Teachers’ acTion for Learning · the heart of every CTF international partnership and project,...

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CTF’s International ProgramTeachers’ acTion for Learning

Photography CTF is grateful to various volunteers and especially Tim Johnston who generously provided many of the excellent photographs in this document.

Canadian Teachers’ Federation 2490 Don Reid Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 1E1 Tel: 613-232-1505 or 1-866-283-1505 (toll free) Fax: 613-232-1886 www.ctf-fce.ca

Tim JohnstonTim Johnston

Overview 1Guiding Principles 3 Learning, teaching and quality education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Teachers and teacher organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Professional development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Development cooperation and education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Content Areas 5 Teachers’ Action for Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Teachers’ Action for Teacher Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Teachers’ Action for Gender Equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Core Activities 7 Professional development workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Leadership workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Community mobilization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 School clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Ongoing mentoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Support for South-South collaboration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Institutional and organizational support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Project Stages 9 Conducting exploratory work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Establishing an active partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Components of the project cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Conducting pilot activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Developing a multi-year plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Canadian Engagement 11 Teacher involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Member Organization involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Acronyms 13

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CTF’s International Program: Teachers’ Action for Learning | 1

The Canadian Teachers’ Federation’s (CTF)* International Program is a vibrant service with a proud history of development cooperation in education. In fact, since 1962, CTF has worked in partnership with national teacher organizations (NTOs) in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America to improve access to quality public education for all. Through its International Program, it extends its priorities and advocacy work beyond Canada’s borders, and is proud of its many accomplishments over the past five decades, including:

• the provision of high calibre professional development to thousands of under- or untrained teachers throughout the developing world;

• leadership training for hundreds of members of the executive and secretariat of national teacher organizations in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia;

• support for the Pan African Teachers’ Centre (PATC) since its conception (1986);

• assistance to Caribbean teacher unions in the establishment of collective bargaining rights and the development of collective agreements;

• support of a national, teacher-driven approach and campaign for the establishment of safe, gender-friendly school environments in Uganda;

• support for gender equality and non-sexist pedagogy throughout Latin America;

• the establishment of a teachers’ resource centre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2006);

• developing and implementing a curriculum for peace education with the Teachers’ Union and other civil society organizations (CSOs) in Sierra Leone;

• partnering with the PATC and NTOs in delivering writers’ workshops for locally relevant supplementary readers, and providing in-service courses in literacy acquisition;

• bursaries for women to pursue studies in education in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

Working in solidarity with partners in developing countries, CTF’s International Program supports teachers taking action to improve learning. CTF believes that education is a human right and a public good which should be accessible to all. Yet, despite the real gains that have resulted

from Education for All targets and Millenium Development Goals, the reality remains grim in many of its partner countries.

While the efforts to provide greater access to education have meant that there are more children in schools, this positive result has also created a concern: the capacity of the system to accommodate these students. The influx of millions more students into the publicly-funded education system in developing countries has been a shock to national school systems. Most teachers are now under- or unqualified. In fact, the 2013-14 Global Monitoring Report (GMR) notes that “in a third of countries with data, less than 75% of teachers are trained according to national standards. The pupil/trained teacher ratio exceeds the pupil/teacher ratio by 10 pupils in 29 of the 98 countries, of which two-thirds are in sub-Saharan Africa”. Literacy rates are terribly low. Inadequate education funding has resulted in extremely large class sizes. Schools are not child-friendly. Many children, and a disproportionate number of girls, do not complete their education. “In sub-Saharan Africa, if recent trends continue, the richest boys will achieve universal primary completion in 2021, but the poorest girls will

overview

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* See back cover for a list of acronyms and their meaning.


not catch up until 2086”. (GMR, 2013-14) These and other related factors have naturally resulted in poor learning outcomes. The needs of teachers and the role of teacher organizations in addressing those needs have been overlooked and children in schools are suffering as a result. CTF’s International Program engages teachers, from home and abroad, in taking action for learning.

