World Teachership

“The exchange trip and my internship abroad have taught me three things: asking questions and listening instead of judging, becoming more aware of cultural layers and their consequences, and financial inequality.”

- Lense Praats 

In 2019, a fruitful collaboration emerged between the Antwerp School of Education and the Kwame Nkrumah University (KNU) in Kabwe, Zambia. What started as exposure quickly evolved into a full-fledged exchange programme anchored in the optional course titled 'World Teachership Education Project'. The mobility programme with KNU came to an end in 2023, but will be extended online. And the adventures abroad will continue, because starting this year, the ALO will be joining forces with Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. So far, 44 students and three lecturers have participated in five exchange trips.

All students taking the Master in Teaching are asked to choose an educational project. One such project is the 'World Teachership Education Project', which has offered students two options since 2022. The first is world teachership with mobility, where the focus is on an exchange trip. The second is world teachership without mobility, also known as internationalisation@home. During the World Teachership study trip to South Africa, every student is paired up with a buddy, who is a student in the host university's teacher training programme. These buddies show our students their (educational) culture, making the trip an intensive cultural immersion. Students taking part in internationalisation@home each team up with a buddy from the partner university who comes to Antwerp for two or three months. Together, the pairs work on fascinating projects and inspire each other.

The visiting students are involved in the organisation of the trip (first aid, finances, communication, etc.) and they can give free rein to their creativity by choosing from various assignments to reflect on how the exchange trip affects them: a photo book, a virtual trip, a vlog ... Their family and friends can also follow their whereabouts via a live blog, or via the Polarsteps app.

Of course, the trip is thoroughly prepared. Students get in touch with the partner university during informal meetings. In passing, they get to know their respective buddies online. During the trip itself, time is regularly stopped for moments of reflection. These help students to look back, learn, grow, let off some steam if necessary and, above all, hone their diversity competences. After an inspiring exchange trip, they are presented with a well-deserved certificate. And the experience itself is one to cherish for life.