April 25, 2013

My morning started out smoothly as Sasha was at the bar and got the hot plate going for me so I could return to my room after the coffee got going. Once I got the coffee done, I realize I had no sugar and it was back down again.

Breakfast was cream of wheat again and a rather dry piece of coffeecake. It had started raining during the night and I didn’t even have a sweater with me. I started the session with the Bloom’s taxonomy I had promised the participants as they didn’t much about it.

When my lecture was finished, I asked them to read a piece of text and come with questions reflecting the different levels of the pyramid. It was a good exercise for the teachers to force thee to move away from the low-level order of questioning and testing and move on the higher order thinking skills.

During the lunch break, I walked with Azamat and another group to the other choice of restaurant where I had a better soup and freshly baked bread. Nazira told me the teachers wanted to treat to us to lunch there on Friday to celebrate the end of the week. I had no objections to such plans.

I had my session on speaking activities after lunch and then we left the school ground to go to the American Corner and the teachers to become familiar with the “Trace Effects” video game. Idriss offered to take the trainers in his car along with Azamat. The American Corner is located in a rather dark and uninspiring building with not even a colorful poster on its walls.

The coordinator told me they had been in operation for just about a year and were hoping to get more books soon. They had twelve computers for twenty teachers and several volunteers to help guide those teachers most reluctant to deal with technology. I ran into Nabiza while at the Corner as she was in town providing some type of training as well.

The FLEX students helped the teachers access the program, and I got to help a young teacher who’s taking an online course through the University of Oregon, but was having trouble navigating the site.

Elvira and I then put the finishing touches on the evaluation form I had created yesterday as well as the design of the certificates before heading to the printing center. I was carrying my handbag, the canvas bag with all the laminated pictures and yet another one with my teaching materials.

Apparently, we were so distracted talking that we passed the shop and continued walking until we were almost at the hotel. We had to retrace our steps and by that time I seriously dragging my feet.

The guy at the printing center didn’t have the right kind of paper for the certificates and Elvira had to find it someplace else. I ordered the copies I’d need for the next day’s presentation and rested my weary feet for a while.

Once we were done there, we walked some more to a restaurant Jyldyz had recommended nearby and which had a pleasant outdoor terrace where we sat in some kind of a covered swing. The food was just palatable.

I insisted we take a cab back to the hotel as my feet were killing and I had a lot of things to do before going to bed.