Beginning Oct. 5, 2020, Kerry Priest Ph.D., associate professor at the Staley School of Leadership Studies and Onyedikachi Ekwerike M.S., doctoral candidate in leadership communication, were invited to present at a two-day educator workshop hosted by Save Africa’s Future Leaders Initiative. The theme of the workshop was Teachers Leading in Crisis: Imagining the Future. The program was coordinated by the organization’s founder, Julius Ilori. Ilori is also an alumnus of the Leading Change Institute Nigeria, which took place in Lagos, Nigeria, in January 2020.
Through teaching and research efforts, the Staley School of Leadership Studies strives to support individuals and organizations preparing for change, navigating complexity and collaborating to make the world a better place. This educator workshop is an example of the Staley School’s many global collaborations that support these efforts and make progress on K-State’s mission.
The workshop, which began on World Teachers Day, hosted 28 educators on-site at the America Corner CcHUB in Lagos, Nigeria, and many others via zoom and Facebook live. The virtual sessions led by Priest and Ekwerike focused on principles of educational design and culturally responsive teaching practices. Other session topics included integration of technology and mental health support for educators.
We asked the team to reflect on their experience, and here’s what they had to say:
From Julius Iliori, organizer
The Leading Change Institute workshop in January helped me develop a new structure for my nonprofit organization. I was able to develop new thinking and also build more connections with my community. Implementing the training, I was able to identify a critical need in my community. I discovered a massive gap in access to education for public school children created by COVID-19. During the lockdown, children who attended top private schools continued learning via technology, while public school children had no such privilege. My team and I created a web application for free learning to address this, emphasizing low data consumption, accessibility, and affordability. With this technological intervention, we were able to help over 2,000 students in marginalized communities access education during the COVID-19 school lock down.
The pandemic has significantly added to the challenges faced by our over-extended educational systems. It is no exaggeration to say that our country is at a crossroads. Now more than ever, we need to equip teachers to engage current conditions and prepare for a post-pandemic era of teaching and learning. Through engagement with teachers in multiple communities, we identified several critical challenges they are going through. This led to the creation of the Teachers Training Program.
Based on the feedback we have received, I think the workshop impacted so many teachers, and they’re grateful for resources and ideas. Ms. Stephanie Adesanya, the Director of the American Corner Hosted at CcHUB, shared that the “simplification of the patterns of learning for the participating educators was fantastic. [They] challenged [the teachers] to seek different ways to create engaging learning experiences, taking into consideration their different contexts.”
The workshop is just the first of many steps to come. In response to participants’ feedback, we are exploring ways to create more training resources, such as teaching students with special needs or different abilities. I am excited about my leadership work, and it has been a fantastic learning experience working with Dr. Kerry Priest and Onyedikachi Ekwerike. Thank you, Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University.
From Onyedikachi Ekwerike
As a nation with more than 600 ethnic groups, Nigeria, is culturally diverse. Students come into the classroom with different cultural values, norms, attitudes, and beliefs that significantly impact their learning. It is, therefore, imperative that teachers are culturally responsive. During the workshop, one of our goals was to help teachers develop this capacity by sharing simple practices that can help them become more culturally responsive. We hope that the workshop will help teachers create a safe environment in their classrooms, one that values curiosity and respect for students’ cultural backgrounds.
From Kerry Priest
In a world that feels very uncertain, and at times chaotic, educators and schools have always offered a sense of stability. Teachers are leaders – not only to their students, but in communities – offering vital service and support to families while developing the capacity of our young people to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Over the past seven months, the pandemic has caused disruption, and illuminated challenges facing education systems around the world. Julius and his team at Save Africa’s Future Leaders Initiative, along with the conference participants, have demonstrated a commitment to educational leadership in the country of Nigeria. To exercise leadership during these challenging times requires creating new conditions for learning. It is necessary to develop not only new technical skills, but new perspectives.
The teachers joining the sessions were exploring new methods and models for teaching, but also building a learning community. As these teacher-leaders implement ideas learned and collaborate with each other, they can create safe spaces of learning for young people in chaotic times. It was truly an honor to be a partner in this process.
