About the Distance Teaching Project
We know that students learn 90% of what they teach and only 20% of what they consume. We also know that students cannot truly learn what they are studying unless there is an emotional connection with the content. The Distance Teaching Project was designed to allow students from the Kibera Slum and students in rural Northeastern Pennsylvania to share learning with each other.
After a cultural exchange through Skype with students at the Cheery Education Centre in Kibera, students at the Wallenpaupack South Elementary School in Northeastern Pennsylvania asked how they could help their new friends. The Wallenpaupack students noticed that the classrooms in Kibera were not as well equipped as those in Pennsylvania.
This led to a partnership in which students in Pennsylvania began sharing mathematical concepts through video using materials that were unavailable in Kibera. In exchange, students in Kibera began sharing their learning in Swahili to students in Pennsylvania who rarely hear foreign languages spoken in their community. Each group of students was giving the other access to a learning opportunity that would otherwise be unavailable.
As other teachers became aware of the power of global peer teaching, the project has expanded. Students in India began sharing their favorite Physical Education activities. High School students in France began teaching French. Students in Ohio started demonstrating science concepts with hands-on materials that are unavailable in the slums. Teachers in China, Venezuela, and New York have signed on to have their students teach Asian art techniques, Spanish, and reading strategies in the new year.
Participating teachers communicate with each other through regular interactions in a Skype group chat and monthly group Skype calls. In addition, many of the participating students have had the chance to meet their new friends face to face through Skype to build cross-continental relationships. These interactions are vital to building the bonds that allow students to feel the impact of their teaching.
We believe that students of the world working together, solving problems, and building understanding, creates a better tomorrow for all of us. When students learn in order to share that learning with others they get the dual benefit of deeper understanding and intrinsic joy that comes with helping others. Children who feel the joy of helping others at young ages become adults who affect positive change in the world.
You can learn more about how the Distance Teaching Project came into existence in Mike Soskil's talk at the 2014 Social Good Summit below. The Project is mentioned about 9 minutes into the talk.
After a cultural exchange through Skype with students at the Cheery Education Centre in Kibera, students at the Wallenpaupack South Elementary School in Northeastern Pennsylvania asked how they could help their new friends. The Wallenpaupack students noticed that the classrooms in Kibera were not as well equipped as those in Pennsylvania.
This led to a partnership in which students in Pennsylvania began sharing mathematical concepts through video using materials that were unavailable in Kibera. In exchange, students in Kibera began sharing their learning in Swahili to students in Pennsylvania who rarely hear foreign languages spoken in their community. Each group of students was giving the other access to a learning opportunity that would otherwise be unavailable.
As other teachers became aware of the power of global peer teaching, the project has expanded. Students in India began sharing their favorite Physical Education activities. High School students in France began teaching French. Students in Ohio started demonstrating science concepts with hands-on materials that are unavailable in the slums. Teachers in China, Venezuela, and New York have signed on to have their students teach Asian art techniques, Spanish, and reading strategies in the new year.
Participating teachers communicate with each other through regular interactions in a Skype group chat and monthly group Skype calls. In addition, many of the participating students have had the chance to meet their new friends face to face through Skype to build cross-continental relationships. These interactions are vital to building the bonds that allow students to feel the impact of their teaching.
We believe that students of the world working together, solving problems, and building understanding, creates a better tomorrow for all of us. When students learn in order to share that learning with others they get the dual benefit of deeper understanding and intrinsic joy that comes with helping others. Children who feel the joy of helping others at young ages become adults who affect positive change in the world.
You can learn more about how the Distance Teaching Project came into existence in Mike Soskil's talk at the 2014 Social Good Summit below. The Project is mentioned about 9 minutes into the talk.
Distance Teaching Project Teachers
- Michael Soskil, Wallenpaupack Area School District, Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, USA
- Livingstone Kegode - Havila Children's Center, Nairobi, Kenya
- Emmily Minayo - Cheery Children's Education Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
- Sophie Gaiffe - Collège Jean Rostand, Draguignan, France
- Reema Kahar - Fountainhead School, Surat, Gujarat, India
- Arin Kress - Park Street Intermediate School, Grove City, Ohio, USA
- Shuli Li (Pearl) - Shenzhen High School of Science, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
- Lisa Parisi - Denton Avenue Elementary School, New Hyde Park, New York, USA
- Julio Rojas - Liceo Nacional Jose Luis Ramos, Maracay, Venezuela