Rudolf Steiner School Mbagathi
Nairobi, Kenya
In April 2022, I was invited to give a workshop on middle school physics and chemistry teaching to Waldorf teachers gathering in Nairobi from all over East Africa. We explored science teaching in relationship to child development; we practiced experiments and adapted them to locally available materials; we reviewed the structure of a science main lesson; and we made science teaching approachable and exciting.
In 2023 I was very privileged to attend a science workshop for classes 6-8 that was being conducted by Laurence Jaquet at the Rudolf Steiner School in Nairobi. Although I had taught science for a number of years, there was a way in which Laurence demystified everything and made it look so much easier than I had previously perceived it to be. She did not address us in complicated scientific jargon but used language that was easily understandable and that we could relate to. Her demonstrations were precise, well conducted and used inexpensive, locally available materials. This was such an eye opening experience for me, knowing that not everything had to be bought. Although am not currently teaching in the upper primary school, I feel well prepared for the task of taking my class through the sciences when the time comes. I would recommend her workshops to any teacher preparing to take on the sciences in grades 6 & 7 as they are such an enriching experience.
Teresia Gachiri
Nairobi