{"id":1217,"date":"2020-03-23T13:46:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T13:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/?p=1217"},"modified":"2020-03-23T13:50:12","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T13:50:12","slug":"alternative-learning-experience-ghana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/alternative-learning-experience-ghana\/","title":{"rendered":"Alternative Learning Experience: Ghana"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As part of Canterbury Christ Church University\u2019s BA Primary\nEducation course, students have the option of undertaking an additional\nlearning experience (ALE). Through this, they can broaden both their learning\nand teaching horizons in a new and unfamiliar setting \u2013 pushing and challenging\nthemselves whilst going on what often turns out to be the trip of a lifetime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fundamentally, the ALE is a chance to teach in a different\nplace with different contexts to that which we are used to in the UK. Whilst\nthey are self-funded by the students who are undertaking them, Christ Church\nstaff do as much of the arranging, insurance wrangling, safeguarding and placement\norganising as they can. A network of fellow teaching institutions, teachers and\nhosts across the world ensures that there\u2019s a huge choice of where students can\ngo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current BA Primary Education<\/a> students, Romana Croucher and Charlotte Butters \u2013 both of whom have worked in other industries but are now training to be teachers \u2013 have been on their own additional learning experience to the La Future Leaders school in Teshie, Ghana. Anthony Clarke, Senior Lecturer in Early Years and Primary Initial Teacher Training, is the academic who makes these student ALEs happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Charlotte Butters (L), Romana Croucher (R) and Anthony Clarke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here, they share their personal journeys and how the ALE\nhas impacted them \u2013 and how you can benefit from such a fantastic learning\nopportunity! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get a big\nquestion out of the way first: What are your biggest take-away experiences of\nteaching in Ghana? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Romana: <\/strong>At the La Future Leaders school and Ghanaian schools in\ngeneral, the lack of resources that teachers have to work with and children\nhave to use is in stark contrast to the UK. This lack of resources was an\ninteresting problem to tackle, and made me use my creative thinking to come up\nwith lessons, rather than defaulting back to the internet for resources or\ninformation with which to construct lessons. It enhanced my creativity and has\ntaught me to rely more on myself as a teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Charlotte:<\/strong> A better understanding of behaviour management was one of my main take-aways. In Ghana, younger children don\u2019t respond to adults or typical behaviour control measures like they do in the UK, so it taught me to work out new ways for engaging with, and controlling the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romana:<\/strong> The entire trip threw us in at the deep end, but you\u2019re\nnever going to learn to swim by holding onto the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you think the\nALE will impact and help shape you as a teaching professional? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Romana:<\/strong> The ALE is more than just teaching experience; it\u2019s an\nimmersive cultural learning opportunity where you can understand cultures and\ndifferent learning contexts in their entirety. There isn\u2019t enough teaching\nabout different cultures and peoples in UK schools, but this experience will\nensure we try to open up the world to children in our individual careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlotte:<\/strong> It was a massive confidence booster for me. I wasn\u2019t\nnaturally confident having come from a non-teaching background, but I knew it\nwas what I wanted to do \u2013 I just didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d have the confidence to do\nit. I found the ALE to be empowering and learned that I have what it takes to\nsucceed in the profession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romana:<\/strong> Whilst there, we realised that the teaching style was very \u2018old school\u2019, in that kids learned from textbooks in a rigid manner. I was given the opportunity to bring my creativeness into play, as I\u2019m an arty person by nature. For example, we did an exercise where the kids all went outside and used things they could find in the local environment to create a big pavement collage of materials that looked like a traditional Ghanaian house. It was a bit like Neil Buchannan in Art Attack! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Charlotte:<\/strong> The teaching staff in Ghana were as interested in learning\nfrom us as we were from them. For example, with the early years children I\nworked with, we undertook phonics outside, again, using the environment as an\nadditional teaching resource. This break from their usual teaching techniques\nhelped open their eyes to new ways of doing things, so it really was a sharing\nexperience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undertaking a trip like\nthis isn\u2019t easy. How is the organisation managed? