Madagascar Teaching

My trip to Madagascar was absolutely fantastic. The children at the school were incredibly engaged in their learning. This time, I realized the importance of bringing along a lot more picture books, something I hadn't focused on enough during my previous trips. We had a routine where, after working on English spelling and writing words, we would read a picture book each day. I would read a page in English, and then Gabriel, one of the local workers, would explain it in Malagasy/French. It was wonderful to be able to show the students the artwork in these books, as their usual lessons mostly involve chalkboard exercises. In all the schools I've taught at, I've observed a challenge with imaginative tasks and drawing. A large number of students seem unsure or surprised when I encourage them to 'write a good sentence and then draw a picture to accompany it'. Therefore, my intention with the picture books was to introduce them to art and inspire their creativity.