As Canada’s national professional organization for teachers, CTF is uniquely positioned to accomplish this important development cooperation work. Its constituency of highly qualified teachers and top calibre teacher organizations provides a solid core of committed expertise, ready and able to contribute to many aspects of a mandate focused on Teachers’ Action for Learning. As the national teachers’ federation, its membership in Education International (EI) and active participation in the EI development cooperation community help ensure good development cooperation practice, including the coordination of support for partner organizations’ needs.

CTF’s International Program offers support to national and regional teacher organizations

and their members as they increase their capacity to improve the quality of publicly- funded education. It also provides options for CTF Member organizations (MOs) to offer opportunities to their members and extend solidarity to teacher organizations in the Global South. CTF’s International Program is based on guiding principles, rooted in CTF’s beliefs about good practice in professional development and development cooperation, and arises from 50 years of international cooperation experience.

Partnerships focus on professional development and capacity building, most often with an emphasis on gender equality. Over the years, CTF’s focus on professional development has been somewhat unique in the EI development cooperation community. Since 1962, when CTF’s international cooperation work began, it has believed in the inherent responsibility of teacher organizations to provide professional development to members. It has also steadfastly recognized the organizational capacity building that can result when a teacher organization commits to offering professional development (PD) services to members. The inverse is also true,

a primary focus on enhancing an organization’s capacity can lead to greatly improved professional services for members. For CTF, professional development and capacity building are mutually reinforcing.

CTF views teachers as professionals with the agency to make a tremendous difference in the lives of their students, the professionalism of their colleagues, the strength of their teacher organizations and the quality of their national education systems. Teachers are, therefore, at the heart of every CTF international partnership and project, and the phrase Teachers’ Action for Learning captures the essence of its work.

CTF’s International Program is overseen by the CTF Trust Fund, a registered charity governed by a Board of Trustees and accountable to CTF’s Board of Directors.

This document describes CTF’s International Program in detail. CTF wishes to thank all who have contributed to the success that its development cooperation work in education has had for over 50 years. For specific contributions to this document, CTF is extremely grateful to:

• CTF’s International Board of Trustees;

• CTF Member organizations and staff;

• CTF partner organizations;

• CTF Project Overseas volunteers;

• CTF resource persons.

CTF looks forward to continued collaboration with partner and Member organizations, and especially teachers in Canada and abroad, as it joins with EI to Unite for Quality Education. (For more information about the campaign, go to www.unite4education.org)


CTF’s international development cooperation work is guided by the following principles. While each statement and section has its own integrity, these principles are best understood as a collective whole that informs and guides CTF’s work.

Learning, teaching and quality education

• Every child has the right to high quality public education.

• Public education must be rooted in the principles of universality, equality and responsiveness.

• Public education must be of high quality and supported by adequate public resources that are collected and distributed fairly and equitably.

• Teachers are professionals, essential in the delivery of high quality education.

• Professional development, adequate working conditions, and appropriate resources are essential for quality teaching and learning.

• Teacher-led research and evidence-based decision making are essential in the process of improving quality education.

• International collaboration between teachers and teacher organizations is a transformative professional experience that enhances quality teaching and learning.

Teachers and teacher organizations

• Teachers must have a strong voice in all aspects of their profession and working life.

• Teachers have agency, and their active support and participation is crucial in any effort to improve the quality of education.

• National teacher organizations, unions and regional teacher organizations are the collective voice of teachers.

• Teacher organizations advance the status of the teaching profession and are essential to quality education.

• Teacher organizations have a responsibility to advocate for their members, provide professional services, advocate for education policy based on sound research and experience, and pursue engagement with civil society.

• Quality education and good teacher working conditions are deeply interrelated, and teacher organizations play an essential role in the achievement of both.

• Teacher organizations require strong and effective leadership.

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Professional development

• The best professional development is provided by teachers who understand, from experience, the dynamics of the teaching-learning cycle and the challenges of the classroom.

• Professional development is most effective when it is reflective, interactive, practical, continuous, teacher-driven, supported, and embedded in teachers’ work.

• Teachers should have primary responsibility for their professional development, taking into consideration the diverse needs of their students, the opportunities available, and the circumstances in which they work.

• Effective professional development responds to teachers’ unique set of learning needs, goals, styles, knowledge and skills. It uses a diversity of approaches, including participating in workshops, undertaking action research, mentoring and being mentored, professional reading and much more.

