- Mote Oo Education

Mote Oo
Education
Get Moteoovated
Issue One, April - June 2016
Inside This Issue
Page
Ask the Trainer
2
Teacher Training Department
3
Staff Profile
4
Life Skills Project
5
Peace Education Project
5
Curriculum and Publications
6
Administration and Finance
6
Partner Profile
7
The Story of Mote Oo
Places to Get Mote Oo Materials
8,9
10
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2
Ask The Trainers
What do Mote Oo trainers do?
We make friends with teachers from
around the country and the Thai Myanmar
border. We respond to calls from nonformal education institutions for
teacher training. I find the remote
areas particularly fascinating as the
teachers we train there are so lovely
and incredibly receptive to new ways of
teaching.
Shwe Htay (Trainer)
Hi, I have difficulty keeping my class focused as
the other class is only separated by a partition
and is very noisy. I would feel bad if I bothered
the other class with my own class’s activities as
well.
You could try activities that involve
whispering. Or you can build a culture
where students speak or repeat after
you softly when you show them a
certain signal with your hand. You
can also talk to the other teachers to
do the same. A respectful and mutual
agreement between teachers sharing
space to keep noise down when both
classes are teaching could help to
address some of these problems.
Shwe Htay (Trainer)
Page
Teacher Training Department
Training
Location
Land Rights Module Piloting
Myanmar- China Pipeline Watch, Pyin Oo Lwin
How do Learners Learn? (TNT1)
Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Hpa-an
General Teaching Skills
Tedim Youth Academy & Cornerstone Children’s Academy, Tedim
Personal and Professional Development Training Zomi Baptist Convention, Kalay
Civic Education
Knowledge Management Dedication, Kalay
Introduction to Teaching
English Immersion Program, Karen State
General Teaching Skills
Chin Institute of Social Science, Falam
Teaching Methodology
Ethnic Youth Foundation, Chiang Rai
Communication Skills
Enfants du Mekong, Yangon
Curriculum Development Training
Kayan New Generation Youth & Kayan Women’s Organisation,
Loikaw
Land Rights Module Piloting
Earth Rights International, Yangon
Library Management Training
Level Up Academy, Loikaw
Library Management Training
PinnyaTagar, Myitkyina
General Teaching Skills
Myanmar Scholarship Alumni Association & Education Gathering
Group & ZwekabyinMyay & Youth Learning Center, Hpa-an
Library Management Training
Education Gathering Group, Hpa-an
Training of Trainers
Mon National Education Committee, Mawlamyine
Teacher Training and Mentoring
Myanmar Indigenous Networking Educators & Shanan Education
Networking Group & Eastern Border Community School, Putao
Here are a few photos of our trainings.
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Staff Profile
Aung Myat Soe (also known as Thet
online, radio & video media with
the Thai Myanmar border areas.
Khaing) has a GED certificate from Maine
Khitpyaing, Mizzima, Radio Free Asia,
His favorite part of work is the opportunity
State, USA and studied civil engineering at
Democratic Voice of Burma, and Burma
to work with people from different
Thammasat University, Thailand.
News International.
backgrounds and contribute feedback to
He worked to bring changes to Myanmar
Working outside the country for over a
curriculum.
through teaching at the Intensive College
decade, he decided to return to Myanmar to
Under his pen name “Thet Khaing”, he
Foundation Course (ICFC) with the Open
use his knowledge and experience in the
enjoys writing articles, short stories and
Society Institute (OSI) in Chiang Mai and
educational sector to support democratic
poems that have been published in several
DEAR Burma in Bangkok. He has also
change in the country. He joined Mote Oo
media outlets including Khitpyaing,
worked in campaigns and advocacy for
Education in June 2015 taking the position
Burmatoday, Mizzima and Moemaka
Burmese migrant workers and refugees as a
of Director of Operations. He spends a lot
media. His ambition in life is to be a writer
representative of National Coalition
of his time networking, building
and today he is trying to publish his novel
Government of the Union of Burma
relationships and coordinating with
that he has been working on for almost two
(NCGUB), and also as a journalist in print,
organisations from across Myanmar and in
years.
