Expert in Non-Formal Education Leads Workshop for CMES Field Team
Krina Patel, an expert in non-formal education practices, met today with the CMES field study team (Mekayla Beaver, Adam French, and Timothy Prestero) for a pre-trip workshop, as part of the team's continuing customer needs assessment training. The specific goals of this workshop were to gain a deeper understanding of the Bangladeshi culture and education system and to learn interview and discussion techniques appropriate for the CMES context.
Krina is currently pursuing her doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she is studying cognition, culture, and learning. Prior to Harvard, Krina spent several years as a classroom teacher in the United States and has worked on a series of independent, educational consulting projects in the United States and Asia. Of particular relevance to today's workshop is Krina's experience consulting with the Sesame Workshop in India and working with the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee with support from the Center for International Development at Harvard.
During the workshop, Krina provided the team with an overview of the conditions, environment, and cultural and educational practices that the team is likely to encounter while in Bangladesh. Drawing from qualitative research methods that she herself has used in the field, Krina presented various interview techniques and discussion-generating methods, tailored specifically for team's use at CMES. These techniques should prove to be very helpful as DtM moves forward with the study.
The workshop concluded with some tasty Bengali fare from the Royal Bengal in Cambridge, arranged by DtM Fellow Matt Eckelman - two thumbs up from the DtM staff.
Krina Patel and Neil Cantor, Co-Founder of DtM, in discussion
Clockwise from the bottom: Adam French, Mekayla Beaver, Timothy Prestero, Krina Patel, and Neil CantorTo read more Design that Matters news, return to the DtM Blog Main Page, or choose one of the article archives from the drop-down menus at the top of this page.
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