Teachers Without Borders is an international organization launched in 2000 with a mission to connect teachers to information and each other in order to close the education divide and based upon the premise that teachers are community change agents and key catalysts of global development priorities. The organization was founded by , a former principal.
Accomplishments
Teachers Without Borders received the ' for Outstanding Peace Education, recognized for a free Peace Education program involving teachers from regions in conflict, for having embedded peace education into all TWB courses, and its Voice of Teachers Radio Show in Nigeria. Teachers Without Borders received the for its use of radio and local educational capacity building to disseminate information about the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. In 2018, TWB's membership has reached 177 countries. Teachers Without Borders membership is free and enables local educators the opportunity to connect with colleagues globally. Teachers Without Borders also received the ' for "outstanding work in the promotion of peace through efforts to convene teachers from regions in conflict, provide unfettered access to courses and networks devoted to teacher professional development, and to ensure that peace education is integrated into all initiatives. The formal announcement can be viewed .
Approach
Teachers Without Borders claims that teachers represent the largest professional community in the world ; that teachers are uniquely suited as local leaders to recognize and help address development needs; that professional isolation and inconsequential or missing teacher professional development undermines social change; and that the transformation of pre-service and in-service teacher development can bring about more sustainable, equitable, democratic, and economically stable societies.
Initiatives and Courses
Teachers Without Borders' initiatives and courses are offered in various formats and settings: online, in schools, as community workshops, in books and journals, and on the radio. All programs have been conceived and led by Teachers Without Borders' members and partners around the world. Content of all TWB and are free and governed by the least restrictive Creative Commons license. Initiatives include: , , , , , and . as well as several teacher pre-service and in-service professional development opportunities - including a five-course Certificate of Teaching Mastery program. Most Teachers Without Borders initiatives are accompanied by offered independently, at universities such as , and through the , an online MOOC provider. Those courses include: '; ; ; the five course ; a course on ICTs for educators entitled: '; and .
Flagship Programs
Education in Emergencies
The works with teachers on preparedness and planning to avoid crises or lessen their impacts, education amidst emergencies, and in the reconstruction phase. Teachers Without Borders has also helped to launch Parsquake, a consortium of NGOs devoted to earthquake science and safety throughout Persian speaking countries particularly vulnerable and seismically active regions of the world. This program was initiated after the 2008 earthquake in the Sichuan region of China and, in 2011, will engage and support teachers in Finland.The program also supports emergency relief, reconstruction and recovery efforts in areas hit by natural disasters, such as the 2010 floods in Pakistan. The online MOOC, entitled , is available without cost.
The helps teachers promote peace in their classrooms and communities. Content of is available without cost. The is available to the public as a MOOC and has been offered for Continuing Education Units at Johns Hopkins University.
Girls' Education
Teachers Without Borders' address four central themes: access education in emergencies public health, and empowerment. The organization addresses these four themes by connecting global educators to NGOs working in the field; offering a free and low-fee course: in partnership with Johns Hopkins University and through the Canvas Network; and by promoting a - designed to ensure access to earthquake science education for teachers and schools in seismically-vulnerable communities around the world.
Certificate of Teaching Mastery
Teachers Without Borders' Certificate of Teaching Mastery helped to pioneer global access to online teacher professional development through Rice University's "connexions" program, and is available without cost on the Canvas course platform. It consists of five courses that help teachers improve their professional knowledge, classroom practice, and leadership skills. This program has been deployed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Mexico and Peru
