Connecting Classrooms is a five year programme that establishes a strategic framework for shaping the agenda for International Education in schools. This will be achieved through 3 core elements of Collaborative Curriculum Projects, Professional Development for Internationalising Education and International Awards. Through this initiative students will be empowered with an understanding of their own identity and inter-connectedness with the world around them, and equipped with the skills to contribute constructively to their society in all its forms. Teachers, school leaders and education professionals will benefit from the opportunities to exchange expertise and benchmark their own practice and performance against international standards

PROJECT AIMS:

• to build the capacity of all educational practitioners in schools and support local systems to create an enabling environment enhancing the quality of the learning process
• embed innovation in the delivery of curriculum through teacher training and capacity building activities
• support the education reform agenda in the region through building the capacity of head teachers to sustain efforts in the fields of decentralisation and education quality standards
• create partnerships.  We will partner with UK providers and local ministries and institutions and will identify online and distance learning courses to compliment and enhance training acquired
• we will focus on quality education and training and ensure that any personal development opportunities are certificated and recognised by local authorities to be able to contribute to career growth
• we will work with teachers, head-teachers and education institutes to deliver improved training to develop innovative teachers, schools leaders as well as school board of trustees
• allowing pupils to explore areas in their lives they are proud of and share with other children across the region and with UK children the programme will build on constructive engagement and successes with Ministries on previous projects in the field of ICT and Innovative Approaches
• build and support linkages between schools in the UK and other countries around the world will create collaboration and dialogue between young learners and the exchange of expertise between education professionals internationally
• young people will develop an understanding of their own identity and interconnectedness with the world around them, and are empowered with the skills to contribute constructively to a global society and competitive global economy
• teachers and head teachers and other education professionals worldwide are able to benchmark their own practice and performance against world class standards

The project has been launched in a 3 day conference held in Cairo on 7th July. The conference aimed to draw out, how those working in education, can support children and young people develop their skills and understanding of a global culture, so that they can contribute positively, both in life and work, to a global society.

Experience from current projects - ICT in Education, Networking English and Innovative Approaches to Learning - that have brought together practitioners and decision makers from the region and the UK, were shared with delegates to demonstrate what has been possible while also using these projects to provide a platform for future activities.

The conference engaged  and looked for the opinions of all involved in the educational process at schools level, and seeked recommendations for the best approach to achieving the skills and understanding that we all so want our future generations to have, and how countries, through working collaboratively, can achieve this together.

A delegation from the Tunisian Ministry of Education and Training represented the Tunisian side in the conference.

For more information, please contact us at info@tn.britishcouncil.org