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Anthony:<\/strong> In all ALE locations that students want to go to,\nincluding Ghana, we (CCCU) will establish working relationships and agreements,\nwith lots of close co-ordination, to ensure that everything that needs to be in\nplace, is in place. All placement locations are highly engaged and active, and\nwork hard to ensure students get the most from their time. In addition, CCCU\narranges all the relevant insurance to cover students for any eventuality. I\u2019d\nlove to have every student attend as it\u2019s something that is so valuable to\nthose who do go, but sadly we can\u2019t accommodate everybody. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Romana:<\/strong> In terms of getting out to Ghana, it was pretty straightforward. There was a group going, so we ensured that we collaborated on arranging flights and other logistical tasks. Anthony was very active in helping to make arrangements alongside CCCU and the Ghanaian contacts, so all transfers and accommodation were fully sorted before we left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlotte:<\/strong> We were very well looked after by our hosts. The food was\ngreat and plentiful, the people were welcoming and helped us experience \u2018true\nGhanaian\u2019 culture and we never felt unsafe \u2013 even when going to the places\nwhere traditionally only locals would venture. Prior to leaving, Anthony gave\nus all a lecture on understanding dress codes, cultural nuances, differences in\nsociety and what not to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anthony: <\/strong>We take an active role and from my point of view, I want to\nensure that students are safe and getting a fantastic experience rather than\nworrying about things that we can mitigate before they travel. I speak to hosts\nand maintain constant contact through WhatsApp, Facebook and other comms\nchannels throughout the trips away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a wider context of\nyour BA Primary Education endeavours, what are your highlights? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Romana:<\/strong> Definitely the ALE! It\u2019s been hugely influential on me as\na person, as a student and future teacher, and is by far the best thing I\u2019ve\ndone so far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlotte:<\/strong> The ALE and the wider domestic placements scheme has been\nreally good and has helped me engender in myself the confidence that I felt\nlike I lacked previously. Both Romana and I were placed close to home, so the\nuniversity really makes things as easy as possible in this way. My first\nplacement was brilliant as the teacher I was shadowing was also the head of\nsports, and during sports week gave me ownership of cover while they were busy.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anthony:<\/strong> The ALE is often a turning point in both a Primary\nEducation student\u2019s confidence, and in their ability. It helps them find out\nthe reality of education not only here, but elsewhere, and do so with an open\nmind and in the case of the ALE, without any formal assessment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romana:<\/strong> In my domestic placement, my love of art and using it for\nteaching in a creative way was embraced. I\u2019d thought that classroom teaching\nmight be prescriptive, but I was able to use my skills and passion a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anthony: <\/strong>Placements are a fantastic opportunity for our students to\nbecome ambassadors for CCCU and for the future of their profession as student\nteachers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trip highlight <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For both Romana and Charlotte, a joint highlight was gathering supplies donated by friends, family and the public, which they took with them. These teaching supplies were laid out on tables in an assembly \u2013 paper, paint, writing materials, drawing materials, fake snow, and modelling clay \u2013 which many of the children and teachers had never seen before!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Romana is already planning her return visit to Ghana having connected so well with the teachers, children and wider group of people she met. Together with Charlotte, they are fundraising for the La Future Leaders community school to support its continuing efforts to educate children in a country where schooling isn\u2019t a guarantee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fundraiser can be found here<\/a>, and more information about the school can be found on their website: https:\/\/la-futureleaderscommunityschool.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about the <\/strong>BA in Primary Education<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of Canterbury Christ Church University\u2019s BA Primary Education course, students have the option of undertaking an additional learning experience (ALE). Through this, they can broaden both their learning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":215845,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,9,474,17],"tags":[458,457,166,462],"class_list":["post-1217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-our-students","category-placement","category-teaching","tag-alternative-learning-experience","tag-ghana","tag-primary-education","tag-teaching-placement"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"authorName":"White, Benjamin (b.white276@canterbury.ac.uk)","featuredImage":false,"postExcerpt":"As part of Canterbury Christ Church University\u2019s BA Primary Education course, students have the option of undertaking an additional learning experience (ALE). Through this, they can broaden both their learning […]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/215845"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1217"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1238,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217\/revisions\/1238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/facultyofeducation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}