Teacher In Ghana Teaches ‘MS Word’ On Chalkboard, And You Have To See It From Up Close To Really Appreciate It
A Facebook post by a teacher in Ghana has gone viral and won the hearts of many people, thanks to his unusual and improvised methods of teaching ICT (Information and Communications Technology), without a computer!
Owura Kwadwo, originally from Kumasi, Ghana, spoke to Bored Panda about his experiences teaching ICT in a rural farming community, which lacks basic equipment and resources for the task. “Every teacher has a way of presenting his subject to his students. This is my way,” he told us.
Having studied visual arts he decided to put his skills to good use when teaching the creation of a Word document, by drawing a complete screenshot on the chalkboard for his students to copy and learn from. “I do it to make my students understand what I‘m teaching, he said. “At least to give a picture of what they will see assuming they were behind a computer.” His method seems to work well, as the kids enjoy his classes a lot and are able to learn effectively. “I do make sure they understand everything well before they leave the class.”
The post has provoked heated discussion in Ghana. While most people rightly praise Mr. Kwadwo for his dedication to his students and genius improvisation, there has been outrage as to why he should have to go to these lengths in the first place. Why, in 2018, are schools still without a computer? Mr. Kwadwo himself thinks that things are slowly improving. “The government is helpful and I believe in them, they are trying to make ICT better for the teachers and students,” he said. While in the big cities like Accra and Kumasi this may be happening, progress is clearly slow in coming to rural areas. “We need well-equipped infrastructures and teaching and learning aids, and a government who has education at its heart.”
Since his post went viral, Mr. Kwadwo has received offers of donations for laptops and projectors, which is great news for the kids and the school. Mr. Kwadwo is grateful for any assistance in making a better experience for his students, and also plans to help out other schools in the region. “There are many schools facing this same problem,” he told Bored Panda. “I can also help out and give some of the donations to them, so they can also benefit through teaching ICT.”
Mr. Kwadwo’s efforts and commitment are a good example for teachers in developing countries like Ghana, when sometimes a bit of improvisation is needed to fill the gaps that governments are unable to provide. ICT is a vital subject for the next generation to be proficient in if Ghana is going to compete in the global marketplace, and with teachers like Mr. Kwadwo there to inspire students, things are looking up!
Owura Kwadwo from Kumasi, Ghana, has to improvise when teaching ICT to kids without access to computers
When teaching Microsoft Word, he draws a complete screenshot on the chalkboard for his students to copy and learn from
Mr. Kwadwo studied visual arts and he puts his skills to good use
“I do it to make my students understand what I‘m teaching. At least to give a picture of what they will see if they were behind a computer,” he told Bored Panda
Sadly, “there are many schools facing this same problem”
His Facebook post has captured the hearts of many people, impressed with his commitment and dedication to his students
Since his post went viral, Mr. Kwadwo has received offers of donations for laptops and projectors!
170Kviews
Share on FacebookThe memory and the dedication of this teacher is phenomenal. I can never draw word out of memory to the level of his excellence! And the students copy everything!
They need solar panels and computers. There is an amazing charity everyone should follow on Facebook and google their story. It is called the Cambodian Children's Fund. They realised that poor kids need more than a food handout to break the cycle of poverty. So they took kids that were living on the garbage dump and provided food, free medical care and education to them. In some cases, this meant providing food to the parents and cheap clean housing, because the parents and kids scavenged on the garbage dump for plastic bottles and other things to sell for food each day. After ten years of growth, they have now built the most incredible STEM education school on the same garbage dump and pretty much all the kids end up getting a university and in great jobs and so the poverty cycle is broken. They don't break up families like some charities but create a way the families can stay together and the child can stay in education. Look them up the transformations of kids bring you to tears.
Do you know if they plan on expanding outside of Cambodia?
Load More Replies...it's like when you can type easily without looking at the computer, but when asked to draw a qwerty keyboard, you can't.
Yeah my brain knows where every key is, but I don't. Wait... how is that. I need to google this.
Load More Replies...Bravo to this man. Meanwhile, I hope the celebrities raising funds to buy computers will also raise funds to build infrastructure to have electricity for the computers. Need to think through end-to-end and longevity.
varwenea, while everyone is at it, they should plan on funding EVERY African FOREVER .... that seems to be the only solution for real longevity. Lifelong charity. Get on it!!
Load More Replies...That's a GREAT teacher, keep doing the good work sir! I hope the kids receive computers soon and put on practice the theory they already know :)
This is awesome! It reminds me of a special ed teacher back in Saltillo, Mexico who also repurposed an estanquillo (snack booth) for her special ed classes (http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/convierte-estanquillo-en-su-salon-de-clases). I'm still planning on getting something for her the next time I visit. Also, where can I buy that cactus shirt? I love it.
I recently read something that said Microsoft donated computers to this school. I hope this was not fake.
