AKA Mombasa wins Inter-Academies Senior Athletics event
Congratulations to the Class of 2019!
Sharing practice across oceans
Andrew Jones is a teacher from Ontario, Canada who has spent the past year at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, working with the Junior School as part of a teacher secondment partnership between the Aga Khan Academies and the Province of Ontario.
On first arriving at the Academy Andrew said, “I [am] expecting an enriching experience that will allow me to learn about another culture by being immersed in it. I expect to grow as an educator because different settings, both culturally and through the [International Baccalaureate] programme, will allow me to expand my skill set as to how best practices support student learning.” One year later, he reflects on his experience.
Almost two years ago now, I was reading the book, Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle, by Chris Raschka to my new grade one class in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. This book helps me encourage my students at the start of the year to continue developing resiliency through adopting a growth mindset by trying new things, taking risks and reflecting on both successes and mistakes. Little did I know, I was not just teaching my students this skill, but I was also going to follow this advice myself.
Ever since I began teaching almost 10 years ago, many changes in my job assignment have sparked a passion for professional learning and development in my teaching practice. Over this year, I have immensely enjoyed this new job working for the Ministry of Education in Ontario on an educational partnership between our government and the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. I have had the opportunity to grow and learn as both an educator and an individual through my interactions at the Academy and through daily life in Mombasa.
Working at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has been an immense opportunity of both professional and personal learning that I am thankful for. I ask myself this very question, “What best teaching practices am I learning about that I should share with Ontario teachers?”
Here are three that I have learned more about since being here.
Building Confident Leaders – Students build their confidence and exude enthusiasm as they try new things and take risks during their participation in a variety of classroom activities, sports galas, enrichment opportunities and Friday assemblies. Students are confident, have strong leadership skills and advocate for equity. Confidence stands out as a defining characteristic of the learners present here in the Junior School.
Promoting Pluralistic Thinking – The Junior School’s demographic is vibrant and diverse, reflective of the Mombasa community’s cultures, religions and backgrounds. Activities at the school, such as the Arts Week performance, continually emphasise appreciation and understanding toward different views and beliefs and encourage students to think pluralistically as they work together.
Dual Language Practices – I have been learning Kiswahili “pole pole” this past year, and I am quite experienced in giving directions to tuk tuks and boda bodas. As I learn a new language, it helps me think about the world in different ways and makes me more pluralistic in my thinking. Likewise, students at the Academy develop academic competency and fluency in both the national language of Kenya, Kiswahili, and the official language of Kenya, English. Additionally, learning similar concepts in two languages allows students to develop pluralistic view points as languages sometimes look at similar ideas in different ways.
I am thankful to explore Kenya’s beauty and diversity, so far from Mount Kenya to the Masai Mara to Mombasa. I continue to grow and to learn and am thankful to the kind and generous Mombasa community that has made my transition to working at the Academy warm and welcoming. I feel very privileged to be working with such a dedicated and caring staff and with phenomenal students.
By Andrew Jones
AKA Mombasa students shine at swimming championships
Graduation of Class of 2011
Class of 2009 Graduation Ceremony
Graduation Ceremony of the Class of 2008
17 year-old Virji, Aga Khan Academy student is passionate about providing sanitary towels to girls
Daily Nation features Ziyaan Virji, CEO and founder of AASW - Affordable and Accessible Sanitation for Women - during their event in early June, marking Menstrual Hygiene Week in their efforts to raise awareness about period poverty and take action with their local partners.
AKA Mombasa hosts 10th annual Peace Summit
Aga Khan Curricular Strands
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands (AK Strands) are a unique part of the programme offered by the Aga Khan Academies. The AK Strands are areas of learning aimed specifically at developing knowledge, skills and attitudes required by future leaders.
Our goal at the Academies is to develop young people who have strong local roots and are also globally minded. They should be able to become leaders in whichever fields they choose.
To help achieve this goal, we have identified five areas of learning, the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, that we believe are important for our students. These are:
- Ethics
- Pluralism
- Cultures (with an emphasis on Muslim civilisations)
- Governance and Civil Society
- Economics for Development.
Implementing the AK Strands
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands are not taught as independent subjects. Instead, we weave them into the existing subject areas of the academic curriculum. They help inform the selection of content and themes for study. The AK Strands also provide direction for school life outside the classroom in areas such as policy making, recruitment, student life and residential life.
Two of the AK Strands, Ethics and Pluralism, help students develop values and dispositions required by ethical leaders. Our students learn about these areas in theory and are also encouraged to practice what they learn in their everyday lives.
Through the other three AK Strands, our students learn about ideas that are important to the functioning of societies. In particular, they learn about how these ideas impact people’s lives in countries of the developing world. The knowledge they gain helps them understand key issues from both local and international perspectives.
The AK Strands in practice
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands were developed at the first Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa and are designed to be used in different cultural contexts. Teachers from the Aga Khan Academy Maputo help tailor the AK Strands for the local environment in Mozambique.
Through the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, our students develop attitudes and values that will help them throughout their lives. They also gain knowledge and understanding that will allow them to contribute positively to their societies in the future.
For more information on the educational programme offered at the Aga Khan Academy Maputo, please visit the Academic Programme page.
