Professional Development Workshops

The majority of the teachers in this study have had the opportunity to attend workshops held either on or off school-site. A number of teachers have been fortunate to attend more than one workshop during their years of teaching in these CHSs, or they have attended oth-

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er workshops while teaching in their previous schools. A few teachers have only attended one workshop throughout their years of teaching.

RCHS teachers have been fortunate to attend a workshop held once at their school. This workshop was run by the SSEC Authority and ıtled ― ‘Effecı ve Chrisıan Teaching’. And all four teachers had the opportunity to attend. For Jane, this workshop held at their school is the only workshop she has ever attended since starting teaching. Andrew also attended the Christian Effective Teaching workshop and another workshop on budgeting held at the school and run by the school’s previous principal. Peter, while working at his previous school located close to Honiara Town, had the opportunity to attend other workshops, such as one on library skills run by the National Library; a workshop on ‘Live and Learn’ conducted by the Live and Learn organisation; and two other workshops conducted by the Ministry of Health on health programmes for a school. Paul has also attended two principals’ workshops con- ducted by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development of the Solomon Islands (MEHRD), while teaching in his previous school. The teachers were asked in the in- terviews about how these workshops have helped them in their teaching and learning. Jane (Secondary Teacher, teaches Home Economics, RCHS) mentions:

Yeah; fo mi seleva becos hem kam fo tekem mifalla, kaen mifalla go familar lo college yia, hem helpem mifalla too lo saet lo biblical. An most importantly olo- keta that wan oloketa no go yet fo train yia na, that wan hem olsem really helpem oloketa, becos wat hem mekem yia, oloketa no luk lukim yet wat lesson plan and olsem. Den taim hem kam, mifalla helpem oloketa.

While the workshop has helped me in terms of effective Christian teaching, it has also helped those who have not gone through teacher training and they have little understanding on how to write a lesson plan, and we (the trained teachers) were able to help those untrained teachers on how to write lesson plan.

Jane, during her interview, mentions that the workshop she attended on effective Christian teaching held on the school-site had provided opportunities for the trained teachers to help those untrained teachers in their school: and to share their

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knowledge and understanding on certain teaching and learning topics, such as the writing of lesson plans.

Peter (Secondary Teacher, teaches English/Social Science, RCHS) comments:

Yes. A lot of tings mi faedem from workshop olsem hem givim mi broader idea wea mi save kam an usim olsem teaching tool or resources blo m. Especially lo olketa information an materials mifalla tekem from oloketa workshops yia. I have found a lot of new things in the workshop, which broaden my current knowledge and understanding. I have used the new ideas and the new infor- mation I learnt and gathered from the workshop as my teaching resources.

Peter mentions in the interview that the workshops have provided him new infor- mation and resources to use in his teaching practices.

Paul (Secondary Teacher/Chaplain, teaches New Testament Studies, RCHS) express- es:

Me attend two falla principals’ workshop; mi faedem really interesting, plende niu things… me save garem taim for share an discuss wetim other teachers… an wetim communication and olsem get to know each fo mekem mifalla save, hao fo mifalla save doim teaching according lo biblical principles.

I attended two principals’ workshops and I found them to be interesting with many new things ... I had time to share and discuss with other teachers (in the Effective Christian Teaching workshop) … and communicate with them, getting to know each other and how best to apply Biblical principles in our teaching.

Paul expresses that the principals’ workshops held at off-school sites were interest- ing with many new ideas. The workshop on effective Christian teaching, provided him with opportunities to interact and share with other teachers, thus learning to- gether how to improve their teaching approaches and applying Biblical principles. Andrew (Head of Science/Deputy Principal, teaches Science, RCHS) states:

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Hem moa laek mifalla just revisim nomoa wat mifalla lanem lo college yet. Ab- aotim hao fo mifalla teach; oloketa students… Hem barava helpem mi olsem mekem mi garem moa, commitment becos lo Christian perspective hem say pikinini hem image blo God too yia, so iumi must teachim oloketa gud.