Load More Replies...@john smith: If his supply of crayons is sufficient, I'm sure he has a solution for that problem too :-)
Load More Replies...I wish i was inside his classroom and watching him.. I understand him, I live in Greece we are a country with not a lot of money.. One of my teachers did the same to teach us, because we had not enought computers. (i am sorry for my english)
This teacher is fantastic! How very creative! I think the students learnt more that way than having a computer in front of them! Glad to see the donations he received as a result!!
Hey, I could have used this when I was in school. Nobody in the class could tell what the f**k the teacher was gesturing at on their own computer. This would have solved that problem, big-time. Plus, they have no money for computers, but this teacher has ALL the colors of chalk!
Load More Replies...Aww. Our teacher also in high school. Im 4th year and at that time (2011) our school dont have access to computers to teach us basic computer skills. So our teacher Drew the complete outline of computer keyboard and let us copy it. Every friday she let us use that in activities. It's still fun though.
Wow, this guy is a hero. If just one kid gets a job due to this, he’s smacked it! I’m amazed. Brilliant teacher
I was never taught Word, just figured out what I needed on my own. I learn things better by being shown things like this, rather than throwing words at me with no visuals to connect them. I know he'd improve my Word skills and I sure wish I could take his class!
Some charities have given free computers with Linux to poor African schools. Linux is free OS and it also has plenty of free open source software like Libre Office. Of course the missing electricity is always a problem but some of the computers work with solar power or with a battery that can be recharged with some innovative ways. :)
Teachers with passion, no matter where they are one of the most valuable people in the world :).
I have one question for the teacher... WONT HE DO IT??? GOD IS GOOD AMEN!!!!
The mechanical engineering school I was at was very hands-on and about 40% of our time was on machines. We had sponsored schools in Africa, especially in Togo, and some students would come through the 4th and 5th year. As expected, they were really bad on machines, because they didn't get to study the 3 first years as we had. As a result, they were extremely good in all the theoretical stuff, and go in such in-depth studies that most of local people couldn't understand at their level. On the R&D specialization in the last year of the curriculum, around 80% of the students came from poorer countries, because they did 100% theory when we do only 60%.
An Amazing teacher, truly! Regarding the government and education system though- why are they wasting time teaching kids something they may never use in their life due to poverty & lack of electricity? Teach them something useful, teach them some amazing crafts that may help them manufacture products that are not available elsewhere or will help them survive- carpentry, masonry, tailoring, culinary, agriculture. Our world is so caught up in trying to catch up with "modern technology" that they dont see the simple things! And now the celebs are raising funds to buy computers...There is NO ELECTRICITY! Raise funds to build some f*****g Wind Generator/Turbine!
(y) receiving income each week on-line from home over $4000+ simply by operating merely on-line. Last month I actually have got paid $19523 simply by operating four weeks on-line. Its simply wonderful and my earnings ar currently far better than regular nine to five workplace job. This job is simply outstanding. attempt currently to induce additional money on-line from the small print here...... http://bit.ly/2mgS6mW
Seems like a complete waste of time, whats next, teaching surgery using the old "Operation" game? Good on the teach for trying, but it's a pie in the sky waste of time. Why not teach electrical engineering, or something that would actually solve the main problem the village is having. Why not teach Android tablet use, and actually, you know, have some working tablets (that can be charged by solar). This is just like American's method of teaching kids to parrot info back for a test while learning not a damn thing (especially not learning how to think for themselves).
Hey Brian, go ahead and write a letter to Jeff. "Dear Jeff, you've got ALL THAT MONEY, here's how I think you should spend it." Ha ha. F**k off Brian.
Load More Replies...It's not. The class seems small and all of the kids have seating and desks and their own textbooks. They also seems to have dedicated teachers. There are schools in poor areas with 50 kids to one teacher and a single textbook to share between them. And the teachers only show up for half of the time because they are paid so little they have to do side jobs to feed their families.
Load More Replies...The memory and the dedication of this teacher is phenomenal. I can never draw word out of memory to the level of his excellence! And the students copy everything!
They need solar panels and computers. There is an amazing charity everyone should follow on Facebook and google their story. It is called the Cambodian Children's Fund. They realised that poor kids need more than a food handout to break the cycle of poverty. So they took kids that were living on the garbage dump and provided food, free medical care and education to them. In some cases, this meant providing food to the parents and cheap clean housing, because the parents and kids scavenged on the garbage dump for plastic bottles and other things to sell for food each day. After ten years of growth, they have now built the most incredible STEM education school on the same garbage dump and pretty much all the kids end up getting a university and in great jobs and so the poverty cycle is broken. They don't break up families like some charities but create a way the families can stay together and the child can stay in education. Look them up the transformations of kids bring you to tears.
Do you know if they plan on expanding outside of Cambodia?
Load More Replies...it's like when you can type easily without looking at the computer, but when asked to draw a qwerty keyboard, you can't.
