01 / 04 / 2009
April 2009. While most teachers are enjoying some hard earned rest over the Easter Holidays, a group of teachers from schools in Barnet in London have been venturing into uncharted territory in Libya, as part of the first group of UK teachers to ever work alongside teachers in Libyan schools.
The teachers’ visit in April was part of the DCSF Teachers’ International Professional Development (TIPD) programme, organised by the British Council.
They visited local schools in and around Tripoli, to share knowledge and educational practice with Libyan teachers, with a view to implementing the learning back in Barnet. The UK teachers had the opportunity to observe lessons, share teaching materials, and discuss ideas with their counterparts during their visits. Teachers from eight schools in the borough of Barnet in London took part, including primary, secondary, infant and special schools.
Sian Thomas, the group leader and primary mathematics consultant at Barnet Local Authority said; “‘We feel extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Libyan schools and work alongside teachers and students. The schools have been very open to new ideas and looking at ways they would like to move forward. They want to embrace ideas and take on more autonomy for their own development.
It has been an enriching experience which has offered us a new lens with which to evaluate our own practice”
The visit particularly focused on the theme of creativity in the classroom, with teachers exploring what creativity looks like in another country and comparing their own experiences. This will result in the development of an action plan to embed aspects of creativity in their own school’s curriculum on their return. The teachers also met representatives from the Libyan Ministry of Education.
Dr Abdalah Abed Abujafar, Director for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Education in Libya said;
“I think that the visit will be beneficial for the Libyan teachers as they benefit from the experience of modern teaching methodology which the British system applies. They will also have a better idea about decentralising the school administration and giving schools more flexibility in dealing with its own circumstances. The British teachers will probably find they have changed their impressions about the education system in Libya, they will probably have found it is different from their expectations, as the Libyan schools have been updating significantly and integrating new education technology.
We see this visit as a first step towards the Connecting Classrooms project between Libyan and British schools, and to a future exchange of Libyan teachers visiting British schools.”
DCSF TIPD provides opportunities for teachers to experience and compare education practice in different countries around the world through short study visits. The programme aims to share learning about different teaching methods throughout participating schools and their local communities, to create valuable international links between schools and ultimately to improve the quality of education provision in the UK.
Anna Searle, Director British Council Libya said: “This is the first opportunity for such a group of British teachers to visit Libyan schools, and we hope that it leads to further exchange, partnership and future links. We hope there are also opportunities for future TIPD visits to Libya, and thank both the Libyan schools and British teachers for their active participation in this exchange visit.”
More than 20,000 teachers from the UK have travelled to over 70 countries worldwide as part of the programme, which is now in its 10th year. Teachers travel in the school holidays on one-week visits.
For media enquiries or to contact the teachers involved please contact Paul Melhuish on Tel: 0207 389 4871 or e-mail paul.melhuish@britishcouncil.org
Notes to Editors
· The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in more than 100 countries worldwide to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the arts, education, science, sport and governance and last year we reached over 128 million people. Our total turnover in 2007/8 was £565m, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £197m. For more information, please go to www.britishcouncil.org
· The British Council is marking 75 years of cultural relations this year. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org/new/about-us/75th-anniversary
· The DCSF Teacher’s International Professional Development programme (TIPD) offers a focused and challenging learning experience by immersing UK teachers in the education system of another country. It focuses upon school improvement where the teachers – as learners, researchers and leaders in the classroom – are at the heart of educational innovation. It aspires to generate new networks of teachers, nationally and internationally, who are committed to the provision of high quality education. For more information please visit www.britishcouncil.org/tipd
· The programme is delivered on behalf of the DCSF by four UK providers.
· The DCSF website address for the programme is http://www.globalgateway.org.uk/tipd
