Kenya:Nairobi

From WAET

Welcome to KSTC Nursery
 "KARIBUNI NYOTE NASARI YA KSTC" (Kiswahili) The Kenya Science Teachers College Nursery school (hereafter referred to as KSTC Nursery) is situated in Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. It is in Dagoretti Division and about five kilometers away from a city center called Adams Arcade along Ngong road. It is also near the Kenya Meteorological Department and just before the junction to Dagoretti Corner and Karen. KSTC Nursery is inside a teachers college, Kenya Science Teachers College (here after referred to as KSTC) which prepares pre-service high school science teachers. Directly behind the compound on which KSTC Nursery is located can be found the Mombasa Kisumu/Uganda railway line and the Jamhuri International Park. See a video welcoming you to KSTC Nursery. Videos courtesy of Mr. Kinoti in Kenya.

Rationale for Choice of KSTC Nursery

We chose to focus on KSTC Nursery because of our belief that early childhood education is a stepping stone towards success in education or otherwise of Kenyan children. We think also that KTSC is representative of the many pre-schools you are likely to find in many urban centers in the country. It is thus imperative to study institutions such as these if we hope to build a strong educational foundation for Kenya now and in future. We also believe that for educational technology, and especially computer technology, to have a greater impact in Kenya it must be utilized right from the beginning – at preschool - so that children grow up better equipped to use technology to the fullest extent possible.

Secondly and equally important, we are interested in KSTC Nursery because some of our children are past graduates of the pre-school. We thus have a personal investment and have seen our children blossom educationally as they went through KSTC Nursery. We can attest to the teachers' commitment to early childhood education and their love of children who pass through their able hands. For one, the teachers are highly qualified having been trained using a combination of the District Centers for Early Childhood Education (DICECE) and Montessori methods. Whenever opportunity arises, the teachers are encouraged and sponsored by KSTC to attend in-service courses.

See a video on a "meet and greet" with the teachers.

Last but not least, we know the kind of educational resources available in the institution and, as former parents and faculty of KSTC we were actively involved in collecting instructional materials to make the school better.

Figure 1. A student from Preschool Motto: "Molding Young Ones into a Bright Future"

Data Collection

Data for this case study was collected using the following methods: Primary Data Sources

1. Interviewing the Principal and teachers
2. Video-taping the goings-on at the school
3. Through Participant observation of the event of a typical day at KSTC nursery
4. Secondary Data Sources
5. Photographs of students and their teachers
6. Instructional materials used

Data Analysis and Write-up

We went to KSTC Nursery on September 28th 2004 and interviewed the Principal and teachers about the kind of educational technology they used in the pre-school. We video-taped the conversations and observed the teachers conduct lessons in their classrooms. We also took photographs of pupils and teachers as they engaged in a variety of activities both indoors and outdoors. The teachers also gave us some photographs from a recent excursion the pupils had taken to various places around the city of Nairobi, Kenya. After collecting the data, we conducted an across-data source comparison. Focusing on what we observed at the school and captured on video-tape as well as what was said in the interviews, we did the write-up incorporating key aspects related to the school's general learning. More emphasis was laid on the educational technology used at the KSTC Nursery - the primary focus of our case study. The photographs were scanned and the video edited, compressed and included I this chapter to further bolster the case study findings.

KSTC Nursery

KSTC Nursery was started in 1972 to cater for the children of faculty and staff members of the pre-service teachers' college KSTC. At that time, it was run as a day-care center and the children were housed in one building which was originally a staff member's house. In line with pre-school funding at that time, it was the responsibility of the parents to pay the teachers, who were two in number, and also to pay the support staff who helped run the day-care center.

Between 1975 and 1978, the children were housed in the social hall, which also doubled up as a recreational center for support staff in the evenings.

At that time, children ranging in age from 2 - 6 shared the same room although different teachers taught them. Although the development of pre-school units and the cost of teachers' services in Kenya continue to be met by the parents, local communities, and non-governmental agencies, in 1978 the Board of Governors (BOG) of Kenya Science Teachers College assumed the responsibility of running KSTC Nursery school.

