KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL: EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING

UNIT NAME: TEACHING PRACTICUM

UNIT CODE: ECT213

STUDENT NAME: HAKIMA SAMOW

ADMISSION NO.: E35/3126/2023

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2024/2025

PRACTICUM AREA: WAJIR GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

ZONE: WAJIR

AREA COORDINATOR: PETER LEMOSSA

MENTOR: EUGINE OUMA

THE REPORT WAS SUBMITTED TO DR. PETER LEMOSAA.

TASK: A REPORT OF TEACHING PRACTICUM HELD AT WAJIR GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL IN

THE NORTH EASTER REGION FROM 29TH APRIL, 2025, TO 29TH JULY, 2025, SECOND

TERM.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My sincere gratitude goes to the School of Education, Department of Educational Communication and

Technology for designing this session and giving me insight and prerequisite knowledge in

undertaking my practicum. I thank the principal, Madam Rahma, Wajir Girls High School for giving

me an opportunity to carry out the session in his school. I would like to extend my gratitude also to

the deputy principal, HODS, teachers, students, and the non-teaching staff for the vital support they

accorded me. Above all, I thank the almighty God for the gift of life and good health He gave me

throughout the entire practicum session.

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DECLARATION
I solemnly declare to the best of my knowledge that no part of this report has been submitted here or

elsewhere in a previous practicum session. All sources of knowledge used have been duly

acknowledged.

HAKIMA SAMOW

E35/3126/2023

10th August 2025.

……………………

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Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ....................................................................................................................... i
DECLARATION..................................................................................................................................... ii
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE SCHOOL. .......................................................................................... 1
1.2 MAIN PURPOSE. ........................................................................................................................ 2
1.2.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES. ......................................................................................................... 2
1.3 KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. .................................................................................................... 2
1.4 CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED DURING THE PRACTICUM. .............................................. 4
1.5 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT (Recommendations) ................................................... 6
CONCLUSION. .................................................................................................................................. 7
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 8

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INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE SCHOOL.
I was privileged to conduct my teaching practicum at Wajir Girls High School, a government-funded

national boarding school exclusively for girls. The school is situated in Gotande sub-location, Jog

Baru location, along Wajir Road in Wajir Town, within Wajir County, Kenya. Its postal address is P.O.

Box 172 – 70200, Wajir. As a Cluster Two national school, Wajir Girls High School operates under

the Ministry of Education and follows the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) as well as the

guidelines for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

The school currently accommodates approximately 600 girls drawn from various parts of Kenya, with

the majority coming from the northern region. It is staffed by a dedicated team of qualified teachers

and supportive non-teaching personnel who work together to ensure that the students’ academic,

social, and emotional needs are met. Over the years, Wajir Girls High School has built a reputation for

strong KCSE performance, with many students attaining grades that enable them to join competitive

courses in universities and tertiary institutions.

The school’s motto, “Fountain of Knowledge,” reflects its vision of nurturing well-rounded and

academically competent young women who can contribute meaningfully to society. Beyond

academics, the school offers a variety of co-curricular activities, including drama, debate, scouting,

sports, music, and religious clubs. These programs play a crucial role in developing the learners’

talents, leadership skills, and teamwork abilities.

Wajir Girls High School holds a significant place in the education landscape of Wajir County, serving

as a beacon of hope and opportunity for many girls in a region where access to quality education for

young women can be challenging. Its commitment to academic excellence, discipline, and character

development has made it one of the most respected learning institutions in northern Kenya.

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1.2 MAIN PURPOSE.
The main purpose of the practicum session was to identify, explore, understand, engage, and learn

more from a school setup.

1.2.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES.

1. To familiarize with the school environment.

2. To understand a classroom setup.

3. To establish when and how lesson delivery is made effective.

4. To know how and when the school co-curricular activities run.

5. To identify the challenges faced in a school setup, in and out of the classroom.

6. To be mentored by experienced teachers to equip and perfect my skills.

7. To find out how CBC pedagogies, competencies, and co-values are integrated in school.

1.3 KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS.

the term, and introduced each other. From that, I learned strategizing skills. During the teaching

practicum session, I learned and acquired several skills, including

Lesson preparation skills: I learned how to prepare all the necessary documents, including the lesson

plan, progress record, scheme of work, and record of work, among others. The documents are a

crucial part of lesson delivery and tracking progress.

