Friday, March 29, 2024
ADVT 
Life

Top 5 Reasons to Volunteer Abroad as a Teacher

Darpan News Desk, 31 Aug, 2016 03:25 PM
    Tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of North American students and teachers are returning to school for the new academic year. For international volunteer organization Projects Abroad, staff and volunteers are also gearing up for the start of school in underdeveloped areas around the world. Teaching Projects are vital for development and uplifting communities, and volunteers are needed urgently to fill the gaps and raise literacy levels.
     
    Here are the top five reasons to get involved at a Teaching Project in a developing country:
     
    Make a tangible difference in underprivileged schools 
    Many of the schools that Projects Abroad is partnered with are located in severely disadvantaged areas. These schools lack resources and the majority of students have never had the chance to interact with a native English speaker.
     
     
    There are endless ways that volunteers can have a significant impact, from giving individual attention to students that are being left behind in overcrowded classes, to introducing educational games and creating engaging materials that make learning more fun. Some volunteers also go the extra mile and run afterschool programs such as English clubs to give children a safe space to learn and have fun in the afternoons.
     
    Your impact will continue after you have left 
    One of the most important aspects of the Teaching Project is the help given to local teachers. Volunteers spend a lot of time at their projects helping their colleagues improve their English fluency and introducing new ideas and techniques for English education into the classroom.
     
     
    By helping local teachers, volunteers are indirectly influencing the futures of thousands of children – as well as contributing to sustainable development! Projects Abroad has had excellent results with these types of programs, especially at theTeaching Project in Peru, where the organization runs a specialized training program for Peruvian teachers from January to March each year.
     
    Gain practical experience in the classroom 
    At each project, volunteers spend several hours in the classroom each day, assisting with or leading English classes, as well as teaching other subjects like music, art, or drama if they are up to the challenge.
     
     
    The experience of being in an actual classroom setting and working alongside qualified teachers is an invaluable one, especially for volunteers interested in pursuing careers in teaching or ESL. For university students, an international volunteer program can also potentially be used for academic credit. A previous Projects Abroad volunteer even used her experience at the Teaching Project in Costa Rica to contribute to research for her graduate study project!
     
    Get support in the classroom when you need it 
    For Projects Abroad, giving volunteer teachers the support they need is a vital part of the program. Each volunteer has access to a database of lesson plans and classroom management techniques and experienced Projects Abroad staff are always on hand to give advice when needed.
     
     
    In addition, the organization holds regular workshops specifically for Teaching Projects where volunteers can ask questions and discuss what they can do to improve themselves as teachers. This is extremely helpful for teachers of all levels and volunteers find it especially useful to talk to each other about their classes and exchange ideas.
     
    Build on the work of other volunteers, lay the foundation for the future 
    At a Teaching Project, volunteers join throughout the year and commit for however long they can. Even if you are only able to spare a short period of time, you can be confident that you are continuing the work of previous volunteers or laying the foundations for the volunteers that come after you. If you choose to volunteer at a time when the school is on a break, Projects Abroad organizes vacation classes and camps that you can teach.
     
     
    Projects Abroad offers Teaching Projects in more than 30 countries across the developing world in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the South Pacific. Volunteers can choose from various types of programs aside from teaching English, such as teaching French, IT, or Physical Education. For more information on how to get involved with international teaching programs, please visit projects-abroad.ca/projects/teaching.

    MORE Life ARTICLES

    Keeping your garden healthy all year long

    Keeping your garden healthy all year long
    Tips and tricks for taking care of your lawn and garden this autumn

    Keeping your garden healthy all year long

    5 Ways to Thrive in the Midst of Challenge and Despair

    5 Ways to Thrive in the Midst of Challenge and Despair
    Using her seven keys to thriving, Dr. Stoneham, executive coach and author of The Thriver’s Edge: Seven Keys to Transform the Way You Live, Love, and Lead, offers five ways to thrive and have some control in your life while in the midst of challenge, overwhelm or despair.

    5 Ways to Thrive in the Midst of Challenge and Despair

    Jalwa: Dozens Of Families Evicted Every Year In Jordan Under Practice Rooted In Tribal Tradition

    Jalwa: Dozens Of Families Evicted Every Year In Jordan Under Practice Rooted In Tribal Tradition
    IRBID, Jordan — It was four in the morning when Asma Dawaghreh fled her home with her sick husband and six children. With nothing but the loose change in her pockets, she packed her family into a car and left under the cover of darkness.

    Jalwa: Dozens Of Families Evicted Every Year In Jordan Under Practice Rooted In Tribal Tradition

    Boy With Double-hand Transplant's Next Goal: Play Football

    Boy With Double-hand Transplant's Next Goal: Play Football
    PHILADELPHIA — It's been just over a year since 9-year-old Zion Harvey received a double-hand transplant, and he said Tuesday what he really wants to do is play football.

    Boy With Double-hand Transplant's Next Goal: Play Football

    Workers Find Moulted Snake Skin In Drain As Reptile Eludes Capture In Victoria

    Workers Find Moulted Snake Skin In Drain As Reptile Eludes Capture In Victoria
    VICTORIA — Works crews in Victoria have extracted moulted skin from a storm drain where a stubborn corn snake has been hiding for several days.

    Workers Find Moulted Snake Skin In Drain As Reptile Eludes Capture In Victoria

    Fists Not Football: Brain Injuries Seen In Domestic Assaults

    Fists Not Football: Brain Injuries Seen In Domestic Assaults
    CHICAGO — There are no bomb blasts or collisions with burly linemen in Susan Contreras' past. Her headaches, memory loss and bouts of confused thinking were a mystery until doctors suggested a probable cause: domestic violence.

    Fists Not Football: Brain Injuries Seen In Domestic Assaults

    PrevNext