Today, the BOG are the ones who pay teachers and support staff salaries, buy food for the preschoolers, and provide basic learning and teaching materials such as: construction paper (commonly known as manila paper in Kenya) papers, pens, blackboards foolscaps, story books and reading books, and any other item required by the teacher to aid in their teaching. The BOG also built a block of classes during the same time and as a result, each age group is taught in its own class except for the two baby classes, which share one class but are taught by different teachers.

An important source of income to purchase instructional materials comes from pupils. All the children are required to pay school fees although the payment is commensurate with one's income. Children of Faculty often have to pay more than children of staff or those coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Language of Instruction

Many preschools in Kenya use mother tongue or the language of the community, or catchment area, as the language of instruction. In the urban centers, the two main languages used are Kiswahili and/or English because the composition of the population in such areas is often multilingual and multiethnic. KSTC Nursery, being in the capital city and composed of multilingual and multiethnic groups of students, uses English as the language of instruction and communication. For those children still not conversant with English, Kiswahili is used as a supplementary language.

It is, however, not unusual to find children coming to KSTC pre-school speaking neither English nor Kiswahili. It is the pre-school policy to discourage the use of mother tongue while in school, but in cases where children do not know Kiswahili or English, the pre-school has often finds someone to make the children comfortable as they adjust to the school and learn English and Kiswahili.

Population and Classification

KSTC Nursery still largely serves the children of Faculty and Staff of KSTC as well as meeting the needs of children drawn from the local community surrounding the college, for instance, children from slum areas such as Kibera, Kawangware, Riruta-Satellite, and Dagoretti as well as those from more affluent neighborhoods such as Jamhuri, Lavington, Garden Estate, and Karen. It is a mixed (or co-ed) school given that it admits both boys and girls. All the students have to be in school uniform which is pre-determined by the pre-school board. However when it rains, they are allowed to wear mackintoshes, sweaters and coats of different colors. Currently, the pre-school has a population of 134 students. The largest class has 34 students while the smallest has about 20 students. The students are classified according to ages:

1. Baby Class 1 (Red Riding Hood): 2 1/2 and 3 years;
2. Baby Class 2 (Three Little Pigs): 3 and 3 1/2 years;
3. Nursery: 4 to 5 years; and
4. Pre-Unit: 5 to 6 years.

At the end of each the year, a graduation ceremony is organized for those completing the pre-unit class signifying that they will join standard one (equivalent of grade one) the following year.

Teachers

Figure 2. Some of the teachers of KSTC Nursery (Baadhi ya waalimu wa Nasari ya KSTC)

There are five trained teachers - Esther, Christine, Jane, Janet, and Rose; one Principal, Mrs. Nungari; and three support staff. KSTC Nursery also accommodates student teachers from any training institutions in the country from time to time to assist the regular teachers and also observe teaching and learning in real pre-school classrooms. See a KSTC Nursery Principal's Video Interview

Teaching–Learning Process

Figure 3. Students from KSTC Nursery

Figure 4. Students from KSTC Nursery

In the classes, every student has a chair to sit on although when teaching new concepts, teachers prefer that students sit together on the floor. Once the students have understood the concept, they are often allowed to sit on their chairs to do individual work.

KSTC Nursery recognizes that “all children learn in their own individual ways, according to their own pace and inclination” (Meier, 2004, p. 1). They in turn design the curriculum in such a way that it meets the pupils' unique developmental trajectories. Another way they do this is by grouping the pupils according to ability levels. The bright (smart) ones are grouped together while the slow ones are grouped together. This enables the teachers to attend to pupils' individual differences more closely and pacing their instruction in concert with each group of students. Such groupings also allow the teachers more time to give attention to the slow learners.

It must be pointed out that grouping by ability is a closely guarded secret which students are not privy to. Teachers use grouping purely for instructional purposes and to better meet the students' academic needs. Students identified as struggling and slow learners are given remedial lessons after school and during the holidays. This has been observed to improve the performance of students.

Curriculum and Educational Technology

KSTC Nursery pupils are exposed to and involved in a wide variety of curricular as well as co-curricular activities. Every term, which lasts about three months, students are taken for excursions and tours to different educational and recreational sites in Nairobi. It is the responsibility of the parents to meet the cost of such trips. More recently, the students have visited The Giraffe Centre, Animal Orphanage, Paradise Lost, and Wilson Airport. The curriculum is built around those curricular and co-curricular activities. A key principle underlying all the educational practices at KSTC is to develop the students' positive attitude to wards learning, according to the Principal, Mrs. Nungari. This principle in essence advances the school motto of molding young ones into a bright future.

