Following much preparation with the principal and five SVN members, the remote mentoring project with the nine teachers at City Gates Academy in Manila started in September 2022. Each volunteer has been allocated one or two Filipina teachers. All the teachers have received government training which majors on using rote learning and text books. Some teachers have been at the academy for a few years, but others started in August. The principal was overwhelmed with the amount of help she needed to give each teacher to help them progress with a child-centred approach and had asked SVN for its support.
Each pairing works independently of the others, arranging half hour online meetings every week or fortnight in term time. The teachers ask for advice on classroom management and curricular subjects, the SVN members give ideas for them to think about and adapt to their needs and circumstances, then they report back how things have gone.
The principal has said that the project is going much better than she had hoped and she can see a change in the teaching and in the growing independence of the teachers in thinking for themselves how to enhance their planning. Both teachers and SVN members are very happy to be part of this project.
This is an ongoing project and there is no pressure for SVN members to continue. Anyone who would like to help with this or other remote mentoring projects, please contact the SVN project manager [email protected].
Also, at some point there may be the opportunity to go to the Philippines to work face to face with a large group of teachers at training conferences arranged by the City Gates Principal.
Each pairing works independently of the others, arranging half hour online meetings every week or fortnight in term time. The teachers ask for advice on classroom management and curricular subjects, the SVN members give ideas for them to think about and adapt to their needs and circumstances, then they report back how things have gone.
The principal has said that the project is going much better than she had hoped and she can see a change in the teaching and in the growing independence of the teachers in thinking for themselves how to enhance their planning. Both teachers and SVN members are very happy to be part of this project.
This is an ongoing project and there is no pressure for SVN members to continue. Anyone who would like to help with this or other remote mentoring projects, please contact the SVN project manager [email protected].
Also, at some point there may be the opportunity to go to the Philippines to work face to face with a large group of teachers at training conferences arranged by the City Gates Principal.