Global Schoolroom seeks to promote the sharing of educational experience between communities worldwide to help eradicate poverty, promote economic development and build sustainable communities.

In furthering this goal we work directly with teachers and communities to build a strong framework for high standards of teacher education. Once in place, the Global Schoolroom programme is designed to be sustained by local networks.

This is achieved through the forging of respectful links between educational partners to their mutual benefit. This sharing of good educational practices enriches the collective educational experience, widens the cultural horizons of everyone involved and expands each individual’s scope for opportunity. Children in the communities involved receive a better quality education which ultimately leads to greater economic development and higher standards of living.

In practical terms this involves:

• The recruitment of experienced teachers each December to travel to India or Uganda in the following July to work with their colleagues as part of the four week face-to-face element of the Global Schoolroom Diploma in Teacher Education.
• For the teachers travelling, this is typically a once off experience with preparatory training and preparation provided to them in Ireland over 5 to 6 weekends prior to July and an independent debriefing and evaluation session following their return.
• These teachers are encouraged to maintain their links with Global Schoolroom thereafter through the alumni network and to involve their pupils in the experience.
• Some teachers volunteer to travel on the programme in subsequent years.
• For the teachers travelling from Ireland, University College Dublin (UCD) offers an M.A. in Education in Mentoring to Global Schoolroom volunteers built around their Global Schooroom experience.
• For the Indian and Ugandan teachers involved, the sessions each July form part of a 3 year Diploma in Teacher Educationaccredited by UCD. Those who graduate may be offered the possibility to participate as volunteers on future Global Schoolroom programmes
• The sessions each July include 2 weeks of intensive seminars and workshops during which the teachers share their educational experiences with one another.
• The visiting teachers then join the local teachers in their schools working with them to apply in situ the techniques and methodologies developed together during the previous two weeks.
• Further application and implementation is required throughout the year to help complete assignments for formal assessment in Global Schoolroom workbooks. A local tutor/mentor system and ‘critical friend’ groups have been set up locally to facilitate this process.
• Mid year reviews are undertaken in country by Global Schoolroom each February.
• Assessment of written work is done each July by a UCD member of staff.