The workshop was like a revision on what we learnt in college and how to teach the students … the workshop really helped me in my commitment to teaching, especially having a Christian perspective of seeing my students as images of God and therefore, we must teach them well.

Andrew expresses that this workshop on effective Christian teaching refreshed what they had learnt about how to teach students during their teacher training in college. The work- shop also helped him, as a teacher in RCHS, to be committed to his teaching and to help the students because they are images of God.

In summary, the RCHS teachers expressed that attending workshops provided them oppor- tunities to interact and share with other teachers, learn new skills and knowledge and thus, improve their teaching approaches.

The majority of the SCHS teachers have also attended other workshops, which were mainly held off-school site. The main workshop attended by most of the SCHS teachers was on a healthy school environment and this was run by the Honiara Town Council Health Depart- ment. After the workshop, a Health Committee was formed in the school and this committee ran a three-day workshop, to promote a healthy school environment within the school for the remainder of the teachers. Other workshops that some of these teachers have attended include the following: Anna attended a workshop relating to the Solomon Islands art and cul- ture run by the Festival of Pacific Arts; Mary attended a workshop on tutorial skills and teaching adult students, while working at her previous school, hosted by the University of the South Pacific in Suva; and Luke attended a workshop on technical vocational education and training. The SCHS teachers were also asked in the interviews about how the workshops they had attended had helped them in their teaching and learning.

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So luking at that falla workshop wea mifalla tekem yia, hem barava helpful… dis falla environment wea pikinini hem save learn, bae fo example insaet lo classroom; if hem too crowded tumas, luking at healthy aspect blo that falla tingting, hem no healthy fo oloketa students yia...tru becos everi learning blo oloketa pikinini hem kam from – hem garem different way fo oloketa pikinini tekem information yia.

The workshop that we attended was very helpful … the environment that students learn in, for example, inside a classroom, if it is over-crowded, it is unhealthy for students to learn effectively … students learn and gather in- formation in different ways.

Dennis expresses that the workshop on a clean and healthy environment reminded him of the importance of having a clean and healthy environment that is less crowded for the stu- dents, because each student learns in a different way.

Dorcas (Senior Secondary Teacher, teaches Home Economics, SCHS) states:

Lo subject area blo mi, wanem oloketa yia covem mifalla – hem lo syllabus blo mifalla… hem laek sort of remindim mi moa fo keepim surround healty. What they have covered (in the workshop) is also in my subject syllabus … it is like reminding me again on keeping the surroundings healthy.

Dorcas mentions that the workshop on a healthy school environment that she attended was relevant to the content of the home economics subject she is teaching at the school and the workshop reminded her again about keeping the surrounding school environment clean. Luke (Head of Industrial Art, teaches Industrial Art, SCHS) finds that:

More hem insaet lo practical part lo saet lo subject blo mi ya, and mi learnim staka samting from there, hem really developim ting ting blo mi ya, for wat nao mi sapos for duim and wat nao mi shuld no duim, kaen olsem ya. Hem barava realy helpful lo mi.

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It was more on the practical side of my subject and I learnt many new ideas that got me to think about what I am supposed to do and what I am not supposed to do. It was very helpful for me.

Luke feels that the workshop he attended was also relevant to the practical side of his sub- ject and he had learnt many new ideas, including what he was supposed to do and what not to do in his teaching.

Mary (Head of Science, teaches Science, SCHS) indicates:

No lo hia. Hem no applicable lo hia. It was not applicable for me in this school.

Mary mentions that the workshop she attended was not applicable to where she is teaching, because the workshop was on adult learning and at SCHS she is teaching high school stu- dents and not adult learners.

In summary, the SCHS teachers expressed that attending the workshop on environment, provided them new perspectives on how to improve the learning environment of their stu- dents. Only one teacher mentioned that the workshop she attended was not applicable to her teaching and learning in the school.