Opening Up ‘Global Teenager’ to Special Education Schools

In the last 10 years, the Global Teenager Project (GTP) has shown that secondary school teachers and students gain a lot from having regular discussions with their peers from all over the world in a safe, structured virtual environment. Intercultural awareness, in-depth discussions about current issues, hands-on experience with using email, internet, chat, and Web 2.0 tools  are only a few of the benefits. Today, over 370 schools from 35 countries are taking part in the GTP programme which offers international Learning Circles (LCs) in English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic and Dutch.

Learning Circles: how they work

The Learning Circles meet twice a year: in February and September. They consist of teams of 10-12 teachers and their classes who come together in the virtual space of an electronic classroom. The groups remain together over a 3-4 month period, working on projects about a pre-selected theme, for example the environment, human rights, or HIV/AIDS. At the end of the term the group collects and publishes its work and then disbands. A few months later the next Learning Circles begin, with new teachers and classes. However, until recently, all of the schools taking part were mainstream secondary schools offering O’Level and A’Level education. All that changed in February 2009...

Learning Circles with a difference

In February 2009, three new Global Teenager Learning Circles were launched in Suriname. However, these were Learning Circles with a difference. For the first time, pupils from special education schools such as the Mytyl school where the curriculum is geared towards teaching pupils who have special needs were able to take part, along with schools where the curriculum is focused on providing practical and vocational skills to 9-18 year olds. Up until this point, only mainstream secondary schools were involved in the Global Teenager Project. By opening up Global Teenager and its Learning Circles across the board to all school children between the ages of 9-18, regardless of the type of education they are following, the Learning Circle environment is more likely to be a true ‘reflection’ of society and this, in turn, will enrich the discussions even further.

Fruitful partnerships

In order to create a solid foundation for the Learning Circles on Suriname, the Global Teenager Project is working closely with iEARN Suriname. Through this partnership, funding was obtained in October 2008 from UTSN, an organisation that specialises in twinning activities in Suriname and the Netherlands. Before the Learning Circles in Suriname were launched in February 2009, a week-long study trip took place in January for the teachers that will take part in the Netherlands-Suriname LCs. The teachers, who came from special education schools in the Netherlands, Curaçao and Suriname, took part in:

• A 2-day workshop from 21-22 January 2009 with Training Session on Wednesday and a Training session on Thursday;
• On-site visits to schools in Paramaribo;
• A practical hands-on course on how to use a digital camera and wikis.

Education is all about preparing pupils for the 21st century. The partners in the Dutch and Suriname Learning Circles therefore chose this as the starting point for the three new Learning Circles with Suriname in 2009. Meanwhile, as soon as the Learning Circles were up-and-running, pupils from the Lionsschool lost no time in introducing themselves through a series of short video clips.

There are also plans in the pipeline for Learning Circles on the Antilles too...

Contacts in Suriname

Ms Betty Burgos - iEARN Suriname and Global Teenager Project Coordinator, Suriname
Ms Miriam Wekers - BSO – Special Education
Ms Nila Persad -  iEARN Suriname

Contacts in the Netherlands

Mr Bob Hofman – International Coordinator, Global Teenager Project
Ms Elle Peters - SG. Mariendael - Special Education
Mr Pim Haenen, ICT Manager SG. Mariendael
Ms Ria Kattevilder - Global Teenager Project Coordinator, The Netherlands

Sponsor

The Surinam Learning Circles were set up with support from IICD and UTSN.