This document summarizes Sharon Peters' presentation to CAIS Best Practices on May 1, 2009 about Teachers Without Borders Canada. It discusses TWB Canada's work providing professional development to teachers in South Africa and Kenya to improve ICT skills. It highlights partnerships with local organizations and opportunities for Canadians to participate through class projects, sponsoring teachers, or online mentoring. The presentation emphasizes that globally-minded educators can help build skills like cultural literacy while making learning more engaging through the use of online tools and global collaboration.
5. • At 59 million, teachers are the largest
professionally-trained group in the world
100 million children do not go
to school, 66% - girls
850 million illiterate adults
HIV-AIDS infections, domestic
violence, the sex trade, military
gangs are dominated by the
undereducated
…and the key to social and economic development
6. TWB-Canada is a non-profit NGO devoted to
closing the education divide through teacher
professional development and community
education.
9. TWB Canada July-Aug ‘08
South Africa - 3 weeks
✴Team of 5 Canadian teachersTeam of 5 Canadian teachers
✴Needs assessment withNeeds assessment with KhanyaKhanya andand EdunovEdunovaa
✴TwoTwo sets ofsets of wworkshops for developing ICT skillsorkshops for developing ICT skills
in teachers in two townshipsin teachers in two townships
✴Follow-up visitsFollow-up visits
10. TWB Canada July-Aug ‘09
South Africa - 4 weeks
✴Team of 6 multinational teachers + SA teachersTeam of 6 multinational teachers + SA teachers
✴Partnering with Edunova, Khanya and othersPartnering with Edunova, Khanya and others
✴Two sets of workshops for developing ICT skills inTwo sets of workshops for developing ICT skills in
teachers in two locations: Eastern Cape & Cape Townteachers in two locations: Eastern Cape & Cape Town
✴1 week of bootcamp workshops for admin leaders1 week of bootcamp workshops for admin leaders
✴Follow-up visitsFollow-up visits
11.
12.
13.
14. Kenya: 4 weeks
✴Needs assessment with District Educator Officers (2 districts), Kenya Institute
of Education and Canada High Commission (CIDA), partnering NGOs
✴Two sets of workshops (Secondary, Elem) for teachers of English, math, and
science
✴Follow-up visits to schools in the area
✴Visits to school facilities with special needs
✴Report of recommendations made to KIE
✴Identification of Kenyan teachers to lead workshops next year
TWB Canada July-Aug ‘08
15. Kenya: 4 weeks
✴Two sets of workshops (Secondary, Elem) for teachers of English, math, and
science in two districts with Kenyan teachers
✴3 weeks of ICT training in West Kenya and Naivasha
✴Follow-up visits to schools in the area
✴Visits to school facilities with special needs
✴Report of recommendations made to KIE
TWB Canada July-Aug ‘09
23. Ways to Participate
•Join Teachers Without Borders Canada!
•Facilitate a class-to-class project
•Sponsor a teacher to go abroad
•Participate in an online mentoring relationship
•Spread the word!
28. Skills Built
Multiple Literacies: digital,
cultural, media
Cross-cultural communication
Critical thinking
Synthesis and summary
Info literacy, research,
validation, authentication of facts
Negotiation and collaboration
29. Whereas previous generations value loyalty, seniority, security
and authority, the NetGen’s norms reflect a desire for
creativity, social connectivity, fun, freedom, speed, and
diversity in their workplaces.
(Tapscott)
30.
31. Deep Learning Supported
•Computer software is central in the learning sciences
because the visual and processing power of today’s
personal computers supports deep learning:
•Computers support reflection in a combination of visual and verbal
modes
•Internet-based networks of learners can share and combine their
developing understandings and benefit from the power of
collaborative learning
• from Cambridge Handbook of Learning Sciences, p. 5
32. Cool Tools & Online
Social Spaces
Social SpacesWikis
Skype - Webcasting - Podcasting
Blogs
Google Docs
Content-Learning Management Systems
Personal Learning Environments
Full descriptions
35. Shared online learning spaces provide opportunities for
students to "be human together" (Siemens)
36. Caveats:
Limitations to Global Projects
Limitations to Global Projects
• 2 Kinds of Relationships between
partnering schools - how to bridge this
gap?
• The Haves - making it meaningful;
anticipating cultural differences
• The Have Nots - differences in edu
standards, cost of bandwidth & hardware
48. Books of Influence
TheWorld is Flat - 3rd ed. (Thomas Friedman)
Wikinomics - (Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams)
Handbook for EmergingTechnologies for Learning
(Siemens &Tittenberger)
Knowing Knowledge (George Siemens)
Three Cups ofTea - (By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin)
Cambridge Handbook of Learning Sciences, (R.Keith Sawyer,
ed.)
49. Research
• Self-Regulated Learning / Metacognition (Ley &
Young, 2001, Hadwin &Winne, 1996, Boekaerts, 2000)
• Collaborative knowledge construction
environments (Jonassen 1995, Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994) -
computers no longer support ONLY individualized instruction
• Improvement in motivation, learning and
problem-solving behaviour (Hoyles, Healy and Pozzi, 1994)