Folktales - Story map

Story Map

Voluntering at my son's school

Every Fridays of February I attended my son’s private school Gymnasium for Art and Crafting lesson. From my student’s time, I liked drawing, creating, crafting and constructing. When I became a teacher, I did crafting with young learners on different occasions as Mother’s Day, Army Day etc . I like doing learning by doing technique. Then, with seniors, I taught how to reuse some old things. After my exchange trips, I liked volunteering work. From my experience, I have observed that teachers sometimes do not create or construct. They face some challenges. There will be much noise and it will be hard to explain the instructions with younger learners. Besides, not all students bring all the things for the art lesson such as construction paper, glue, scissors, modelling clay colored pencils. It is the third Friday I attend my son’s lessons and volunteer there. I co teach with his teacher. I have taught them how to make handmade cards for their fathers on Army day. They were very excited and offered me to do the same with mother’s day. It was noisy. My desk was overcrowded. I told them to sit at their desk but they do not. Student do not listen well the instruction. The stronger students perform quickly and impatiently ask for the next step. The weaker students do slower. The teacher helped me to manage the class. However, the product at the end was very rewarding. Students were very happy to make gifts with their hands. They wrote the wishes and it was ready to give. As for me as parent, I will be very happy if my son will give and made card. It is not the end, I had an idea to conduct a competition for 16 boys on 23 February. National Army Day. I asked boys about who is hero and who is their Disney heroes. They said : Spiderman, Batman, Captain American Flashman, Green Lantern etc. And they talked about their super powers. I asked themwhat is ther super power at school. They said they can read, draw, sing song songs and a good handwriting. Then I announced about the speed reading contest. 16 boys competed. I put them in pairs. Each pair had different text fromtheir book and read and another students was time keeper. I have created an award "super reader" with the image of superman. Fur students eere winners who had 39. 44,45,53 words per minute.

Reading Tales to develop Critical Thinking project

From December 11 till December 26 Reading Tales to develop Critical Thinking project funded by Access Alumni Small Grants program has successfully finished for fifteen students in school#2 in Levakant town. Active Access Alumni Firuz Kholov 2016-2018 from Levakant and Sabohat Abdulloeva and Mehrangez Safarova from Kushoniyon 2018-2020, implemented the project and ETM alumna 2009 Zuhro Murodova helped them with participants. Access Alumni planned to have seven reading sessions after school from 2mp until 4 pm at the English classroom of ETM Zuhro Murodova. Their participants were 5th 8th 9th10 and 11th grade students from 3 schools in Levakant. I, Zeboniso Murodova the Access teacher was very happy to get their invitation to attend their training and share my Tajik Folk Tale Book with students and some reading strategies I used in my Folk Tale project. I love reading books, always inspire my students to read books. I felt very proud to observe my students as trainers and see how they teach others the way that I taught them. During the first virtual Access conference in December Firuz Kholov learned about grant writing process. Then contest for the best project proposal was announced after the conference. Three of my Access students from Kushoniyon were winners for the best project and one Access student from Levakant was winner too. For Firuz Kholov it was his first project, and he decided to take this chance to share his experience with Access studies with other students and payback to his school and community. He chose Reading Tales to Develop Critical Thinking. I as Alumni volunteered to help them with some reading activities and handouts. Access Alumni chose stories like Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and Beanstalk and Thirsty Crow. I saw participants learned how analyze the plot and the main characters in these stories with graphic organizers, such as Compare and contrast, Venn diagram, Cause and Effect and Mountain Plot and problem and solution and five-finger retelling chart. One interesting activity I have done with participants is reading theatre. They acted out Gingerbread man story. Students performed well their roles and did it very creatively. Students spoke English very well. I gave away my Tajik Folk Tale books to students and challenged them to read some tales at home and draw some pictures to some tales. They all retold some tales and showed their drawn pictures. I had an idea to update this book in the future and add some pictures of students’ there. The most interesting part was participants agreed to have a Reading club after school and to volunteer to read books to young learners and family members. Firuz Kholov with the grant money purchased English books and teaching materials for their English language teacher. I was very happy to have a Certificate of Appreciation from the hands of my students at the end. I could not attend Munisa Nazarova’s project, which was “English through Games”, and Marhaboi Akmalzoda’s project “American Holidays and Culture” and Sadriddin Tavarov’s project “Media Literacy” but I helped and supported them with their first step in writing and realizing grant. Now these students are aware of how to do grant how it is not easy work but they felt so happy that they helped their communities in such a difficult time. ZebonisoMurodova TEA 2009 /Fulbright alumna 2012

How will be Access Online graduation?

the Joy of Cross-Cultural Educational Work

  I would like to share an article about me and Jode Brexa the work that we are doing now.

