Experience Ghana through the lens of a master storyteller during this “Year of Return” marking the 400th anniversary of the first ship's arrival with Africans from Ghana to Jamestown to improve middle school students' oral and written comprehension.
As a result of my fellowship in Ghana, I now have a deeper understanding of the country's rich history and culture from the African perspective. I have developed a heightened awareness of the influence of the African culture within the diaspora. As I interacted with faculty and students in both public and private schools, I learned of ways to improve my instructional practice and support my school's theme that combines academics and the Arts through the interdisciplinary approach to learning.
I have learned new and authentic storytelling techniques from professional and community storytellers in Ghana. I will utilize these strategies in the classroom to strengthen students' oral and written comprehension skills, foster individual creativity, and encourage students to tell their own stories. The video recordings of the workshop conducted by the multi-award winning Oswald Okaitei will be used as models to instruct students on how to develop and perform a poem or story.
My island home, Jamaica is little Ghana. I was amazed to see people who bore striking resemblance and had similar mannerisms. The Jamaican flag originated from the Asante (Ashanti) National flag. I was able to identify many plants and discuss their medicinal benefits with the tour guide during the 40-minute trek through the forest to Wli Waterfalls. I wanted to compare duckunoo, a dessert, to the Jamaican duckunoo but did not have the courage to try street food so far away from home.
Students will have access to all the primary sources that I had acquired on the trip to Ghana. They will use them to obtain a new perspective of the historical accounts of slavery and learn about contemporary Ghana. As students engage in rich conversations, they will be able to make better connections with content while improving their listening and analytical skills. Students will move beyond the confines of their neighborhood as they learn empathy and increase global awareness.
The Social Studies teacher and I will collaborate to create engaging lessons for students to explore Ghana. As a class, we will examine our biases and challenge stereotypes of Africans. Students will compare Ghana to their own culture. In addition, they will create designs using adinkra symbols or design their own kente cloth using a quilt pattern to reflect their identity and culture. Students will write stories, children's books, create videos, etc., based on self-selected settings in Ghana.
I will start a storytelling circle at my school. The school and local community will be invited to a celebratory session as we showcase what students learned about Ghana. I will share my experience in Ghana with my colleagues at faculty meetings and describe the general mind shift that resulted. I will collaborate on lesson ideas with the Arts teachers as well as lead professional development sessions. Immigrants will be invited to share stories of how they assimilated in the American society.
My trip to Ghana has equipped me with a toolbox from which students can obtain the skills necessary to fortify their writing and storytelling abilities. Students will foster a love for authentic learning and take intellectual risks in order to become successful life-long learners. In order to celebrate the resilience of people of African descent and note their significant contributions to the global community, lessons on Black History will be revised to include exploring Africa.
Bringing my personal experience back to my students will be the impetus for implementing more engaging learning. Students will explore and embrace their cultural identities as well as learn to respect the values of other cultures. The active learning that will result from sharing my journey to Ghana will further develop students' self-awareness and nurture creativity. The acquisition of new, authentic storytelling techniques will strengthen students' collaboration and presentation skills.
I am grateful to FFT for the opportunity to experience the "Year of Return, Ghana 2019" which commemorates the 400th anniversary since the first ship with Africans left Ghana and arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. I have made personal connections to my own heritage on this journey. Most importantly, I have answered the clarion call when students charged me to "go to Ghana, come back and tell them about it so they can learn about their culture." Mission accomplished! Thank you, Fund for Teachers!
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