Give Thanks and Divide- The Feeding of the 5,000

There are things that happen every day which we simply cannot explain, understand or even fathom.  They are beyond the stretch of our imagination yet somehow they continue to happen.  People of faith call them miracles and walk in the hope that God will continue to provide for God’s children through every day miracles.

One such miracle we frequently reference at PRECE is the Feeding of the 5,000.  As Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people it began to get late.  The disciples suggested Jesus send the people home.  But Jesus responded, “no, you feed them.”  The disciples searched the crowd and found 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. 

Jesus then did 2 things.

1^st- He gave thanks to God for the resources (food) which had already been provided.

2^nd- He commanded the disciples to divide the food between the people.

The biblical passages say that all 5,000 people there ate and were satisfied and baskets of extras were gathered.  

At PRECE we are always remembering that it too is our responsibility to do the same two things.  We must always give thanks for what we have been given and then divide, share and multiply our resources- our knowledge, our books and technology, our experiences, etc.

This past week the first Cooperative Learning in the Classroom Conference for SEDUC Professors was held in Fortaleza.  50 high school teachers from public schools around the state of Ceará participated in the event where they learned about PRECE and the cooperative learning methodology.  They were reminded, as all PRECE students are, that we need to give thanks for what we have been given and then share our knowledge.  Their new challenge is not simply to impart knowledge upon their students but rather to share their knowledge and facilitate the growth and development of knowledge within the students themselves.  The most exciting part of the conference was not participating in the activities and lessons with the teachers but instead watching their excitement and enthusiasm for the information they were learning.  They realized immediately that this methodology was not one that they would keep to themselves but that they would leave the conference ready to share what they had learned and help others continue in the same way.  I believe strongly that their eagerness for more information and their passion to share what they learned with others will continue to drive the cooperative learning movement in Ceará!  

Cooperative Learning… What is it???

Recently I have written a lot about how PRECE is helping to transform not just the lives of individuals in Pentecoste but the entire public education system in the state of Ceará via the methodology of Cooperative Learning. In fact, this week Prof. Manoel Andrade and other leaders from PRECE and SEDUC (State Secretary of Education) will be leading a conference for professors around the state who are interested in learning the methodology. 3 weeks ago leaders traveled to the state of Mato Grosso to present the methodology at the Federal University. And, 2 weeks ago leaders were in the city of Jaguaribe teaching students from the high schools how to use the PRECE Cooperative Learning methodology. Below is the translation of an article written by SEDUC regarding the training. Read below to hear what the Brazilians themselves are saying.

The Second Cooperative Learning Seminar Promoting Student Leadership in the 11th Region
The Cooperative Learning conference for all high school students in the public schools within the 11th Region happened on the 3rd and 4th of April and carried with it the objective of promoting student leadership. 86 additional people also participated.

The event included the Coordinator of the regional SEDUC office in Jaguaribe, 7 representatives from the Regional Center of School Development, and directors and professor from the region.

The leaders of the seminar included 14 facilitators, 11 from the Office of School Development and Learning as well as 3 from the EEEP Professional High School in Pentecoste. According to the Coordinator, Elizabete Araujo, the group was very competent and available.

“The receptivity of the youth and directors showed us what we were hoping: this initiative is indeed the way to strengthen our youth” declared Elizabete.

At the time, a special thanks was given in the name of all the schools to Prof. Manuel Andrade, the Coordinator of Student Leadership at SEDUC and the entire team.

“The work will continue with a visit to the Professional High School in Pentecoste and the implementation of Cooperative Learning Cells in the schools of the region, beginning with a call for membership to be begun soon”, concluded the coordinator.

Cooperative Learning: is a methodology in which the students work in heterogeneous groups to resolve academic problems concluding in a project or another academic objective. For the development of these activities the students should rely on the guidance of a teacher or facilitator who is responsible for ensuring the presence of the 5 basic elements of cooperative learning which are necessary for proper use of the methodology.

These 5 basic elements are 1) Social Interaction (face to face), 2) Individual Responsibility, 3) Social Skills, 4) Group Processing, and 5) Positive Interdependency (Johnson and Johnson, 1998).

It Take 2 Types of People

Some people are visionaries. They are always looking toward the future, dreaming of a brighter tomorrow, and envisioning realities not yet seen or imagined. Their feet are not always planted on the ground because their thoughts carry them to places above where they can currently touch.

Others find the visionaries to be a bit flighty and label them as dreamers with their heads in the cloud. They don’t have as much faith as the visionaries. But, the skills of these realists are also valuable. They are the ones that put plans in to action and create outlines, timelines, and long range plans to make the dreams become reality. They are the ones who keep everyone in line and on task.

The world needs a nice balance between the visionaries and the realists. Luckily at PRECE we are blessed to have both types of people and that is making a huge difference. 18 years ago Prof. Manoel Andrade had the dream of revolutionizing public education in Brasil. He had witnessed the public education system fail many of his friends, family members and loved ones because of inadequate buildings and resources, too few teachers, and a lack of interest. In 1994, when 7 students from the small community of Cipó in northeastern Brasil began studying together in an old flour mill they had a vision. Their vision was not only to improve their own reality by entering the Federal University in the capital city of Fortaleza, but also to improve the reality of their community by bringing education back to the people and developing new educational, agricultural, business, etc. programs. They were visionaries. And, they put in a great deal of hard work.

Along the way came other visionaries who believed in their dreams as well as realists who were able to recognize the actual situation and put in place a process to change the situation. Over the past 18 years over 500 students who have studied with PRECE have now entered the university. The Federal University (UFC) has taken an interest in the methodology of PRECE and has developed their own Cooperative Learning program. And, the State Secretary of Education (SEDUC) has also taken an interest and given administrative control of a brand new High School and Professional School in Pentecoste to PRECE and the Cooperative Learning Program leaders at UFC.

The realists and the visionaries are walking hand in hand and

building upon each other’s abilities. Since the beginning of 2012 alone, PRECE leaders, teachers from the Professional School, leaders from SEDUC and UFC Professors have visited many high schools and colleges around Brasil to teach the PRECE Cooperative Learning Methodology. They have been to around Ceará and most recently to the state of Mato Grosso. And, now in all Professional High Schools in the state of Ceará the students will use the PRECE Cooperative Learning Methodology during their “study hall”.

In 1994 Professor Manoel Andrade and 7 students had a vision. Today that vision is a reality.