Tanvir Amin of the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) Dhaka was discussing literary devices with his class when he noticed a student doodling. How should he have reacted? What determines whether students stay focused on a task? How can teachers create an inspiring atmosphere?

Educators from public schools in Kenya and Uganda and the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka in Bangladesh reflect on how their experience of AKDN’s professional development courses has helped them deepen their connections with students and give them more from each lesson, whether helping four-year-olds to count to 10 or 17-year-olds to translate vectors.

Former businessman Kasena Karisa has been a teacher for four years, following two years of training to get his certificate. He joined Kilifi AIC school in Kenya this year, teaching maths to four-to-six-year-olds, and had the opportunity to take a one-year remote training course with the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s Professional Development Centre. He describes some of the outcomes.

“I am very happy to have joined that class.

“With our culture, we use the term duduvule (a type of insect) for someone who cannot meet expectations, for example, is unable to write an answer on the blackboard. Avoiding this language has created a friendly environment between me and the learners. When no harsh language is coming from me, the learners expect to hear something good from their teacher.

“Some of the learners are Muslim, some are Christian, some don’t have a religion. You need to be very careful in what language and examples you are using. I can now handle learners with different speeds of learning, those from different backgrounds, and according to their gender.

“The course has also made me very proud of my lesson plans – maths has turned from attendance into fun. Instead of being given information, the learners explore things. I have gained a reactive method of handling maths: if today a teaching method does not work well then tomorrow I will change this method.

“When I applied for the training, I hoped I would learn how to be a better maths teacher, and learn skills for handling my class – and I achieved 90 percent of what I hoped for.”

After majoring in English Literature at the North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tanvir Amin was working as a substitute teacher at the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka when his application for AKA’s 18-month Teacher Preparation Programme was accepted. He boarded a plane for the first time and set off for a year in Hyderabad.

“Initially, we went through a lot of theories about new pedagogical techniques and then we started implementing them in the classroom. We took a problem-solving approach: for example, considering why a high-performing student might suddenly underachieve, and coming up with solutions.

“We were given a few workshops on differentiation. Till then, to be honest, I thought differentiation was a part of maths. It's actually a technique where we tailor our teaching styles to meet the needs of the individual students. Each child is different. They have different backgrounds, cultures, ways of learning. I realised that if a student isn't working, it means that I couldn't get through to them.

“I realised that I need to challenge myself in engaging the children. Now I can say that most of the students sometimes don't even realise that they're learning because it's all hidden within the fun in the classroom.”

And Tanvir’s doodling student? Instead of telling her off as he would have done previously, he challenged her to draw the metaphor he was talking about and she drew a ship entering the harbour, explaining it to the class.

Grace Zanvacia has taught maths and physics since 2012, now teaching classes of over 80 13-17-year-old students at Mvara Secondary School, Arua, Uganda. AKF, via Schools2030, is supporting two teachers at the school to enhance their teaching, providing a five-day course and subsequent training sessions.

“The way we’d been teaching before had not been oriented towards thinking of innovative solutions that support the children. When the students do not perform well, the blame is normally thrown on them. But we were asked on day one: ‘Is it true that the teacher has done enough? How have you helped an individual learner to address their weaknesses?’ And this I remember vividly.

“The training was challenging because it took me out of my comfort zone and made me think of solutions outside the box. I had to accept that conventional methods like consultations weren’t solving my classroom problems. And then we were introduced to all the phases of human-centred design and I wondered why we had to go through all this. But I learned that OK, I can actually analyse a child’s problem in maths and support them with innovations.”

For her showcase project, Grace demonstrated a metre-square Cartesian graph on plywood, with squares marked by straws and pins. Students spin a wheel to determine which points to plot on the graph, then use their fingers to work out the solution.

To facilitate her two visually impaired students, Grace uses different pins for the X and Y axes, smooth straws to enable swift finger movement and markers made of modelling clay. The sighted learners find the blue and yellow colours appealing, while the paint and portability make the board suitable for outdoor use.

“All my future solutions will be inclusive like this one. Human-centred design has brought out the innovator and designer in me! Thanks, Aga Khan Foundation.”