Eksploratoryòm: An Immersive Approach to Teacher Professional Development

• In Event: Elevating Teaching & Learning in Haiti through an Active-Learner Pedagogy

Proposal

Mr. Walter is a second grade teacher at the community school of Thomonde in Haiti’s Plateau Central. Typically, with over 40 students in one class, Mr. Walter finds engaging all his young learners challenging.

Since August 2021, Mr. Walter has been one of 58 MSN teachers participating in the pilot implementation of Eksploratoryòm, a STEM education program developed by Blue Butterfly in collaboration with Haiti’s Ministry of Education and MSN’s school partners.

Eksploratoryòm is an innovative approach to science education in Haiti and one practical application of MSN’s Apwoch Lekòl Vivan. Instead of the top-down pedagogy typical in Haiti, Eksploratoryòm builds children’s understanding through captivating stories that are relatable and engaging. Eksploratoryòm meets the curriculum objectives of Haiti’s Ministry of Education while fostering critical thinking and communication skills.

Eksploratoryòm immerses teachers like Mr. Walter in the Apwòch Lèkol Vivan. Rather than training teachers in an academic way that is removed from their day-to-day reality, teachers like Mr. Walter in the Eksploratoryòm program learn a new way to teach by teaching in that new way. Mr. Walter is seeing for himself how children develop and grow when they are free to ask questions, solve problems, and communicate answers.

Mr. Walter has fully embraced the new pedagogy. During a lesson about types of plants, he gathered specimens of plants from near his home - a small mango seedling, an aloe leaf, a choublak hibiscus, and a pine branch. He introduced the topic to his students by sharing the Eksploratoryòm audio lesson that uses an engaging, story-based format. He passed the plant samples around to his students and circulated among the students, using his new-found teaching strategy of getting down on eye-level with the students to ask questions and probe their thinking.

Walter shared that the Eksploratoryòm curriculum and content allowed him to fully understand what an active approach to teaching and learning could look like despite the challenges of space, materials and class size.

Eksploratoryòm claims the best of Haitian culture—its music, art, and history—while fostering the critical thinking and communication skills children need to combat the structures that hold their society back. This presentation will show how Eksploratoryòm is transforming pedagogy in Haiti and is helping Haitian children receive the holistic education necessary to succeed in the world today.

Author

• Josiane Hudicourt-Barnes, Blue Butterfly