KSTC Nursery leans more towards the development of language and numeracy skills. Many of the pre-reading and pre-writing activities prepare the children to begin to read and write. Emphasis is laid on mastering the alphabet and then building on to simple words, phrases, and sentences. The teachers employ a mixed-method approach including phonics, whole word (look and say) and whole sentence to teach language skills.

What was evident from our observations is the utilization of every available space in the classroom for teaching and learning. The walls were filled with different language and creative activity charts, flashcards. Some media was hanging from the ceilings and each corner was used for one thing or another. The classes thus had learning centers, and small library-like corners for reading. In other words, instructional materials were placed and stored in places accessible to students at any time. See a video on instructional technologies at KSTC Nursery

The preschoolers are introduced to math using locally available materials. Kiswahili is often introduced as a subject in conjunction with English. Subjects like science, history, and geography are introduced informally as the children read different texts and/or go for the tours and excursions.

Figure 4. The pupils and their teachers at the Nairobi National Park - Nairobi (Watoto pamoja na waalimu wao kwenye mbuga ya wanyama ilioko Nairobi).

Figure 5. Children and their teachers while on a tour to Wilson Airport in lang'ata Division Nairobi(Watoto pamoja na waalimu wao kwenye kiwanja cha ndege cha Wilson kilichoko divisheni ya Lang'ata).

Figure 6. Pupils enjoy in the playground with their teachers
(Watoto pamoja na waalimu wao kwenye kiwanja cha kuchezea).

The aim usually is to have children interact with the environment and the resources within those environments in such a way that they make connections between teaching and learning and their everyday lives. According to the Principal, the school “acquaints them with what they see” when they guide the students to tap into their immediate environments. This approach has the power to evoke an inquiry mind, motivate actions and promote learning.

On the morning we visited the school, we found all pre-school students standing outside on assembly just before class. Teacher Janet introduced the student to a very important geography concept in a very informal way. She started first by asking why they were wearing their coats and jackets. She then proceeded to ask them the color of the sky. It was evident that the blue sky was shielded by clouds. She then told the students the day was cloudy. In short, the teachers utilize any teachable moments to ensure learning occurs.

When they go to the game park, or the Giraffe center, they are exposed to knowledge ranging from protecting the environment and making it conducive for animals to survive. They are taught also about the importance of protecting animals especially those in danger of extinction and the role animal centers play to ensure that happens. They are also taught about what the animals eat, how they sleep, to how they survive in the wild. They may be asked to count the animals, sort them by color, size or any other characteristics.

During an excursion to the airport, they may be introduced to the idea of flying, the mechanics involved in the art of flying and preliminary introduction to what constitutes an aviation course. The teachers may introduce, albeit informally, the role the geography and physics subjects play in aviation. In short, the teachers tap into any resources in the immediate environment to teach the children about the different subjects.

Children thrive on song and dance. KSTC Nursery includes this component to their curriculum. On any school day a greater portion of the time is devoted to song and dance. Songs can range in theme from sacred and religious to those secular in nature. The children learn language skills, moral values, and engage in physical exercise at the same time. They generally are made to view learning as fun. See children sing and pray

It is important to note also that some of the facilities within KSTC are shared between the pre-service teachers and the pre-school children in spite of their being in separate physical spaces on the compound. For example, the institution has a huge playground that the children have access to for their physical education activities. The students use the playground for their outdoor activities such as playing soccer, athletics and other activities deemed fit by their pre-school. Although there is a swimming pool, the preschoolers do not use it for safety purposes.

The children engage in hands-on activities that help them make sense of their learning processes. When they come in each morning, they engage in what the KSTC Nursery calls free-choice activity. This activity allows the students to construct and mold different things such as houses, cars, and also pretend play different roles. This also provides them opportunities to socialize with each other before formal classes begin, according to teacher Rose.

Figure 7. Both boys and girls present an item at a graduation ceremony. One can see a TV bottom right.(Watoto waimba kusherehekea kufuzu kwa wanafunzi watakaoenda katika daraza la kwanza. Hebu tizama runinga pale chini mkono wa kulia)

Figure 8. Before you go, see a KSTC Nursery compound. Time to go. Bye-bye. See you again. or Kwaheri (KIswahili). Tuonane Tena.

