will also support my learners to express themselves and accept themselves for whom they are and also appreciate other people’s differences.
What’s your favorite module on Upskill?
Responding to learners who do not meet expectations. This is because it’s a direct reflection of how we as teachers carry our emotions to class and respond to these learners. It’s clear that overpouring our emotions on these learners through our responses really affects their performance and also their attitude towards us. In school we are supposed to be as close as their parents, caregivers, motivators, confidants, mentors, and also a teacher, if we keep pushing them away with our various demeaning responses then we shall be failing somewhere.
This module has helped me know how to handle my emotions, the kind of responses I should give in various situations, and the impact they can make on learners. Also how to navigate various issues without making the whole class realize the mistake of one learner which could lead to embarrassment to that particular learner. This will hence promote the self-esteem of all these pupils towards the achievement of our common goal and that is a good performance. In conclusion, I believe that this upskill is an eye opener to so many things I thought I knew but had very little knowledge of.
Why would you encourage others to make use of Upskill?
This is because Upskill has a lot of learning and it’s an eye opener to so many things.
Korir Brenda - Thogoto TTC (DTTC 3 YEAR DIPLOMA)
What is your teaching philosophy?
- My goal is to have a chance to work with the new generation and show them how learning is important in life.
- I will work with learners in all circumstances so that we can achieve together and they don’t feel am spoon-feeding them. I believe students should be active learners so they should be a part of their learning
- Motivating them to learn by keeping their interest within the curriculum and involving them in rules about the classroom as well as what curriculum they would like to study. I would also work on building a positive relationship with my learners and I’m committed to be fair with them.
- I feel that I’m patient and have a calm attitude with my class. I want the learners to feel comfortable when talking to me, I also discuss their life outside class and listen to their problems.
What’s your favorite module on Upskill?
Building classroom routines for learning. Through this module I learned that:
- Routines are an important way to establish norms, set expectations, and otherwise build positive relationships in the classroom environment.
- It helps the learners to feel more at ease with the daily activities of the classroom and gives them a sense of knowing what to expect when they walk in the door each morning and also makes the right choices easy for learners.
Why would you encourage others to make use of Upskill?
Through Upskill you boost morale, performance, and motivation, and show you how you care about your career. It provides you with more skills through additional education training.
Caleb Rotich - Kibabii DTTC (DTTC SECONDARY)
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy is being a responsible teacher and understanding the needs of my learners and reflecting on my real-life situation
What’s your favorite module on Upskill?
Engaging learners through cold calling.
It has enabled me to learn how to introduce cold calling and also ensure that all learners are aware it’s time for cold calling. It has helped me soo much because I did not know when to cold call learners so it has given me knowledge on cold calling.
Why would you encourage others to make use of Upskill?
It has great topics to learn and as a teacher, it gives you more knowledge on how to interact with learners and the community at large.