Dr. Banks and MSW Student Travel to Ghana to Deliver Training

 

Envisioning an Ecological Classroom – Training for Trainers (T4T) in Ghana West Africa.

Dr. Sevaughn Banks, Assistant Professor, and Denae Davis, Master of Social Work student, traveled to Ghana and presented a workshop, Envisioning an Ecological Classroom, to a group of teachers from the Great Kwame Nkrumah Memorial School (better known as Shalom) and staff from Brothers and Sisters in Christ International (BASICS), an afterschool empowerment program. The training occurred approximately twenty minutes outside of the capital, Accra, in a Chokhor. Dr. Banks worked with Nana Nkrumah, Director of Shalom and Pat Wilkins, Founding President/CEO of BASICS to create the learning objectives for the training and Danae spent the 18-19 academic year developing and revising the curriculum. The training occurred on Friday, May 31st and Saturday, June 1st.  The following were the professional development workshop objectives: 

Attendees will articulate three strategies that enhance their ability to build confidence in themselves and students.
Attendees will brainstorm innovative teaching methods that can be integrated into their pedagogy. 
Attendees will articulate psychosocial factors and societal influences that affect student academic performance.

Attendees will analyze how poverty and socioeconomic status (SES) are risk factors for academic success. 
Attendees will transform one or more classrooms to enhance the learning environment. 

In addition to working with Nana and Pat, this project was supported by a colleague, Dr. Felicia Tuggle, from Auburn University, and Dr. Roenia Deloach and her study abroad students, from Savannah State University. The entire team spent the second day working with teachers to decorate their classrooms to make them more receptive to student learning and confidence. Funding for decorations was provided through a generous donation from the Bay Area Association of Black Social Workers (BAABSW), through the Jan Holman Community Service Fund. 

Denae Davis wrote a blog of her experiences, read below: 

Students doing homework.Stan Student with a Ghana teacherStudentsClassroom