Secondly, I acquired group formation skills. I learned that groups are created following a certain

procedure at the beginning of the term. They are important for collaborative learning and learner

engagement.

Thirdly, I acquired lesson introduction skills. I noticed that this is a very important stage. It sets the

pace and mood for the lesson. It must be done clearly to capture the attention of learners as the lesson

starts.

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Creation of interactive learning environment skills. Just like CBC states, the learners should be active

during lesson delivery. It is therefore necessary for a teacher to create that environment through

modern methods of teaching; for example, use digital technology in class, collaborative learning, and

student-teacher mode.

Besides that, I learned how to supervise, coordinate the marking scheme, mark, compute, enter, and

release the examinations. I learned how to maintain exam discipline.

Another skill that I acquired was the use of humor in class. It had a positive impact on learners'

attention and lesson delivery in general.

In addition, during the exam week, I learned the skills of setting, administering, supervising, marking,

and entering the marks. I was posted for a week together with my mentor, and I acquired what

pertains to being on duty (week introduction, manual work punishment, dinner supervision, and week

adjournment skills).

I also acquired the skills of different co-curricular activities (CU, YCS, choir, games, and guiding and

counseling). There was an academic day in the school from which I learned how to interact with

parents and teachers and advise them.

Moreover, I learned how to select appropriate content, different methodologies of delivery including

the learner-centered method, and the resources to be used while considering the level of the learners. I

again acquired

I again acquired set induction skills, class management, objectives, and planning for assessment skills,

which are critical parts of a lesson delivery.

In week eight, we broke for half-term for a week where we were to rest. As if that was not enough, I

learned how to select appropriate illustrations, increasing learners' involvement in class that included

use of methods like game-based learning and collaborative learning and use of digital technology in

class (projector, laptop, smartphones, YouTube, and Chrome). We had an AGM whereby I paid keen

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attention to how it was planned for, prepared for, and executed, making it a colorful event. I was in the

ushering team.

Besides that, I learned more about assessment skills, the conclusion of lessons, and the administration

of assignment skills. Again, I paid keen attention to how the competencies and values were integrated

into the lesson delivery to equip the learners with skills to fit into the larger community and be

responsible citizens.

Lastly, when I went for an agricultural trip to Bukura Agricultural Center, I learned how to organize,

execute, and do follow-up activities of a trip. I helped maintain discipline of the students.

From week twelve, the whole school swung into exam preparation. I helped and applied what I

observed to help in setting, administering, supervising, marking, and revising the exams.

1.4 CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED DURING THE PRACTICUM.

They included

Inadequate resources. Due to the high population of students in the class, amounting to about 70

students per class, I faced the challenge of a shortage of materials needed for lesson delivery. Such

materials included the textbooks, set books, ream papers, and photocopying machine. This made it

hard for us to photocopy tests and rats for formative assessment as required by CBC (competency-

based curriculum). In class, it was difficult to give the learners assignments from the textbooks due to

their limited availability. Also, the school had only two printing machines, which, when you wanted to

print some work for learning purposes, would be overwhelmed and break down. This is because the

whole school depended on the two printers.

Lack of internet connectivity. The school did not have an internet connection (Wi-Fi), and this directly

affected the use of digital technology in class. To add, it made it difficult to incorporate some CBC

competencies, for instance, digital skills in class during lesson delivery. It was needed to download

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files, livestream videos, and teach and play online games that help deliver and teach skills and

content. It could also help to do assessments using online platforms like Zeraki.

Shortage of power supply: Sometimes, electricity disadvantaged us. We could need to print or

photocopy or project something during a lesson, but because the power is not stable, we couldn't.

Apart from classroom activities, we had other functions like games, entertainment, or meetings that

needed the public address system and, of course, a power supply, but due to lack of a backup, like a

generator, the functions and activities had to be postponed, and thus some programs were delayed.

Challenges when collaborating with other teachers: Due to personality differences among the teachers

that led to different behaviors and priorities, I found it hard to accommodate all the teachers as far as

collaborating and teamwork are concerned. This led to misunderstanding among teachers.

Challenges in adapting to school culture: Normally, each school has its own way of operating or

running activities. When I got here, it was difficult for me to fit in and understand the rules and

culture of the school. It took time to fit in and get used to the flow of activities in the school. This

included the rules, governing system, timetables, teaching, and handling of the learners.

