As numerously shared in this Forum, our empowerment strategy has been research oriented, right from the onset. As such, we keenly listen to questions directed to us. Ocassionary, the respective answers lead to previously unexpected solutions. This week, we interacted with an Institutional Manager somewhere in Kirinyaga County.
After assessing our seminar evaluation format, she wondered how training participants evaluate the extent to which they have acquired new knowledge or abilities. The answer has so far been based on unstructured questions, whose overall result can’t easily been determined.
Nevertheless, we got back to the drawing board and came up with three structured questions, which we believe will readily satisfy the institutional manager concerned as well as many others. Imagine determining the proportion of students who have known how to evaluate their personal situation for example!!!
Meanwhile, a follower of this forum recently raised an interesting issue through a side-chart. Why you are occasionally accused of over-training students? He wondered. In my view this question is definitely not very exciting, nevertheless it can’t be taken for granted or just ignored.
Thinking backwards, makes me recall that out of all our numerous seminar engagements in the school system since 2015, only 2 or so can be associated with schools that had not acquired our publications titled “Career Dynamics in the 21st Century & Living Beyond Survival: No More Tiptoeing in Life.” The two schools have ended up acquiring the publications, soon after the seminar engagements are executed.
At the same time, acquiring our publications has occasionally been concurrent with being engaged to conduct seminars. Effectively, it means that the contents in the publications may not have been internalized as expected, by the time we conduct seminars.
Under such circumstances the teachers participating in our seminars will notice unusual content that they have never been aware of. In any case, how can they be conversant with the paradigms of the 21st Century, when their existing knowledge, lessons as well as empowerment strategy, are based on the paradigms of the 20th Century?
Further, not many know the ideas shared in our publications have been used for transformation of the education through the Competency Based Curriculum – CBC. Ordinarily, most teachers are still coming to terms with the realities of the CBC.
More still, remember that the 20th Century paradigms are largely guided by extrinsic influences that generally lead to Kenyans being educated aiming to secure rewarding jobs and other expectations. Our aim in all cases, either through our publications or associated seminars, is to help those under our care, in transiting from the 20th to 21st Century paradigms. That is why some teachers re-join school aiming to re-align their situation after enjoying our seminars (Check https://youtu.be/cMhRi4V350Y for example)
It follows therefore that those educationists or teachers who may not initially have interacted with our publications could end up losing track of our empowerment strategy, thus unknowingly accusing us of overtraining students. But really, do we?
We have numerous case studies that have continued confirming the efficacy of our strategy. When we conducted a seminar in one Sub-County School in Muranga County, for example, the deputy principal as well as the guiding and counselling teacher supervised the activities. Whereas the form 3 and 4 class students present were excited about their experience, based on the responses through the seminar evaluation forms, the two teachers had totally different perspectives, as we later learnt from the principal.
They went ahead to enquire whether the seminar attracted any renumeration for the presenter? Imagine!! Could this have been based on the fact the principal had acquired only his personal copies of our publications?
In order to satisfy the deputy principal as well as the guiding and counselling teacher, we had to provide the principal with schools that had by then invited us to conduct seminars, more than once. That probably led to new perspectives of our empowerment strategy, at least before the KCSE Exam results for 2019 were achieved.
Eventually, the school mean-grade shot from 5.9 – 6.6. The students who qualified to join university rose from 51 to 86. Up-to now, that record has never been broken, even though the school still continues performing reasonably well.
As this information sinks, be aware that the then principal of the school under reference is a long time follower of this forum. When we met in another school, he confidently acquired copies of our publications, this time for the new school. Does that still underline the importance of doing what is right, as discussed in the last communication? Your guess is as good as mine, isn’t it?
FYI
We are always excited whenever a school invites us again and again to execute our unique empowerment strategy. In the 3rd edition of Career Dynamics in the 21st Century, we have cited a school that used our publications extremely well, to the extent of their mean-grade shooting from 3.6 – 5.4 ( 50% increas). This time, it will be quite exciting delivering our empowerment seminar in the same school in the last week of the term( check interview @ https://youtu.be/3QIWq6B1BYc).
Alongside, we are firmly engaged 4 times for delivery of our Empowerment seminars surprisingly in boys’ schools only, in the first 2 weeks of school in May 2023. Oh! What’s happening to girls’ schools? They have keenly been leading in the past. Nevertheless, other engagements regarding empowerment of our future leaders, as well as their handlers are MOST WELCOME!!
Rgds
Mwangi Wanjumbi (MKIM)
Personal Empowerment Coach,
Speaker/Trainer Consultant on Strategy, Performance, Change Management and Leadership.
Seasoned Trainer of Trainers,
Competency Based Curriculum-CBC Architect,
Author of 1. KICD approved Career Dynamics in the 21st Century, 2. Living Beyond Survival:No More Tiptoeing in Life
- The 21st Century Student:Are You Creating The Future Today? Also, Retired 5 Year Monthly Strategy Columnist (2013 – 2018) for The SME Today Magazine Phone 254722516210
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