Yeah my brain knows where every key is, but I don't. Wait... how is that. I need to google this.
Load More Replies...Bravo to this man. Meanwhile, I hope the celebrities raising funds to buy computers will also raise funds to build infrastructure to have electricity for the computers. Need to think through end-to-end and longevity.
varwenea, while everyone is at it, they should plan on funding EVERY African FOREVER .... that seems to be the only solution for real longevity. Lifelong charity. Get on it!!
Load More Replies...That's a GREAT teacher, keep doing the good work sir! I hope the kids receive computers soon and put on practice the theory they already know :)
This is awesome! It reminds me of a special ed teacher back in Saltillo, Mexico who also repurposed an estanquillo (snack booth) for her special ed classes (http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/convierte-estanquillo-en-su-salon-de-clases). I'm still planning on getting something for her the next time I visit. Also, where can I buy that cactus shirt? I love it.
I recently read something that said Microsoft donated computers to this school. I hope this was not fake.
Load More Replies...@john smith: If his supply of crayons is sufficient, I'm sure he has a solution for that problem too :-)
Load More Replies...I wish i was inside his classroom and watching him.. I understand him, I live in Greece we are a country with not a lot of money.. One of my teachers did the same to teach us, because we had not enought computers. (i am sorry for my english)
This teacher is fantastic! How very creative! I think the students learnt more that way than having a computer in front of them! Glad to see the donations he received as a result!!
Hey, I could have used this when I was in school. Nobody in the class could tell what the f**k the teacher was gesturing at on their own computer. This would have solved that problem, big-time. Plus, they have no money for computers, but this teacher has ALL the colors of chalk!
Load More Replies...Aww. Our teacher also in high school. Im 4th year and at that time (2011) our school dont have access to computers to teach us basic computer skills. So our teacher Drew the complete outline of computer keyboard and let us copy it. Every friday she let us use that in activities. It's still fun though.
Wow, this guy is a hero. If just one kid gets a job due to this, he’s smacked it! I’m amazed. Brilliant teacher
I was never taught Word, just figured out what I needed on my own. I learn things better by being shown things like this, rather than throwing words at me with no visuals to connect them. I know he'd improve my Word skills and I sure wish I could take his class!
Some charities have given free computers with Linux to poor African schools. Linux is free OS and it also has plenty of free open source software like Libre Office. Of course the missing electricity is always a problem but some of the computers work with solar power or with a battery that can be recharged with some innovative ways. :)
Teachers with passion, no matter where they are one of the most valuable people in the world :).
I have one question for the teacher... WONT HE DO IT??? GOD IS GOOD AMEN!!!!
The mechanical engineering school I was at was very hands-on and about 40% of our time was on machines. We had sponsored schools in Africa, especially in Togo, and some students would come through the 4th and 5th year. As expected, they were really bad on machines, because they didn't get to study the 3 first years as we had. As a result, they were extremely good in all the theoretical stuff, and go in such in-depth studies that most of local people couldn't understand at their level. On the R&D specialization in the last year of the curriculum, around 80% of the students came from poorer countries, because they did 100% theory when we do only 60%.
An Amazing teacher, truly! Regarding the government and education system though- why are they wasting time teaching kids something they may never use in their life due to poverty & lack of electricity? Teach them something useful, teach them some amazing crafts that may help them manufacture products that are not available elsewhere or will help them survive- carpentry, masonry, tailoring, culinary, agriculture. Our world is so caught up in trying to catch up with "modern technology" that they dont see the simple things! And now the celebs are raising funds to buy computers...There is NO ELECTRICITY! Raise funds to build some f*****g Wind Generator/Turbine!
(y) receiving income each week on-line from home over $4000+ simply by operating merely on-line. Last month I actually have got paid $19523 simply by operating four weeks on-line. Its simply wonderful and my earnings ar currently far better than regular nine to five workplace job. This job is simply outstanding. attempt currently to induce additional money on-line from the small print here...... http://bit.ly/2mgS6mW
Seems like a complete waste of time, whats next, teaching surgery using the old "Operation" game? Good on the teach for trying, but it's a pie in the sky waste of time. Why not teach electrical engineering, or something that would actually solve the main problem the village is having. Why not teach Android tablet use, and actually, you know, have some working tablets (that can be charged by solar). This is just like American's method of teaching kids to parrot info back for a test while learning not a damn thing (especially not learning how to think for themselves).
Hey Brian, go ahead and write a letter to Jeff. "Dear Jeff, you've got ALL THAT MONEY, here's how I think you should spend it." Ha ha. F**k off Brian.
Load More Replies...It's not. The class seems small and all of the kids have seating and desks and their own textbooks. They also seems to have dedicated teachers. There are schools in poor areas with 50 kids to one teacher and a single textbook to share between them. And the teachers only show up for half of the time because they are paid so little they have to do side jobs to feed their families.
Load More Replies...
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