Academy for Educational Development

In classrooms throughout the country, teachers and students in Namibian primary school students are reading books that they have written and local artists have illustrated.









AED’s Basic Education Project team initiated the “The ‘Writing by Kids’ activity, which also provides educators with new methods for teaching reading and writing.









"The project provides both books and valuable teaching strategies to rural Namibian schools that have very few resources,” said Donna Kay LeCzel, a senior education advisor in the AED Global Education Center.









To produce the books, fourth and seventh graders in six regions wrote and drew pictures of important events, people, ideas, wishes, hopes, and dreams in personal journals. The journal entries were collected as an anthology of children’s thoughts and opinions on issues such as the impact HIV/AIDS has had on them and their families.










With funding from Shell Namibia, each of the seventh graders will receive a disposable camera to capture images of the people and events in his or her life. USAID funded the project, including publishing and printing the books.









A key feature of the program is teacher-support providers. AED provided them with professional development that focused on developing and improving their skills as reading and writing coaches.









The teacher-support providers work directly with teachers and parents on instruction strategies that have resulted in significant gains in academic performance in English-language skills and knowledge.









"Showcasing the voices of children in books that are then used in classrooms is a powerful way schools can take ownership over the improvements in teaching and learning." said LeCzel.









— For more information please contact Donna Kay LeCzel at dleczel@aed.org