In 2006 a New Zealand teacher, Cindy, and her husband Ross, went to live in Bangladesh. Cindy saw schools using rote learning and dictation. Students were assessed on their ability to memorise answers. With support from Ross, Cindy started a new school; she dared to break with traditional teaching and learning methods.
The school that Cindy started is called GEMS. She introduced poorer children to creative and rational teaching and learning approaches. These are commonly used in New Zealand but were unheard of in Bangladesh where memory-based learning is the norm. Continue reading “The beginning”