Director of Operations
Curriculum Developer and Teacher Trainer for Peace and Civics
Alyssa Paylor joined the Mote Oo team in
restorative justice and alternative dispute
pilot testing curriculum materials because
2015 as a curriculum developer and teacher
resolution program. In 2012, Alyssa came to
she loves interacting with students and
trainer for peace and civic education. She is
the Thai Myanmar border and taught
supporting teachers. The biggest challenge
currently working on the peace education
English and Social Studies at the Bridging
she faces at work is trying to do research for
project and developing a women’s political
Educational Access to Migrants program in
curriculum with a slow internet connection.
leadership curriculum for the Burma
Chiang Mai, and supported the curriculum
In her spare time, Alyssa likes to visit all of
Women’s Union. She chooses to work in
development process for the Migrant
Yangon’s photography and art galleries,
education because she believes that
Education Integration Initiative Pilot
drink beer while discussing feminist
everyone has the right to gain the skills and
Program. In 2014, Alyssa moved to Yangon
literature with her friends, and learn to cook
knowledge they need to actively participate
to work at Theik Khar Myanmar Institute
Shan and Kachin food. She is also an
in their society.
designing courses and teaching classes on
adviser and trainer for a young women’s
Alyssa studied anthropology, political
peace and conflict, politics, gender, debate,
leadership program based in Yangon.
science and peace and conflict studies in the
and community project design.
U.S, and then worked in her university’s
Her favorite part of her job for Mote Oo is
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Life Skills Project
What do communication, understanding
others, self-awareness, confidence,
resilience, problem-solving, decisionmaking and responsibility all have in
common? How important do you think they
are? Do you possess these abilities and do
you know how to use them? Do you want
to?
To answer the first question, they are all
skills that people use with varying degrees
throughout their life. Unlike the skills of
driving a car, brushing your teeth and
knowing how to manage your finances, they
are not skills that are either easily taught or
easily acquired. Budgeting, crossing a road
safely, knowing how to and why you wash
your hands are all examples of “hard” skills;
skills that we can relatively easily learn and
that have rules that don’t really change.
However, asking the right questions,
planning your time, knowing when to listen
and when to talk are what we call “soft”
skills; there are no hard and fast rules
regarding their use, they are far from easy to
master and how we use these skills changes
very much depending on our own frame of
mind, the environment we are in and the
people we are interacting with.
When it comes to the other questions, we are
in the process of discovering the answers to
those by conducting an in-depth needs
assessment amongst young adults and our
partner organisations throughout Myanmar
and along the Thai Myanmar border. The
responses we get from an estimated 800
learners and 100 teachers from 50
organisations will enable us to prioritise the
soft skills that the participants tell us they
would like more help in acquiring.
Skills for life, skills you need, skills you
never knew existed…get ready for an
innovative series of interactive materials
which will guide and strengthen both young
adult learners and teachers on their journey
of lifelong learning. Expect to see the first
volume in this exciting series in December
2016.
Peace Education Project
Conflict and
Peace:
An Introduction
Mote Oo Peace Education Project started in
January 2014 and is supported through
cooperation with the German NGO KURVE
Wustrow. Our aim is to produce a student
book and accompanying teacher manual on
peace and conflict education.
The peace book will have two volumes. The
first volume “Understanding Conflict”
explores answers to the questions “What is
conflict?” and “How can we deal with
conflict?”.
It explains concepts like goals, needs,
identity, values and actors in the context of
conflict. It provides learners with the tools
to analyze conflicts and shows the
constructive and destructive strategies
people use to deal with conflict.
The second volume, “Understanding
Peace”, answers the questions: “What is
peace?” and “How can we reach peace?”.
The volume explains the concepts of
complete and incomplete peace,
peacemaking, peacekeeping and
peacebuilding.
The peace module attaches special
importance to interactive activities like
roleplays and games, which allow students
to experience the content they are learning
and to practice their skills in dealing with
conflicts. “Understanding Conflict” will be
published at the end of 2016.
The Peace Education Project also provides a
library on peace and conflict learning
materials at the Mote Oo office. Books can
be copied on demand.
We have also released a short introduction
book (shown left), for people who cannot
wait to see the full course.
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Curriculum and Publications
We have finished asean: A Beginners Guide and it is now available to
order. Learners will learn about important and interesting topics including the ASEAN Economic Community, migration and the environment.
The resource is user-friendly, it can be used in the classroom or as a selfstudy guide, with stimulating discussion questions and activities that
engage skills such as data analysis and map reading. It also includes an
additional multimedia DVD with videos and additional reading material.
The third addition to The New Teacher (TNT) series will be on lesson
planning. The first two books in the series were on learning theory and
classroom management, and book three covers the knowledge and skills
for new teachers in Myanmar classrooms to produce useful and effective
lesson plans. The TNT series targets pre and in-service teachers. TNT3
will be printed in July. We are also working on life skills, peace studies
and English language teaching materials.
Additionally, Mote Oo's curriculum team have been working with partner organisations to develop curricula on teacher education, land rights and women, peace and politics, English reading and writing skills and social science.
