VESA Overview
Feature 1
Teacher Training
Once VESA agrees to work with a school, teachers attend a series of Teacher Institutes that focus on the art and science of teaching. No assumptions are made about prior teacher training. VESA begins by teaching how to construct effective course outlines, supported by rigorous learning objectives, for each unit of study in the school’s vocational education curricula for specific vocations. Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy is introduced to assure ALL coursework is at the level of learning required and linked to specific course outline objectives. Of great importance is teaching teachers how to go about researching a topic they know nothing about in order to learn it to the point they can develop a new course for it.
School Support
Local schools require tools, materials, and space be added incrementally to grow their Vocational Laboratories. Teacher salaries may need to be supplemented as well for a time. The first priority in school support is establishing a functioning library, organized under the Dewey Decimal System on campus. Further, computer skills of the teachers must be brought to at least a basic level. In the absence of a computer lab, a Rachel SmartBox is provided. It is a self contained server based computer system loaded with intrAnet content and contains twenty wirelessly connected laptop computers. The system is intended to bring as much computer access as possible to areas without internet availability.
Curriculum Creation
We work alongside the teaching staff as they create coursework that integrates modern technology with regionally relevant vocations. We ensure that the teachers are equipped to build world-class courses in their schools.
Self-Sustainment Oriented
We work alongside partner schools to create an actionable path toward self-sustainability as a Vocational Institute. Planning includes senior led entrepreneurial and value adding project based capstones. These anticipated projects represent a means of creating business opportunities for local communities.
Feature 2
In the process of becoming a VESA certified school, VESA provides financial support necessary to create on-site vocational laboratories and develop teachers to lead in the development of new course work. Working toward an end state of self-sustainability, VESA works with school administrators to cement a path to local-support.
In 2018 and 2019 VESA supplied Betty Memorial Institute, a Liberian school, with a Library, a considerable array of measuring equipment, a welder, basic powered shop equipment, tool storage, and a temporary workshop.
VESA’s plan for 2020-21 is to support Betty Memorial Institute along its way by helping with vocational education teacher salaries, provide a Rachel SmartBox (a standalone server based computer system loaded with an abundance of online content) for use by the entire school, continue to add more library references, basic shop space for Agriculture, Electrical, Construction, and Mechanics along with relevant shop equipment
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VESA partners with local teachers to build regionally relevant curricula by first developing, with the teachers, a set of core competency courses. These courses are common across all disciplines. As teachers learn how to research and develop coursework for these fundamental competencies, they gain confidence in developing coursework in their area of interest.
Building these courses and teacher competencies requires resources of travel of VESA teachers, tools, equipment, and materials.
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VESA does not deliver a CANNED set of lesson plans for partner teachers to use. VESA works collaboratively with local school teachers to develop in them the capacity to create THEIR OWN relevant curricula for their students whom THEY know best. VESA equips teachers by building their competence in specific disciplines. Moveover, they experience effective teaching during Teacher Institutes delivered by VESA teachers. Many ‘Teacher-Timeouts” are called during these institutes to clarify and discuss pedagogy.
VESA plans to host three Teacher institutes in 2020 at Betty Memorial Institute.
1) March: Four teachers will be trained in the Core Competency Course: General Mechanics Core, Unit of Study: Welding by a welding engineer from the USA.
2) June: a)Delivery and training on the use of a Rachel SmartBox computer system and teacher training on computers in general b)VESA team will explore the possibilities of offering basic Lineman training in light of the WAPP initiative in West Africa. c)VESA Ag Mentor will support Agriculture teachers in developing their course outlines, lessons, and projects during this time.
3) Fall: a)Teacher Institute on small engines and mechanics. b)Continued training for BMI in the requested American Phonics under SLD-Read protocol. c) Help with adding books to the library catalogue
Feature 3
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