Change in instruction methodologies. Since the new system of education was implemented (CBC),

most of the methods were ruled out (those used in 8.4.4). The new system has new methods of

teaching where the

The new system has new methods of teaching where the teacher becomes the facilitator and learners

are active participants in the learning process, unlike the previous system where the teacher did all the

talking as learners were inactive. I found the existing teachers using the 8.4.4 methods, contrary to

what we had been taught at the university (CBC methods). It was hard to become flexible and adapt.

Indiscipline cases among learners: Sometimes, the learners portrayed some maladjusted behaviors,

which had effects on lesson delivery as well as other activities in the school. Most of them were

breaking school rules, for example, coming to school late, carrying food to school, putting on non-

school attire, and theft cases. This resulted in a lot of cases in the staff room and in the deputy's office.

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1.5 SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT (Recommendations)
After encountering the above challenges, I came up with some suggestions on how to curb the

situations. I submitted the suggestions to the school administration after discussing them with my

mentor and other teachers. They were proposed and seconded, and some of them were effected. The

suggestions included

On the challenge of scarcity of resources, I employed the CBC techniques like collaborative learning

(in groups) to economize the available resources. It worked well. The learners who lost the books

were to be followed up after every two weeks to help recover the materials. About the ream papers,

the learners were to, at the entry point when they open school each term, give 2 reams to facilitate the

term. I also tried to use the available materials creatively to run the normal programs.

Secondly, on internet connectivity, I had to go an extra mile to sacrifice myself to buy data bundles to

run the lesson delivery when needed. To the administration, I suggested that they can get a percentage

of cash from remedial money to purchase and pay for a Wi-Fi connection. The teachers, together with

the administration, agreed that it's workable, and from the third term, it will be effective.

About the power shortage, I suggested that the administration can have a meeting with the PA (parent

association) and the BOM (Board of Management) and see whether they can install two solar panels

or get a generator that would act as a backup when electricity is off. That would help run school

activity in time and efficiently. They said they will look into it.

In collaborating with other teachers, I consulted with my mentor, Mr. Robert Ouko, who advised me

to be flexible and accommodate others since we were born different and we

will never be the same. I took in the advice, and it helped me adjust quickly. I also proposed in a

meeting that the teachers should be mindful of their colleagues and be cautious with their words and

how they behave to avoid wrangling among themselves. They all agreed, and that would enhance

harmony and teamwork.

Regarding the school culture, I consulted with the other teachers, whereby they briefed me about the

culture, and I adapted. I therefore suggested that, when a new teacher comes in, they have to go

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through orientation, through school rules, expectations, and behaviors, so that they are up to speed

when adapting to the school culture. That was seconded by the teachers.

This being the main challenge, changing instruction methodologies, I had to take quick action to

balance the different teaching methods. As I interacted with the teachers, I tried to explain to them

about the changes that had occurred in the pedagogies. Luckily, the county director brought an in-

service session for the teachers; they were taught, and so they promised to change and adapt the

current methods of instruction (as stated by the CBC curriculum).

Concerning the indiscipline cases in the school, I came up with a plan, working with the prefects, so

that when we, the teachers, encourage the prefects to be vigilant, the learners will follow most of the

school rules. This was done by appreciating the prefects on Fridays during their meetings. Also, the

guiding and counseling team should be integrated with disciplinarians to guide and sensitize the

learners on the importance of obedience and being disciplined. I took part in guiding the students

since I am good at that sector. This was effected, and it helped reduce the indiscipline cases in school.

CONCLUSION.
In conclusion, the practicum session was very educative and impulsive on my career journey as a

teacher. It equipped me with most, if not all, of the necessary skills and knowledge about the teaching

and learning process. Most importantly, it helped me sharpen the CBC requirements, starting from its

methods of delivery, syllabus, competencies, and values to be impacted to learners. I am now

confident and proud of teaching; I see it as a noble profession.

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REFERENCES
Buchner, J., & Hay, D. (1999). Learning to teach: A framework for teacher induction. South African

Journal of Education, 19:320–326.

Dewey, J. 1938. Experience and Education. New York: Collier.

My Practicum Logbook.

Wajir Girls High School Profile.