• Effective professional development should engage teachers in a collegial and collaborative dialogue, and may be focused on whole-school change.

• Sound professional development reflects current research in teaching and learning, school improvement and leadership.

• Professional development requires an ongoing commitment and must be supported with time and resources by Ministries of Education, school authorities, and teacher organizations.

Development cooperation and education

• Each partner benefits from development cooperation.

• Development cooperation is both transformative and practical: based on establishing respectful relationships and building trust, while monitoring and measuring the achievement of purposeful goals.

• Development cooperation is characterized by shared ownership and responsibility between partners.

• National teacher organizations are in the best position to identify their needs, set goals, plan effective strategies and assess whether plans and programs have met their needs.

• The purpose of CTF’s support is to assist partners to achieve their goals, not to impose external, often contextually inappropriate solutions.

• Technical expertise is provided by Canadian teachers to support culturally relevant professional development approaches, which may not currently be available to the partner. Such expertise can assist partners in building capacity.

• Sustained educational change is most effective when those seeking to change their practice are self-motivated and in control of managing the change. It is contextual and results in increased capacity to reach goals and address needs.

• Sustained educational change is a long-term process.

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Throughout the International Program work, CTF remains true to its teacher organization roots as well as to development cooperation in education. At times there are projects it does not undertake because they fall outside its mandate or require expertise better provided by another organization. CTF’s participation in partnerships and projects is informed by the Guiding Principles delineated in this document and determined through the exploratory stage described under Project Stages.

Over the years, CTF’s International Program has evolved, in collaboration with partner and Member organizations, to focus on Teachers’ Action for Learning and the following content areas, each of which supports Teachers’ Action for Learning.

Teachers’ Action for Teaching

In this content area, CTF partnership activities focus on professional development. Activities and projects are rooted in its partner organizations’ assessments of the professional needs of their teacher members, developed and implemented collaboratively. These projects may include workshops, community mobilization, working with clusters of schools, and ongoing mentoring.

Canadian teachers are engaged through Project Overseas or as resource persons. The Canadian teachers who volunteer with CTF’s International Program contribute invaluable technical expertise, drawing upon their practical experience and training.

Within this content area, CTF often also has specific foci, such as teachers’ action for literacy or peace. Teachers’ Action for Literacy projects most often take the form of book development and literacy workshops. These workshops focus on developing contextually relevant approaches and reading materials for teachers and students and, therefore, can vary significantly. Teachers’ Action for Peace projects focus on creating peaceful school environments within the context of their communities. They employ teaching modules on the nature of peace, violence prevention and conflict resolution, communication, human rights, and gender. The activities in both of these content areas include PD workshops for teachers and PD facilitators, community mobilization, leadership workshops, mentoring and institutional support.

Working with school clusters is also important in these content areas since the key outcome is whole-school change with support from the community.

conTenT areas

CTF is well known in Africa for its professional development cooperation work in support of teacher

organizations and their members as they improve the quality of education. It does so through facilitating

workshops that develop the capacity of teachers, assisting all our teachers in improving the quality of

education in the context of education for all.

- Peter Mabande, Executive Director, Pan African Teachers’ Centre


Teachers’ Action for Teacher Organizations

When CTF works with partners in Teachers’ Action for Teacher Organizations, partnership activities focus on strengthening the capacity of partner organizations to, among other things:

• organize and represent teachers;

• provide professional development to members;

• conduct research;

• plan and implement campaigns;

• conduct lobbying and advocacy work.

Specific activities in this area target leadership development and include workshops and ongoing mentoring. Canadian teachers are often engaged as mentors or as resource persons, working alongside local resource persons and mentors.

Within this content area, CTF also provides support for South-South collaboration and institutional and organizational support. Institutional and organizational support most often entails financial support and advice from CTF rather than any direct engagement of Canadian resource persons. (Please refer to the section of this document that describes institutional and organizational support for more information).

Teachers’ Action for Gender Equality

Teachers’ Action for Gender Equality initiatives include specific NTO projects as well as support for regional women’s networks in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. Support can include any of CTF’s International Program core activities, and projects may focus on creating child-friendly school environments, ending school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), leadership development for women educators, and bursaries for women teachers to continue their studies. This content area is often addressed in conjunction with Teachers’ Action for Teaching and Teachers’ Action for Teacher Organizations.