Here is the link.

https://www.boulder-dushanbe.org/post/jode-brexa-and-zebonisa-murodova-sharing-the-joy-of-cross-cultural-educational-work

Jode Brexa and Zeboniso Murodova: Sharing the Joy of Cross-Cultural Educational Work

Itgelmaa Chavgaa, Communications Assistant for Boulder Dushanbe Sister Cities, recently Zoom-conferenced with Jode Brexa and Zeboniso Murodova, two Fulbright Alumni who have maintained a ten-year relationship with BDSC. During their chat, Jode and Zeboniso shared past experiences working with Tajiks and their current education-based projects in Tajikistan. While discussing their mutual work and longtime friendship, it was apparent that these two specialists share a sense of enthusiasm and joy for working with Tajik students.

Jode Brexa

Jode received her postgraduate degree in Applied Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Colorado-Denver. She has been involved in education for 40 years, teaching in several different countries around the world from volunteering in the Peace Corps in Senegal to a fellowship in Romania. In the past several years, Jode has worked in Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore as well as in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, training women as an English Language Specialist with the State Department.

Zeboniso Murodova

Zeboniso graduated from Tajik State University in 2004 with a degree in English. Her passion for teaching kids began in her childhood as she observed her mother, who was also an English language teacher. Regarding her mother’s influence, Zebo said, “I like to teach because it is in my blood. My mom is my first mentor, she is also an English language teacher.” After her graduation, Zeboniso started her journey as a teacher at the public school in her hometown in Tajikistan.

Meeting through a passion for education

Jode and Zeboniso’s friendship dates back to 2009, when they were both involved in the Teaching Excellence Achievement Program (TEA), for which Zebo won an opportunity to the United States. Soon after her arrival to the US, Zeboniso spent two months at the University of North Dakota, her program host institution. After, Zeboniso would develop the cross-cultural exchange by hosting an American teacher in Tajikistan. Jode was teaching at Arapahoe Campus and was selected as an American TEA finalist to teach in Tajikistan. Jode emphasized that the reason for choosing Tajikistan as her host country was deeply connected with the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder where she was a frequent visitor. Then, soon to visit Tajikistan and learning about the amazing work and initiatives of Boulder Dushanbe Sister Cities, she joined the board and served for 2 years to work on BDSC’s marketing, project goals, membership and outreach.

While discussing how they first met in Washington D.C., Zeboniso and Jode were excited and nostalgic. Neither Jode nor Zeboniso knew what the other looked like. Fortunately, they were able to identify each other. Jode said, “There were these three beautiful Central Asian women in full Tajik dress, celebrating their national culture with little traditional hats. The Tajik clothes are stunning, the fabrics and the design. They were so full of goodwill and I felt so lucky to meet them!”

Initially, the TEA program was for two weeks in Tajikistan. However, Jode and Zebo’s collaboration evolved into a decade-long exchange. Through a TEA alumni grant, Jode traveled back to Tajikistan to do a Digital Storytelling project. In 2011, Zebo returned to the US on an exchange and visited Boulder, hosted by the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse for a welcome dinner, which, Zebo said, reminded of her culture and felt like home.

Ever since that initial meeting, they have evolved their partnership. Zeboniso and Jode’s mutual work represents a deep cultural exchange between Tajik and American educational interests and exemplified how two women from different cultures strengthen person-to-person diplomacy through education. In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Jode and Zebo continue to work together to support rural girls, despite the geographical location and time difference.

Currently, Jode and Zeboniso are working with the ACCESS Microscholarship program, an English language program funded by the U.S. State Department in more than 80 countries around the world. ACCESS is a great opportunity for economically disadvantaged students between the ages of thirteen to twenty to about American culture. Zeboniso emphasized the importance of Tajik students’ drive to learn English as a means to improve their lives by opening the door to professional opportunities. Only students with little to no prior English language experience are accepted and on completion of the ACCESS program, students can apply for the Future Leadership Exchange Program (FLEX).

First Five Girls in Zoom

Many ACCESS Alumni aspire to qualify for the FLEX Program. FLEX participants get an opportunity to study in the United States for one year, live with an American family, explore American culture, and share Tajik customs with American students. The FLEX Program also offers career opportunities.

To develop digital literacy with Zebo’s ACCESS students, Jode initiated a Digital Storytelling project. Funded by a grant from the American Embassy in Dushanbe, workshops teach girls how to narrate a 3-minute story using a movie-making platform. Jode and Zeboniso’s objectives for this project is to give skills to girls to amplify their voice, using Digital Stories to express their thoughts, passions, and dreams.

Zeboniso’s fifteen students love their ACCESS Program this year, but due to COVID-19, the face-to-face program was moved to a cell-phone Google Meet platform. In this climate, Jode and Zebo have built a hybrid Digital Storytelling model. Zebo and Jode’s 10-year friendship and collaboration underlie their daily online communication as they move forward with building virtual models for the ACCESS Program. Certainly, their passion and goodwill support the development for young women with digital literacy. The first five ACCESS girls are completing their Digital Stories this week! Look for their work in October on Jode’s website jodebrexa.com.

