Solving Classroom Challenges with Creativity

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship provides opportunities for scholars to lead educational projects at African higher education institutions. Upon receiving her fellowship award notification, Dr. Ayieko knew she wanted to serve a rural community in her native Kenya where her help would have the greatest impact. 
 
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), a 12-year-old university in Bondo, Kenya, seemed like a perfect fit. Students and the School of Education at JOOUST were struggling with challenges related to technology and the government’s new competency-based mathematics curriculum. Recognizing many similarities between the new Kenyan curriculum and the way she prepares aspiring teachers at Duquesne’s School of Education, she was excited to help.
 
“The first month I wanted to get a sense of how the schools are, because in the U.S. we have all these resources and I couldn’t assume that what I wanted to do would work in this context,” said Ayieko.

Learning the landscape

Working side-by-side with local communities, Ayieko took time to interview principals, math teachers and students. She guest-lectured in classrooms, assisted with co-curriculum development and visited the university library to study the available math education books. 
 
“They had almost nothing for mathematics education,” she said. “I shipped donated books prior to leaving the United States, so I was excited that I had selected books that were the most recent so they could see the latest research and how it has impacted the way we prepare teachers.”
 
Technology also was a challenge. Ayieko took inventory of how many students owned laptops, tablets or smartphones. While few had laptops or tablets, many had smartphones. The challenge? Internet and electricity were unreliable. 
 
Depending on students’ devices, phone plans or even where they sat in a particular building, they could not access valuable online resources that Ayieko wanted to share. To help mitigate these challenges, students were asked to make sure they had “bundles” (data) on their phones.
 
Hopeful that bundles would get them through class, Ayieko was ready to teach. “I armed myself with two mobile charges, my hotspot and a mobile Wi-Fi,” she said. 
 
She hoped that having internet access from two plans would allow her to run the presentation with no interruptions. But she quickly found that some students continued to struggle accessing the online resources that formed the basis of the day’s discussion. 

Driven by tenacity

Much like teachers do in the classroom every day, Ayieko had to think on her feet. “I remembered WhatsApp uses very little data. I asked whoever had access to the work to take a screenshot and put it on the WhatsApp site,” she said. “That’s what we did, and it’s a great thing that happened.”
 
Ayieko encouraged students to look beyond the surface and employ this same problem-solving and flexibility in everyday life so they can be prepared for anything. “They were excited to learn new technologies,” she said. “I told them if they’re ever in a cybercafe or somewhere with internet, go and play around with it and see what it has to offer you.”
 
Ayieko spent two-and-a-half months in Kenya before returning to the Bluff to share her learnings with Duquesne students.
 
Kylie Poland, a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and master’s degree in special education, aspires to become a special education teacher and eventually a special education director. Ayieko’s experiences abroad have provided her with a greater sense of purpose.
 
“Dr. Ayieko presented her research findings about the resources available at the schools in Africa compared to those in America. It highlighted the importance of being aware of varying levels of resources and support that students may have and how this can impact learning,” said Poland. “She mentioned how she had to constantly adapt her lessons or instruction to best support the students. This insight will allow me to adapt my teaching methods to better suit the needs of all my students.”

Learning together, building enduring connections

Ayieko was equally inspired by Duquesne students when she shared her experience with them. “My students were giving me ideas on how the Kenyan schools could set up their classrooms, including things like small projectors that can fit in a purse and white bedsheets for screens,” she said. “They were even sending me texts with links on what I could buy. I want to start a resource center that those teachers can access to help them build their learning.”
 
The impact of Ayieko’s fellowship endures through her continued efforts to prepare competent, compassionate future teachers.
 
“Faculty at Duquesne strive to ensure that we become well-rounded educators who make a difference–hence the mantra ‘prepare here, impact anywhere,’” said Poland. “Dr. Ayieko's time in Africa inspired me to become more culturally responsive in my teaching approach and consider the diverse backgrounds and experiences of my future students.”