Working with the Canadian Teachers’ Federation is like a partnership, it’s like a network among grassroots organizations; and by grassroots we mean the people who are concerned about those who are in the greatest need.

- Virginia Albert Poyotte, General Secretary, Caribbean Union of Teachers

CTF has helped to empower women to take up leadership positions in their unions and in society generally.

- Helena Awurusa, President, African Women in Education Network

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As a means of supporting teachers and their organizations to take action and achieve goals, CTF’s International Program offers technical expertise in a collaborative manner through at least one, and usually several, of the following strategies and projects. These strategies and projects are core activities, within which the International Program has developed a significant breadth and depth of expertise.

Professional development workshops

The first CTF international project (held in 1962) was comprised of PD workshops provided for teachers in Nigeria. This formed the basis of what was quickly named “Project Overseas”, and since that time, thousands of teachers have benefitted from the program. Though it has changed over time, Project Overseas continues to provide PD workshops each July and August. Every year, approximately 50 Canadian teachers volunteer as co-teachers of workshops, ranging from three to four weeks, with CTF’s partners overseas. PD workshops are also delivered throughout the year with CTF volunteer resource persons.

All PD workshops are designed to provide teachers and school heads with the skills, and in some cases the resources, that will assist them as they enhance their practice and improve the quality of education they offer to students. Currently, the most common formats are:

• workshops for local professional development facilitators, provided as part of a larger strategy designed to establish cadres of PD facilitators who provide ongoing professional development and mentoring sessions for classroom teachers;

• workshops for classroom teachers. In many cases these are facilitated by local PD facilitators mentored by Canadian and local professional development instructors;

• workshops for staff development, provided to groups of teachers and their school heads for school improvement, often as part of community mobilization activities for clusters of schools (see below).

Leadership workshops

CTF developed the John Thompson Fellowship (JTF) program in the late 1970’s. Over the years,

this program has reached hundreds of leaders in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Delivery of the program has varied according to need and context. Other EI affiliates involved in development cooperation have joined CTF in facilitating the program. Content of the program is determined by needs identified by the southern organization(s) involved, and the program schedule and logistics are determined through an extensive collaborative process with the organization(s). Examples of common modules are:

• team building for a strong executive;

• communication (interpersonal and external);

• conflict resolution;

• negotiation and collective bargaining;

• human rights;

• policy writing;

• union building;

• information and communication technology;

• finances;

• women and gender equality;

core acTiviTies


• organizational structures and practices;

• organizational mission, vision, goals and outcomes;

• strategic planning;

• problem solving strategies;

• workshop facilitation.

Most recently, JTF workshops are intensive leadership programs of one to three weeks duration, held in one country and open to participants from the surrounding region.

Community mobilization

In many settings, the school plays a central role in the life of the community, and schools are dependent on the support of the community. Through meetings with the whole community, and collaboration with community leaders, a process is undertaken to inspire the community’s confidence and its ability to make changes for itself and for the education and future of its children.

School clusters

The involvement of clusters of schools in professional and staff development workshops designed for whole-school change greatly increases professional learning and collaboration among colleagues and between schools. The school cluster approach can be linked to community mobilization so that schools and communities are working together toward shared goals. This approach also provides for efficient use of cadres of PD facilitators working in a district. School clusters can be horizontal (i.e. a group of primary schools in neighbouring communities)

or vertical (i.e. a secondary school and its feeder primary schools).

Ongoing mentoring

Mentoring by Canadian teachers and CTF staff is undertaken in a variety of ways:

• Canadian teachers work with colleagues to provide formal mentoring directly for cadres of PD facilitators. These sessions are typically part of a three-year program in PD facilitation, and take place when novice PD facilitators provide workshops for classroom teachers and school heads;

• CTF also supports local PD facilitators throughout the year as they mentor teachers in their schools;

• CTF staff and Canadian teachers provide ongoing mentoring for staff and leadership of NTOs as they manage projects, and build their organizations.

