From 26 to 28 April 2011 a training was organized for teacher trainers from all Provincial Teacher Training Centers (PTTCs) in Cambodia. The training was held in the RTTC in Kandal and provided both theoretical background as well as practicing how to grow organic vegetables.
Teacher trainers from Siem Reap supported by VVOB have developed a manual on Organic Gardening over the last year. Lessons have been tried out at PTTC Siem Reap and in practice schools. Teacher Trainers and student teachers of PTTC Siem Reap are now running the organic garden successfully. The teacher trainers were able to share their experience with teacher trainers from all PTTCs.
Through this training participants became more aware of using natural fertilizer and the disadvantages of using chemical pesticide. They practiced to prepare the land and how to improve soil and different techniques of organic vegetable growing. Student teachers in their future schools can know how to grow vegetables which is a useful life skill for families.
Participants got to know different student centered approaches helpful when teaching the lessons to the student teachers in their PTTCs. The use of experiments, educational games, group discussions, debate, field practise and some video clips showed the variety of possibilities of teaching methodologies.
Staff members of different departments of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MoEYS) also joined the training. This was very useful because the manual is in the process of getting final approval to become part of the official Teacher Training Curriculum and suggestions made were much appreciated.
At the end of the training all participants were asked to start setting up an organic vegetable garden with the student teachers at their PTTCs as soon as possible. They will be given a set of seeds and equipment so they can start on that. The target PTTCs of VVOB (Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Kandal) will be given more extensive support through extra training for practise schools as well as a complete gardening set.
It was concluded that this training is also useful for Regional Teacher Training Centers in order to train teacher trainers at secondary school level. This will be organized in 2012.