First Five

 

First Five Hybrid Digital Storytelling Project

As an alumna of the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program in 2009 and a Fulbright FLTA Program in 2012, and as a current ACCESS teacher, I applied for the Alumni Small Grants Program to facilitate a Digital Storytelling Project for ACCESS girls with my long-time colleague Jode Brexa, an alumna of the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program in 2010 and a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching in 2014.

In 2009, I met Jode Brexa  in Washington, D.C.  in a Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program networking session.   Following my program in the United States, Jode came to

Sarband 2010 on the TEA Program exchange. In 2011, she returned to Tajikistan on a TEA Alumni Grant and we facilitated a successful Digital Youth Action Project using then beginning skills for Digital Storytelling.  

 With our decade-long friendship and collaboration, we applied and won an Alumni Small Grant from the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.   We planned  Digital Storytelling workshops for 15 girls of the ACCESS program in Kushoniyon district and arranged transportation, housing , and visa to bring Jode Brexa from the USA as Lead Facilitator to conduct the workshops.   We scheduled four workshops weekly to meet ACCESS students’ schedules over the course of one month at the American Space. But due to COVID-19, our project was put on hold because Jode Brexa could not travel and the American Space closed.

Online, through Zoom meetings, we re-visioned the project as a hybrid model.  Since August 2020, Jode and I have been planning two-hours every morning, reviewing the Digital Storytelling process, creating teaching materials, and planning technology access for the girls.   My role would be to facilitate the workshops face-to-face  and Jode would facilitate by Zoom. Jode and I received permission from the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in early September and we selected five Access girls for the First Five Hybrid Digital Storytelling Workshop.   In preparation for the workshops and to re-tool for the hybrid model, I  wrote,  edited, and recorded a narrative, added photos, transitions, and music to create my own Digital Story titled «Vision.”

 

As of Saturday, October 2, five workshops will have been conducted in public spaces such as a local park and socially-distanced in a restaurant as well as technical work facilitated at an NGO with PPE including masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer along with a  temperature check.   An  invitation-only socially-distanced screening of the Digital Stories and certification ceremony is  scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2020

Through the process of participating in the Hybrid Digital Storytelling workshops and producing a Digital Story, these young girls with elementary digital literacy skills have learned  storytelling and technical skills, including narrative writing and editing, recording and editing audio, selecting, creating and editing photo, and basic video creation as well as Microsoft Word, Gmail, WhatsApp, GoogleMeet, and Blogspot.

 

Project Activities we have done:

First Workshop  Students took a skills pre-assessment and they and their parents signed a Media Release permission form.  The students listened to a  lecture about the theme of  Resilience and an overview of the  Hybrid Digital Storytelling Project. Students identified their skills and coping strategies to overcome the challenges they face in a global pandemic. Students brainstormed their story topics and wrote a draft narrative story.

A WhatsApp group was created where students received suggestions to their first narratives and Zebo’s follow up two times a week by cell phone.  They revised their second draft and shared it with Zebo and Jode.

Second Workshop  Students typed their final narrative on their phones. Students highlighted on the printed copy of the story the hook, conflict, solution, and conclusion. They typed the narrative in Word and saved it. Students practiced checking the word count. Students learned how to attach the draft and sent it to Zebo and Jode’s email. Jode Brexa edited their final story.

In  WhatsApp, students practiced recording their narratives and sent the audio files  to each other and to Zebo.

.Third Workshop Students reviewed their skills in Microsoft Word (type, copy, paste, word count,  save).  The watched model  Digital Stories and registered in a video-making software program licensed by Jode. . Students recorded their narratives. Students worked with storyboards and brainstormed about the photos they plan to take for their story.

In WhatsApp, students sent their completed storyboard and shared it with this group.  Students listened to some suggestions on taking photos for their story from Jode and Zebo.

Fourth Workshop  Students learned how to create a folder on the desktop and transfer photos from their cellphone to the computer and then how to upload photos to the Media Picker in the software program. Students made their First Cut by dropping photos into their timeline, then explored transitions and themes. They sent their draft videos to Jode for review and editing.

 Fifth Workshop  Students take skills post-assessment and review the Digital Storytelling process.  They review their finalized Digital Stories and export them to screen with their peers. . After identifying the take-aways of the five weeks, they will plan how they will cascade their knowledge and skills.  Students will plan the Community Screening.

 Community Screening   Students will host a by-invitation socially-distanced Digital Story screening to celebrate their accomplishments and promote the use of video in building digital literacy.   

Certificates of Achievement will be presented to each Digital Storyteller and photos will be taken. Each Digital Storyteller will receive a flash drive with the stories created during the workshop.