Support for South-South collaboration

As CTF partners experience success in meeting their goals to strengthen public education and build organizations that provide a strong voice for teachers and high quality services to members, they have much to offer each other. CTF therefore partners with regional EI offices as well as teacher organizations such as the Pan African Teachers’ Centre, the Caribbean Union of Teachers, and Women in Education Networks. In collaboration with these organizations, CTF supports exchanges that allow NTOs to share their project successes, strategies, good practices, etc. These exchanges benefit all organizations involved as they learn from each other and gain confidence in

themselves as leaders in the field of education.

Institutional and organizational support

As teacher organizations undertake projects and build their capacity, or as teachers move into positions of leadership, it is sometimes necessary to provide specific support other than technical expertise. CTF provides such support in the form of:

• project funds;

• bursaries for women;

• newsletters and other publications;

• book development (for literacy projects);

• salary support (always done as a temporary measure, either for a contract position or with a decreasing amount of support as the teacher organization assumes full responsibility).

CTF does not provide support for capital expenditures such as buildings, vehicles and the like.

Project Overseas is an experience that enriches so many lives. Thanks to PO, thousands of students will

have a better education this year. I feel truly connected to humanity, I have a better understanding of our small

and beautiful planet, and I am becoming more and more passionate about our teaching profession.

- Julie Mireault-Wiseman, Project Overseas, Guinea, 2013


Every CTF partnership is unique, and support for projects does not take place according to a set template. However, projects share a number of characteristics that uphold the guiding principles and CTF’s support of partners typically emerges through the following stages.

Conducting exploratory work

Potential partners are identified as CTF becomes aware of an EI member organization that is seeking support in areas where CTF may be of assistance. These organizations may self-identify, or may be identified through EI’s development cooperation partners, a regional EI office, or an EI affiliate.

Preliminary discussions take place with the potential partner to clarify the organization’s needs and goals. While early in the process, this stage is critical as it determines the relationship between the partners. Needs and goals identified must arise from the partner’s assessment of where it is and where it wishes to be. During needs assessment, CTF facilitates a process in which the partner reflects upon its situation and more clearly articulates what it wishes to achieve. Such a process establishes the project as belonging to

the partner, and places CTF in the supportive role as the project goes forward. Motivation and sense of ownership should be such that, without CTF support, the partner would look to other means to meet the needs and achieve the goals it has identified. With the relationship between the two partners oriented in this way, there is much more likelihood that the partner’s project, with support from CTF, will achieve sustained change.

During this time, an environmental scan is also undertaken with the potential partner NTO to clarify:

• whether other EI members have a partnership with the NTO and if so, how this may complement support that may be offered by CTF;

• any relationships or partnerships the NTO may have with civil society or government;

• the NTO’s current strategic plan and any major activities currently engaged in by the NTO;

• the financial health of the organization, and its capacity to manage finances and report adequately to CTF;

ProjecT sTages

• any current national situations that may be important to the NTO and its work;

• other contextual realities (ranging from climate and geography to recent historical events such as war or famine), that may pose a risk to or may influence the partnership and the success of the project.

As needs and goals are articulated by the partner, CTF determines whether there is congruency with the support it can offer. The current circumstances in both organizations are considered in regards to their joint capacity to undertake a project that would successfully address the needs and achieve the goals identified by the CTF partner. In the event that no congruency exists, CTF may attempt to identify another potential cooperating organization from the EI Development Cooperation community.

Establishing an active partnership

If congruency exists, and capacity appears to be sufficient, CTF and the teacher organization enter into an active partnership. This begins with collaborative long-term planning to increase the partner’s capacity to improve the quality of publicly-funded education. The partnership activities may focus on:

• professional development in content areas such as gender, peace, literacy, etc. ;

• research;

• leadership ;

• institutional support.

Projects have a wide variety of intended outcomes ranging from increased membership to more


effective advocacy, from improved working and learning conditions to strengthened public support, and many other possible intended outcomes.

