What made you decide to spend time implementing the program directly in schools, and at a very high level, what did you learn from being close to the work?

The evening before each lesson, I would sit down to prepare my lesson plan and write extra maths problems on pieces of paper. I would share them with my mentor in a WhatsApp group created for all the facilitators at the beginning of the term.

Each morning, before the learners arrived, we would meet to practise different ways of teaching the day’s objective. I quickly appreciated that good lessons begin long before you enter the classroom.

Once we arrived, we often started by sweeping away the dust and arranging our TaRL learning space usually in a semicircle so that everyone could see and learn from one another. We would then begin with a fun energiser to create excitement and set the tone for learning. One of my favourite moments was leading the learners as they sang their multiplication tables. The classroom would come alive with their voices, and learning maths felt joyful.

One of the most important lessons for me was seeing, in real time, what it truly means to teach at the right level. Even within the same group, learners are never all at exactly the same place. Grouping them once is not enough, you have to keep assessing and adjusting because they are making progress every day.

This was much harder than it sounds. In my class, a few learners could not yet write numbers, while most were beginning to understand carrying over in addition. I could not simply teach one lesson and assume it would reach everyone.

I had to pay attention to what each learner understood, notice where they were struggling and begin there. That experience made the idea of “teaching at the right level” very real for me: you start with what the learner needs, not with what you assume they should already know.

I quickly realised that effective teaching is deeply individual. Knowing learners by name, understanding their strengths and adjusting your support throughout the lesson became just as important as the lesson content itself.

It gave me a renewed appreciation for teachers. There is so much invisible work behind every successful lesson.

One of the innovations you saw in action was the lesson checkpoint. Can you explain how it works, and share a moment when it helped you understand whether learners were on track?

The lesson checkpoint became one of my favourite parts of TaRL. At the end of each lesson, it showed me whether learners had understood the day’s objective. If at least 70% had, I moved on. If not, to adjust teaching immediately rather than waiting until the end of the term. 

I remember my first lesson in addition with carrying over, only 35% of the learners passed the checkpoint. I felt I had failed them. But after reflecting with the team and trying different strategies, both my teaching and their understanding improved.

Looking back, that was not a failure, it was valuable information. The checkpoint provided honest, useful information showing me who was ready to move forward and who needed more support. Without the checkpoint, I would have relied largely on instinct to judge whether learners had understood the lesson.

You observed that even after learners are grouped by level, they still have very different needs. What did that look like in practice?

Grouping learners is only the starting point. Even within the same learning group, learners understand concepts differently.

For example, in a subtraction group, some learners already understood subtraction but had made mistakes during assessment. Others understood subtraction conceptually but struggled with place value. Some knew how to subtract until they needed to regroup from the tens into the units.

That experience reminded me that targeting doesn't stop once groups are formed. It continues within those groups. Sometimes working in pairs or groups of three allowed me to provide much more focused support while keeping the rest of the class engaged.

In a class of many learners, it can be difficult to give every child individual attention. What strategies did you use to support learners who were struggling while keeping the whole group moving?

Peer learning became one of the most effective strategies.

I often paired learners so they could solve multiple problems together while I spent longer periods supporting learners who needed more intensive help. That meant I could give focused attention to five or six learners within an hour, without bringing the lesson to a halt.

Moving constantly around the classroom was equally important. You have to be observant, to notice confusion before learners stop participating. One of the most rewarding moments was watching learners who had grasped a concept explain it to their peers. Those moments reinforced that learning is often strengthened when learners teach one another.

What did the experience teach you about the patience, preparation, and energy required from teachers and facilitators every day?

Teaching requires extraordinary patience, preparation and commitment.

Every lesson begins long before learners arrive. It begins with planning, preparing materials, and thinking carefully about how to keep learners engaged.

At the same time, classrooms operate within real-world constraints. Some mornings began with sweeping the classroom before learners arrived. Sometimes learners returned late from break-time or other extra activities in the school, reducing the time available for teaching. Other times, you found yourself sitting with the classroom teacher, trying to align your lesson plan with where the class actually was. The syllabus might say it's time to teach multiplication, but many learners were still developing confidence in addition and subtraction. The question then became: how do we honour the curriculum while teaching learners at the level they are ready for? Those realities don't disappear simply because you have a lesson plan. They require flexibility, collaboration, and constant judgement about what is best for learners.

The experience gave me enormous respect for teachers who navigate those challenges every day while remaining focused on helping every child learn.

What progress were you able to observe after 10 days of instruction? What was it like to witness that progress directly?

We often talk about learning gains through data, but witnessing those gains in person is something completely different.

The most memorable part wasn't only seeing learners improve academically, it was watching their confidence grow. Learners came to class excited. They loved the icebreakers so much that they continued playing them during break time and even after school.

Over school term, we saw learners become more confident in tackling mathematical problems they had previously avoided. Watching children realise, often for the first time, that they could solve problems independently was incredibly rewarding. It reminded me that meaningful learning is not only about improved scores but also about building confidence and enjoyment in learning.

How has being in the classroom changed the way you give feedback, support implementation teams, or think about programme design as a leader?

Being in the classroom made implementation feel much more real to me. The first week is critical. It is when routines are established, trust is built, and learners begin to believe in their own ability. Small decisions made during those first few days can shape the rest of the term. 

I keep thinking about how we can make the lessons simpler for teachers to prepare and deliver. Teachers already carry so much, and a programme should support them, not add. If we want TaRL to work well and last, we must design it around the realities of their day: clear, practical and easy to use, while still giving every child the support they need.

I also spent time speaking with parents and getting to know learners beyond the classroom. Those conversations helped me see each child’s learning journey more fully.

Above all, the experience reminded me that the classroom is where our ideas either come alive or fall short. It must remain at the centre of how we design, improve and scale our programmes. Spending those days with learners was both humbling and grounding and it has made me a more thoughtful leader.