The Wood Foundation’s Programmes Director Georgea Hughes recently visited GLP’s partner organisations Red Earth Education and IEE in Uganda in Rwanda in preparation for this year’s placement. She shares her reflections of the trip and her ambitions for the latest cohort ahead of the first pre-departure training weekend.
“I am so glad GLP is back to provide a really engaging and motivating professional learning opportunity for primary and secondary practitioners from across Scotland.
“This is the first time I have been in three years and the first placement for four because of Covid. It was great to be back with our partners and reflect on the challenges the countries have faced and how we can work together to help educators move forward.
“In Uganda, our practitioners will work with schools in rural communities with class sizes in excess of 150 pupils. Through Red Earth’s Slate Project, they will work alongside lead teachers to develop techniques for creating, delivering, and assessing lessons.
“This will be followed with a week and a half hosting a series of workshops for IEE’s trainers in Kigali, Rwanda. The organisation has 85 new trainers and GLP participants will work alongside them to develop the tools, techniques, and lesson ideas to share with teachers across the country.
“GLP is a unique opportunity to enhance practitioners’ understanding of global and sustainable education which can be translated into local and global action in the classroom. There are so many authentic experiences they will bring back to their pupils.
“As a personal opportunity for participants, it’s a real moment for teachers to really value themselves as the resource and bring them back to their why, seeing teaching as a creative process and a craft.
“I am confident the practitioners will be reinvigorated and inspired by the educators in Rwanda and Uganda, and by one another.”