How Volunteers Improve Teaching in Host Countries Report (Assessment)

While working abroad, education volunteers have a unique opportunity to learn more about educational systems and practices used in other countries. As a result of the give and take process occurring in classrooms, they can also contribute to the improvement of the teaching capacity of their host country’s colleagues. However, it is also essential to ensure that any suggestions provided to teachers are respectful and take into account their previous experience of teaching. The present text will offer three strategies for improving the teaching capacity of host country counterparts.

First of all, I believe that volunteers should gather information about local teachers’ methods before making any suggestion. For example, planning lessons together or talking about preferred teaching styles would be a useful way of learning more about education in the assigned institution. These strategies will also help me to know more about other teachers, which is vital to ensure that any suggestions made in the future do not contradict their values and beliefs about teaching and learning. While learning more about local teachers and their approach, it is also important to point out and complement any beneficial practices they use. This can assist in developing a positive relationship with my teaching partners, which will make it easier to introduce changes in the future.

Secondly, it is critical to set an excellent example for other professionals working in the same classroom. In my teaching, I rely on contemporary strategies for creating a positive learning environment, planning lessons, and developing exciting activities for students. In order to enable local teachers to use my example in their practice, it would be useful to explain the rationale for specific actions and activities. For instance, when presenting a lesson plan, I could elucidate why some activities would be more engaging than the ones currently used in the classroom. The explanations should be based on scholarly evidence, such as research studies or best practice guidelines. In this way, it would be possible to encourage local teachers to use the same methods without interfering with their teaching strategies or arguing with them. Moreover, I could suggest resources that could be used for continuing education. For example, scholarly journals publishing research on education could be a good source of knowledge on contemporary teaching methods. These sources can be used by local teachers as they are available online.

Finally, making suggestions in an appropriate and respectful manner is a strategy that can yield great results. Upon seeing an opportunity for improvement, I would ask the local teacher for clarification about why this particular method or activity is used. I could then suggest a viable alternative and support it with evidence from research or guidelines. Nevertheless, it is also essential to assure that suggestions are relevant and specific, so that they could easily be implemented. In case significant changes are required, it would be better to speak to school leaders and present ideas to them. If the suggestions are indeed useful and needed for improvement, school leaders can make a large-scale change, thus enhancing the approach to teaching throughout the school.

Overall, I believe that education volunteers could contribute to improving education practices used in host countries, thus fulfilling their purpose as educators. However, developing appropriate strategies for introducing changes is essential as it helps to facilitate local teachers’ interest in new approaches. The suggestions presented in this text would help to improve teaching practices of local partners while maintaining positive relationships and respecting their knowledge and experience.