For all these activities to be undertaken successfully, resources in terms of money, materials and time have to be availed. As already mentioned, the BOG buys some of the instructional materials. Fortunately, KSTC Nursery does not have to buy everything. Teachers have to assemble, make and/or improvise their own instructional materials as and when needed. They often make their own hand drawn graphics. In math, they use sticks, stones, bottle caps, and even encourage students to use their own and their classmates' fingers for addition, subtraction and any other basic math concept they are learning.

Creating these teaching aids is very demanding and teachers often have to do the extra work after classes and/or when students are on holiday. In addition, the teachers also enlist the help of students and/or parents in making different instructional materials such as toys using locally available raw materials available. KSTC recycles its paper by donating it to KSTC Nursery so the children can make different items and Paper maché artwork using the recycled paper.

In arts and crafts, the teachers encourage students to make their own animals or airplanes following tours and excursions. They may also get involved in basic writing about the things they saw while they were on a tour. They may describe animals, or an airplane and anything of interest to them and illustrate their writing. All products from these hands-on activities are then stored and later used as instructional materials. When students graduate they are at liberty to take with them all the work they have created or donate it towards the school's collection of instructional materials.

Parents of KSTC Nursery children are actively involved either in creating or donating materials and resources. According to the Principal, the parent are often co-operative in donating items such as newspapers, books, instruments, pans, car tires, papers for recycling, sisal bags, old blocks, plastic items, seeds, bottle-tops, old clothes, and bottles. All these materials are kept in class learning centers and used as teaching aids. When a student is admitted, a parent is usually furnished with a list of items to purchase and includes things such as: pencils, crayons, plasticine (play dough), drawing books, and reading materials for their children.

Computer Education

It is unfortunate that KSTC Nursery does not have any computers and therefore no computer education taught. This is in spite of the fact that two of its teachers, the Principal and one regular teacher have undergone computer training sponsored by Computers for Schools. It is the hope of KSTC Nursery that one day they can use computer technology for instructional purposes. One computer firm, Future Kids, has expressed interest in equipping KSTC Nursery with computers and also providing software for teaching. They however having access to television and radio cassettes if they need to use them

Conclusion

KSTC Nursery teachers use their discretion to decide what educational technology and what methodological approaches to use for instruction. The preschool has an assortment of media and materials, and more importantly perhaps media situations to draw from. It is evident that all the teachers work very hard in their quest to impart skills and knowledge to the children. They maximize the use of whatever educational technology they have available to them and within the immediate environment to shape their students' educational future.

Under the expert guidance of their Principal - Mrs. Nungari, they have churned out hundreds of children who have been able to fit in very well when they join other schools for primary education and also have gone on to hold respectable professional jobs. The KSTC Clinical Officer (of the health center which caters to Faculty, Staff, and all pre-service students) is a living testimony of that fact, being a former graduate KSTC Nursery.

Notes

The authors of this chapter would like to thank the KSTC Nursery Principal, Mrs. Nungari, the teachers (Christine, Esther, Gladys, Jane, Janet, Mercy, and Rose) together with the other student teachers and the KSTC Nursery students for their cooperation in bringing this project to fruition. We couldn't have done it without their willingness to accommodate us despite their busy schedules. We cannot forget to thank Mr. Kinoti for his expertise in video-taping the events at KSTC Nursery for this project. We wish to thank Michael Barbour, Caterina Poggi, Gary Shattuck, and Dr. Michael Orey for editing the drafts that resulted in this chapter. Many thanks again to each and every one of you. Last but not least, we wish to thank Sean Hendricks for his wonderful guidance and support in the video editing and compression.

References

Meier, D. R. (2004). The young child's memory for words: Developing first and second language and literacy. New York: Teachers College Press.

Related Cases

Kenya

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya.

Citation

APA Citation: Inyega, H. N., Mbugua, P. N. (2005"). Kenya:Nairobi. In M. Orey, T. Amiel, & J. McClendon (Eds.), The web almanac of educational technologies. Retrieved <insert date>, from http://www.waet.uga.edu/