BROADENING TEACHING PERSPECTIVES: TEACHER

EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

“WE CANNOT HOLD A TORCH TO LIGHT ANOTHER’S PATH WITHOUT BRIGHTENING OUR OWN.” –BEN SWEETLAND

1. VISITING INTERNATIONAL FACULTY PROGRAM (VIF)THE VISITING INTERNATIONAL FACULTY PROGRAM (VIF) IS THE

UNITED STATES’ LARGEST CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS. IT IS DEDICATED TO TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE TEACHERS. VIF OFFERS HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD SERVING AS TEACHERS AND CULTURAL AMBASSADORS IN THE UNITED STATES.

A. VIF PURPOSES AND BELIEFS• IT IS THE INTENTION OF THE VIF TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS,

EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE REAP THE BENEFITS OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION. THE PROGRAM BELIEVES IN THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES:•ALL SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ONE INTERNATIONAL

EXCHANGE TEACHER.•ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE EXPOSED TO A VARIETY OF EXCHANGE

TEACHERS DURING THEIR ACADEMIC CAREERS.•ALL COMMUNITIES SHOULD HAVE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO

DEVELOP GLOBALLY LITERATE CITIZENS TO HELP BUILD A FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE.

B. HISTORY OF VISITING INTERNATIONAL FACULTY PROGRAM (VIF)• THE PROGRAM STARTED 19 YEARS AGO. IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1987

AND BEGAN ACCEPTING TEACHERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD TO TEACH KINDERGARTEN UP TO GRADE 12 IN 1989. THIS PROJECT IS IN COOPERATION WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. THE FIRST GROUP OF 12 INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS WORKED IN 10 NORTH CAROLINA COUNTRIES AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS. IN 1996, VIF WAS ASKED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION TO RECRUIT TEACHERS IN OTHER SUBJECT AREAS.

2. FULBRIGHT TEACHER EXCHANGE PROGRAMSINCE 1946, THE FULBRIGHT TEACHERS EXCHANGE

PROGRAM HAS HELPED NEARLY 23,000 TEACHERS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS TO PROMOTE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. THIRTY COUNTRIES INCLUDING THE PHILIPPINES CURRENTLY PARTICIPATE IN THE FULBRIGHT TEACHER EXCHANGE PROGRAM WHICH VARIES FROM YEAR TO YEAR. SINCE OUR COUNTRY IS PARTICIPATING, YOU MAY IN THE FUTURE ALSO BECOME A FULBRIGHT TEACHER EXCHANGE FELLOW. THE PROGRAM IN THE PHILIPPINES IS MANAGED BY THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION.

3. INTER-AFRICAN TEACHER EXCHANGESTHE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROGRAM ARE TO PROVIDE

OPPORTUNITY FOR AFRICAN TEACHERS TO LEARN FROM TEACHING ENVIRONMENT IN OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND ALSO AIMED TO EXTEND EXPERIENCES AND WIDEN THE HORIZON OF AFRICAN TEACHERS BY ENCOURAGING EXCHANGE VISITS TO COUNTRIES OUTSIDE AFRICA AS WELL. FURTHERMORE, THE PROGRAM IS ENVISIONED TO CREATE CULTURAL AWARENESS AND TOLERANCE OF DEVELOPMENTS IN DIFFERENT AFRICAN EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTS.

4. CANADIAN EDUCATORS EXCHANGETHE CANADIAN EDUCATION EXCHANGE FOUNDATION IS A

NON-PROFIT FOUNDATION WHICH HANDLES BOTH STUDENT AND EDUCATOR EXCHANGES. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES OFFER EDUCATORS AND THEIR STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BROADEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF ONE ANOTHER’S CULTURE, CUSTOMS AND LANGUAGES. EXCHANGES ARE REWARDING, BUT THERE ARE SOME FACTORS NEEDED FOR CONSIDERATION.

IN ALBERTA, TWO KINDS OF EXCHANGES ARE POSSIBLE FOR A POWERFUL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCES. THESE ARE:•ONE YEAR EXCHANGE- THESE EXCHANGES ENABLE TEACHERS IN

ALBERTA TO SWAP THEIR JOBS (AND HOMES) WITH TEACHERS IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, UNITED KINGDOM AND THE UNITED STATES, GERMANY, AND OTHERS FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR.•SHORT-TERM EXCHANGES- THESE EXCHANGES WHICH OCCUR

DURING THE SPRING AND SUMMER HOLIDAYS, ENABLE THE TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS TO JOB SHADOW WITH THE COUNTERPART IN ANOTHER COUNTRY.

5. GLOBAL TEACHERS MILLENNIUM AWARDSALTHOUGH THIS PROGRAM IS LIMITED ONLY TO

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO LEARN THAT THE GLOBAL TEACHER EXCHANGE PROGRAM CONTRIBUTES TO THE QUALITY OF TEACHERS WORLDWIDE.

THE PROGRAM AIMS TO: •CHANGE THE LIVES OF UK EDUCATORS, PERSONALLY AND

PROFESSIONALLY BY ENCOURAGING THEM TO FULFILL THEIR ASPIRATION AND USE THEIR TALENTS IN INNOVATIVE WAYS;• ENSURE BENEFITS FOR STAFF AND PUPILS OF UK SCHOOLS AND THEIR

LOCAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE DISSEMINATION OF INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION;• SUPPORT THE AIMS AND ACTIVITIES OF LINK’S EDUCATIONAL

PROGRAMS IN SOUTH AFRICA, GHANA AND UGANDA;• SET A STANDARD AND DEVELOP A MODEL FOR OTHER SIMILAR

SCHEME.

IT IS INTENT OF THE PROGRAM TO ACHIEVE LEARNING OUTCOMES AMONG THE TARGET PARTNERS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN TERMS OF:• INCREASED KNOWLEDGE OF PEOPLE AND LIFE IN DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES•BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW UK IS LINKED WITH OTHER

COUNTRIES•MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS PEOPLE AND LIFE IN

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES-CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES AND BELIEFS IN SHARED HUMANITY•MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS MULTICULTURAL NATURE

OF UK SOCIETY-CHALLENGING OF STEREOTYPES AND EMBRACING OF DIVERSITY.

A GLOBAL TEACHER IN THIS PROGRAM IS DESCRIBED AS SOMEONE WHO:• THINKS AND ACTS BOTH LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY;• EMBRACES THE WORLD’S RICH VARIETY OF WAYS OF LIFE;•UNDERSTANDS HOW THIS WORLD IS INTERCONNECTED;• IS COMMITTED TO MAKING THE WORLD A MORE EQUITABLE PLACE;

•BELIEVES IN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT;•HAS PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SKILLS TO SHARE, AND TO

LEARN;•BRINGS THE WORLD INTO THEIR CLASSROOM, SCHOOL AND

COMMUNITY;• ENCOURAGES DIALOGUE AND PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN THE

NORTH AND SOUTH;•CAN INSPIRE OTHERS TO ACT AS GLOBAL TEACHERS.

PREPARED BY: SHERILYN O. DE ASIS