CLiP Launches First Series of Online Classes with Global Attendance
The Refugee Educator Academy began the new year with a bang, marked by many activities for practitioners and refugee educators. The Center for Learning in Practice’s first webinar launched in January, and its first series of online courses for teachers of refugees. On January 4, Dr. Sarah Dryden-Peterson, Harvard School of Education, facilitated a webinar, “Integrated or Specialized? Making Choices about the Design and Delivery of Refugee Education.” The Carey Institute received an overwhelming response from educators across the globe. While seats were limited for the first webinar, CLiP will be offering additional webinars and related online materials to accommodate those who were unable to attend.
CLiP also launched three online courses designed for teachers of refugees: Communities of Practice: Designing Peer-Leaning for Teachers of Teachers of Refugees facilitated by Nancy White; Introduction to Knowledge Sharing for Refugee Educators facilitated by Dr. Nancy Dixon; and Introduction to Peer Coaching and Mobile Mentoring for Refugee Educators, facilitated by Professor Emerita Rosemary Arca. Participants enrolled from more than 10 states and 20 countries representing Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Students have expressed both enthusiasm and appreciation of these courses.
Madhulika, an educator enrolled in the Introduction to Peer Coaching and Mobile Mentoring for Refugee Educators course reflecting on the value of the coursework says, “it serves as a self-reminder to me on following a reflective approach towards coaching, and even peer mentoring other faculty members at my current workplace. It is not just about imparting knowledge, but ensuring how the entire teaching and learning moment was perceived and its outcomes.”
The Center for Learning in Practice is in the process of developing an online resource library for refugee educators. This virtual library will contain the latest research from leaders in the field, resources for improved learning outcomes and engagement, as well as supplemental readings from online courses offered by CLiP. This library is open to any educator, anywhere in the world. According to CLiP Director, Dr. Diana Woolis, “we are getting tremendous feedback from participants around the world about the high caliber of our course facilitators. These learning leaders have been incredibly generous with their time and with their expertise in getting the Refugee Educator Academy off the ground. We are already creating enrollment requests for the next cohort!”