Administration and Finance
Since moving the Yangon office to Hledan in January, Mote Oo’s
Finance and Administration department has been very busy! In March,
we welcomed Julian Phone Kyaw, Logistics Assistant, to the Mote Oo
admin team, and he's been setting up the library - come by and borrow
some books. Both our Thailand and Myanmar administration teams have
been sending book orders out to programs across the country and along
the Myanmar Thai border.
The finance team has started using a new accounting software called
‘Banana’. It’s been very useful in supporting us to produce accurate and
timely financial reports, although it is sometimes a little bit difficult to
use! Next quarter we have more books to distribute, new HR policies to
draft and new finance policies and procedures to write and introduce!
Exciting.
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Partner Profile
Pu Dooplaya Junior College
to Htee WahK’Lu, a village in Karen State, in
preparation for the anticipated closure of the
refugee camps in Thailand. Plans for the
buildings and the other practicalities of setting
up the new facility are in hand. The intention is
to open the new school in a year’s time and take
first-year students from the area around Htee
WahK’lu, while continuing to run the camp
college; the main challenge being to provide
enough teachers to staff both compounds.
In order to form closer links with the community in Htee WahK’lu before moving there, PDJC
ran a summer school in the village in 2014 for
three weeks, with students from PDJC teaching
Students of 2010-2012 Academic Year
Pu Dooplaya Junior College (PDJC) is based
course, teaching subjects including maths,
in Nu Po Refugee camp in Tak Province,
science, social studies, English, Burmese and
Thailand, south of Mae Sot. It came into
Karen. There is also an upper division which runs
existence in 2008, when it took over the
a course in Global Border Studies (GBS), which
premises of the existing Teacher Preparation
started in 2010. This consists of two years of
Course, which had moved to another location
taught courses and a one-year placement and
in the camp. It is part of the Institute of
focuses on leadership skills. In total there are
Higher Education, run by the Karen Refugee
about ninety students (including twenty in GBS),
Committee Education Entity; the organisa-
twelve teachers and two administrators. As well
tion that co-ordinates the provision of higher
as four classrooms, a library and an office, there
education in most of the camps and one
are two dormitories for the students who come
school in Karen State.
from outside the camp.
PDJC offers a two-year lower division
Currently the college is making plans to relocate
English to school children aged from eight to
eighteen. This was so well-received that the
following year summer schools were run in
Htee WahK’lu and Maik Ga Thau villages and
in 2016 there are plans to expand the provision
to two more villages in the area. This shows
how successfully the students and staff at PDJC
have challenged the reputation that many
Myanmar people hold of camp residents – that
of being rather uneducated - which was one of
the underlying reasons for running the summer
school, and this bodes well for the success of
PDJC when it finally moves to Karen State.
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The Story of Mote Oo
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The Story of Mote Oo
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Places to Get Mote Oo Materials
Yangon , Myanmar
Mote Oo office
No. A4, Mya Kan Thar Street, Mya Kan Thar Housing (near Hledan area), Ward No.2, Kamayut
Township, Yangon
Tab Book Shop
(1) Taw Win Center, (2) Myanmar People’s Park, (3) Hledan Center, (4) M Bigshop (North Okkalapa),
(5) Nagane, Culture Valley (Sanchaung), (6) Nagane (Thingangyum)
Sar Pay Nan Taw
No. 138/140, 1st Floor, Corner of Pansodan and Mahabandula Road, Kyauktada Township, Yangon
Monument Books and Toys Shop
No. 150, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Township, Yangon
Mandalay, Myanmar
Nagar Sar Pay
No. 290(B), 83 Street, 29 x 30 Street, Mandalay
Lu Htu
No. 221, Lat Sal Kan Yat, 84 x 33 Street, Mandalay
Tun Oo Sar Pay
No. 101, 84 Street, between 29 x 30 Street, Mandalay
Taunggyi, Myanmar
Millionaire Book Shop
No. 71-72, Cherry Street, Kan Ought Yet, Taunggyi
Mae Sot, Thailand
Mote Oo office
Youth Connect Foundation, 10/24 Samaksapphakarn Road, Mae Sot, Tak 63110, Thailand
Border Line
674/14 Intharakeeree Road, Mae Sot, Tak 63110, Thailand
Chaing Mai, Thailand
Coming Soon!
Modules Information
No. A4, Mya Kan Thar Street, Mya Kan Thar Housing (near Hledan),
Ward No.2, Kamayut Township, Yangon
Phone (+95) 9777368290 Email - info@moteoo.org
10/24 Samaksapphakarn Road, Maesot, Tak 63110, Thailand
Phone (+66) 894610584
You can also find us at
http://www.moteoo.org/ (or)
https://www.facebook.com/moteooeducation