Professor Gillian Roehrig and Senior Lecturer Barbara Billington in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction traveled to southern Djibouti in January to provide professional development for science and math teachers at the Ali Addeh refugee camp. The camp offers K-12 education with classes taught in English. The visit was at the request of the Djibouti Ministry of Education to provide content-specific pedagogical support for science and mathematics teachers at the Ali Addeh and Holl Holl refugee camps in southern Djibouti. The main goal of the trip was to help teachers in the camp include more student-centered and hands-on activities in the classrooms with the everyday materials available at the camp.
The number of refugees seeking asylum in Djibouti from the neighboring countries of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen has increased greatly in recent years as a result of continued political instability, civil unrest, and war. The Somali refugees are mainly living in the Ali Addeh and Holl Holl refugee camps. In 2013, an estimated 39 and 63 percent of the population in Ali Addeh and Holl Holl camps respectively are children less than 17 years old, making education a priority. With the strong support of the Djibouti Ministry of Education, a new curriculum is being phased in and will allow students to receive a diploma, opening opportunities for further schooling and employment.
Roehrig and Billington worked with teachers to develop curriculum for four full days, and left classroom kits of the activities for the teachers to keep and use. They plan to return in January 2021 to continue working with the science and math teachers by creating lessons that model student-centered pedagogies and by providing lab kits to enhance specific topics covered in the curriculum.
Funding permitted, Roehrig and Billington plan to include local educators on the visit next January so that they can learn more about the culture and experiences of East African refugees. Given that Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population outside of Mogadishu, it is important for educators to develop a strong understanding of the immigrant students who enter their schools in order to support their education in culturally appropriate ways.
Learn more about STEM education research and doctoral program in STEM education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