Components of the project cycle

While each project is unique and determined by the context and the aspirations of the partner organization, CTF adheres to its guiding principles and understanding of good practice in support of partners. As such, the following components are often present in a project cycle supported by CTF:

• Clarify content areas (i.e. Teachers’ Action for Learning in areas such as literacy, gender, peace, leadership, etc.);

• Invite CSOs and government departments or agencies with similar interests to an exploratory planning meeting. Such meetings broaden the base of the project and often lead to useful partnerships that assist the organization in future advocacy roles;

• Determine specific goals and intended outcomes, and set current baselines in relation to the goals and outcomes. This is a dynamic process in which the identification of current baselines may cause adjustments to goals and intended outcomes;

• Establish partnerships/relationships with CSOs and government departments or agencies as appropriate and possible;

• Develop an overall multi-year project plan (see below);

• Develop pilot activities as needed (see below);

• Undertake pilot activities;

• Debrief and refine the activities (based upon lessons learned from pilot);

• Compile information and evidence gathered for advocacy purposes in order that teachers have an evidence-based voice at the “Education Table” with government and other stakeholders;

• Revise overall project plan as necessary. This stage may include gathering further baseline data and planning additional pilot workshops as necessary;

• Identify a group of leaders/facilitators;

• Identify specific participant/beneficiary groups;

• Implement the multi-year plan (as described below).

Conducting pilot activities

Depending on the needs identified, and the experience of both CTF and the partner in the content area(s) being addressed, one or more pilot activities may be useful in further identifying needs and appropriate strategies. Pilot activity plans include:

• a detailed session or lesson plans for workshops;

• strategies for collecting information for advocacy purposes about teachers’ needs and possible gaps in the country’s education system;

• mechanisms for gathering participant feedback;

• other mechanisms to gather information on the effectiveness of activities.

Developing a multi-year plan

A plan includes:

• a description of activities;

• a schedule for institutional support (as needed);

• the establishment of criteria and procedures for selecting project participants (i.e. teachers, NTO leaders, PD facilitators, etc.);

• the key dates and locations of activities, including publicity about activities so as to recruit new members and ensure media coverage for public awareness;

• a possible “transition-year” following at least two years of activities. (Such a transition year provides opportunity for the partner to undertake some or all of the project activities without Canadian engagement in order to strengthen internal capacity and more clearly identify areas that require further support);

• ongoing support to project participants;

• ongoing gathering and compiling of information and evidence for advocacy purposes;

• ongoing monitoring and periodic evaluation of the project, extending beyond the life of project activities, with clear articulation of strengths, shortcomings, and outcomes.


Teacher involvement

CTF believes that teachers are professionals with the agency to determine their professional development needs and the ability to offer significant professional support to teacher colleagues and teacher organizations. CTF further believes that teachers learn best from other teachers. And because teaching and learning are reciprocal, it understands that Canadian teachers have much to offer, and also much to learn from teachers in other parts of the world.

Given these beliefs, CTF actively engages teachers as facilitators in its international partnerships and projects. Many of these teachers come from the partner organization, country, or region in which a project is occurring. Their participation is essential to ensure the relevance and sustainability of projects and educational change in a particular country. Engaging local, or regional teachers as facilitators and project leaders also serves to develop the capacity of the partner organization and is essential for sustainability. CTF’s International Program also offers opportunities for Canadian

teachers to volunteer and work with colleagues in Africa, the Caribbean and other locations. Canadian teacher volunteers provide technical expertise to:

• collaboratively develop and facilitate professional development for teacher leaders, community members, and/or under- or untrained teachers;

• transform schools into learning communities;

• conduct research;

• support the development of culturally and contextually relevant teaching and learning materials; and

• strengthen teacher organizations.

Most Canadian teachers who volunteer with CTF’s International Program are engaged through Project Overseas (PO) (which involves over 50 teachers each year). PO is supported through CTF Member organizations’ sponsorship of their members’ participation. Every year, in October or November, interested Canadian teachers, with a minimum of five years teaching experience in Canada, are invited to apply to their provincial

or territorial CTF Member organization. PO offers opportunities for teachers who are new to development cooperation as well as those with significant experience. Member organizations review the applications and recommend teachers as PO candidates. From the applications forwarded by Member organizations, CTF builds teams to meet the needs of overseas partners. Although the specific content of PD workshops varies from country to country, as determined by the needs of the partner NTO, the following aspects of PO apply to all placements:

• Canadian teachers engaged in PO are volunteers whose travel, accommodation, and meal costs are provided for by CTF with generous support from sponsoring Member organizations;

• Canadian teachers involved in PO serve as workshop co-facilitators. Together with a colleague from the partner organization, the Canadian teachers co-plan and co-teach workshops and courses;

• Teams of Canadian teachers begin their specific preparation in February or March;

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• Team leaders meet in February, and an orientation program is provided for all PO teams in July, immediately before project assignments take place. A debriefing of team leaders occurs in October;

• The PD workshops occur in July or August, in various English and French-speaking developing countries;

• The PD workshops usually last three to four weeks.

