Unique:
 
Please forgive us as we take an extremely cynical view of traditional Study Abroad.  While we understand that traditional Study Abroad programs certainly benefit the participants, its not completely inaccurate to say that most study abroad programs consist of sending students to a foreign university where they are warehoused in the foreign dormitory (with all the other foreign students) and study the local language and perhaps a bit of culture and history in a classroom setting not all that different than they left.  Perhaps we are being harsh when we suggest that, often, their most significant intercultural experience is ordering the local beer.  In our opinion, these types of study abroad experiences, while valuable and worthwhile, are still wasted opportunities.

 

 

TEFL International, in partnership with Design for Change (www.designforchangecontest.com) , offers something that we believe is completely unique in Study Abroad.  A Service Learning project that involves learning new skills, helping others gain new skills, empowering children, becoming truly involved in, and even improving the local communities, and, dare we say it?  Changing the world.

 

 

 

 

World-changing

How can we be so audacious as to suggest that mere university students from the United States can change the world?  The term “Think globally, act locally” seems extremely apt here.  Instead of developing projects from the “top down”, students are encouraged and allowed to tackle local issues of their own choosing, yet at the same time doing so in a way that empowers local students.

Step 1:  TESOL training

Upon arrival in country, the students will receive professional training in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).  This 120-hour course involves the following components:
 

- Language Awareness (Grammar and Phonology)
- TESOL Methodology
- Lesson Planning
- Peer Teaching
- Observed teaching Practice

 

 

Step 2:  Contest training

The student will also be trained in the Design for Change contest.   Design For Change is a world-changing contest for children, and a children-changing contest for the world. Children are given a simple task: design a solution to a problem in your community and make it happen!

The purpose of the project is to:
 

- Help children believe that they matter.
- Help them discover that change can happen and that they can become drivers of it.
- Help them to believe, "we Can!"

The Contest is designed to be flexible and 'teacher friendly' - allowing each participating school to design its own project, in its own way, to fit with school terms, holidays, and other curriculum demands.

The contest started in India in 2009 at the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, India. Incredibly, the contest reached 33,000 schools.

 

 

Riverside School's Founder and Head Teacher Kiran Bir Sethi was invited to speak about the project at the TED India Conference in November 2009.  This presentation sparked a global response and Design for Change Contests are now being held throughout the world, with more countries and regions signing up month.

For more information on Design For Change see www.designforchangecontest.com

Step 3:  Teach the contest

Upon arrival at the host school the student will go about teaching the contest to the teachers and school students and preparing to run the contest.  Their skills gained in their TESOL training will be very much put to use during this step.

Step 4:  Prepare and run the contest

Small groups of school students will submit project proposals and a panel from the school and local community as organized by the student will choose the winner.

Step 5:  Implement the winning contest

The student, along with the host school students and teachers, will implement the winning contest proposal.

Step 6:  Document the entire process

The student then creates a website or Facebook page that shows and explains steps 3, 4 and 5.

Step 7:  The student then reports back to their university adviser about the entire process-steps 1 to 6.

By the time the student has completed steps 1 through 7, they will have:
 

- Gained a new skill (TESOL)
- Helped others gain new skills (improving their English abilities)
- Empowered the school students by showing them that they can improve their own communities
- Became truly involved in, and even improving the local communities by implementing the winning contest proposal
- Possibly gained a new world view
- Certainly gained memories that they will never forget
- Changed the world—for themselves and probably for the hundreds of people they touch as they complete this project

 

 

Safe

TEFL International shares your concern for safety.  If all of your students do not return home safely, even the best most interesting and worthy project has been a failure.  We cannot stop bad things from ever happening, but we have a perfect safety record even after assisting over 13,000 students in 30 different international locations for over a decade.  How?
Over a decade of experience preparing students in:

Pre-arrival
- Visa
- Insurance
- Arrival information
- Appropriate apparel
- Things to bring, things not to bring

Arrival
- Airport pick up and all local transfers
- Local mobile phone provided upon arrival
- Housing
- Orientation
- Cultural training

Local Support
- A local's knowledge of the culture and community
- Bilingual Local Support Staff
- 24/7 local emergency contact
- Local English-speaking medical assistance
- Deep community ties
 
We are international experts.  It is not just a job, its a way of life.  we have been living overseas for 20 years and we am proud to say our US “corporate headquarters” is my parents home which we use for a registered address.

 

 

Affordable

For $790 we will provide:

- A full 120-hour TESOL certificate course
- Three months of housing
- Full travel and health insurance
- All pre-departure and local support
 

We would be surprised if you could find any similar program with similar support for less than $6,000.  And we will donate $300 from every students fees to Design for Change.

Airfare is not included.

Fully documented

One of the great things about this project is that it requires full and open documentation not only for the contest but for the benefit of the college advisers as a Capstone project and the benefit of world!

Credit-worthy

TEFL International and our Service learning projects have been reviewed for credit by Dr. Bill Leon from our former partnership with the University of Washington.  His full evaluation is available upon request. He evaluated the TEFL International course alone to be worth six semester credits.

The additional volunteer teaching and contest organization and implementation are also certainly credit worthy.  It is our hope that this project can result in at least 12 credits, allowing students to retain full-time student status and use financial aid.

Interdisciplinary

One of the unique aspects of this project is that it can be structured to incorporate nearly any major or focus of study.   How?  Well in a perfect world, the winning entry might also be relevant to the students major.  However, if it is not, there is nothing which stops the student from running a second contest with a special emphasis.

As an example, the students arrives at his placement school and runs the contest.  The winning entry is about an environmental issue, like cleaning up the beach.  This winning project can be completed first.  Then, upon completion, the student can run a second target with a special focus—a focus of their choice.

Flexible

 

- Groups are not necessary.  Single students may attend at the same fee.  Groups can be arranged and a discount offered.
- We have monthly start dates all year round so students can begin at any time of the year.
- The length of the project can be as little as 2 months and as long as the student and college adviser require.