The PD workshops offered through PO fit within the International Program’s core activity of workshops and address the content area of Teachers’ Action for Teaching and often Teachers’ Action for Gender Equality, Leadership, Literacy, Peace. These workshops are one part of an overall project plan led by a partner NTO and supported by CTF. (Please refer to the section of this document that describes Project Stages for more information).

Every year, CTF’s International Program also engages active and retired Canadian teachers, who belong to CTF Member organizations, as resource persons to provide technical expertise on various partnerships and projects. These resource persons tend to have significant prior experience with development cooperation in education and many are alumni of PO. Canadian teachers who volunteer as resource persons may be engaged for a period of several years in a specific project and they often participate in a number of project activities each year. The specific content and activities of the projects that resource persons are engaged with vary significantly. (Please refer to sections of this document that describe Content Areas and Core Activities for more information).

There are also interesting volunteer opportunities for Canadian teachers here at home. Project planning, facilitator preparation, and communications are some of the ways teachers support CTF’s International Program.

Approximately 65 Canadian teachers volunteer in CTF’s International Program each year. CTF is tremendously grateful to these outstanding teachers and the Member organizations that support their involvement. As it focuses on Teachers’ Action for Learning and joins the EI’s Unite for Quality Education campaign, CTF is also encouraged by the knowledge that Canadian teachers who have been involved in its International Program return to their schools with an enriched understanding of their profession and enhanced skills and knowledge that benefit their students and colleagues.

Member Organization involvement

CTF MOs generously support PO and a variety of projects within CTF’s International Program designed to mobilize teacher action for quality education. In fact, CTF MOs provide the core funding for CTF’s International Program and enable its development cooperation work to be firmly teacher-owned and led. Through the support of its MOs, CTF is able to consolidate and coordinate a substantial response to needs identified by its partners. In harmony with other members of EI, this collaborative approach ensures effective and accountable development cooperation. In recent years, the combined contributions of CTF, its MOs, partner organizations, and in some cases other EI cooperating organizations, have made it possible for CTF to provide significant support to

core activities and content areas in partnership with regional and national teacher organizations throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

CTF has a commitment to consult regularly with MOs and do so through program planning and review workshops, CTF National Staff meetings, and ongoing dialogue. By working together with others, CTF’s International Program continues to grow.

Opportunities also exist for MO leadership and staff, with relevant experience and interest, to participate directly as resource persons in some of the projects within CTF’s International Program. In recent years, MO staff members have served as facilitators, mentors, and leaders on projects or initiatives such as:

• the JTF program, including specific multi-year projects on collective bargaining and information and communications technology throughout the Caribbean;

• Teachers’ Action for Girls in East and West Africa;

• planning and evaluation missions for specific partnerships and projects in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

CTF invites continued and increased engagement and support of its International Program from MOs. Their financial contributions beyond PO sponsorship make possible partnership activities related to Teachers’ Action for Teaching, Teacher Organizations and Gender Equality. (Please refer to sections of this document that describe Content Areas and Core Activities for more information).


CSO civil society organization

CTF Canadian Teachers’ Federation

EI Education International

JTF John Thompson Fellowship (program)

MO Member organization (of CTF)

NTO national teacher organization

PATC Pan African Teachers’ Centre

PD professional development

PO Project Overseas

acronYms conTacT us

For further information regarding CTF’s International Program, please contact:

Alex Davidson Program Officer [email protected]

Salwa Maadarani Executive Assistant [email protected]

Tim Johnston

Tim Johnston

Teachers’ acTion for Learning · the heart of every CTF international partnership and project,...

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