What kind of resources are available through the Quality Holistic Learning Project?

The project offers free Open Educational Resources (OER), including introductory courses and workshops, available in English, French, and Arabic. They also offer micro-credentials for teachers to implement and be accredited for their skills.

What are the biggest challenges faced by teachers in refugee contexts like Kakuma Camp?

Teachers in refugee camps like Kakuma face challenges such as large class sizes (over 100 students), inadequate resources, limited technological integration, high teacher turnover, extreme poverty affecting students' ability to afford education, and issues like early marriage and drug addiction.

How does the Quality Holistic Learning Project differ from traditional teacher training?

The project emphasizes a collaborative approach where teachers are seen as learners and co-creators, not just trainees. It promotes total respect, real empathy, and motivational, fun, and inclusive learning methods, involving teachers directly in producing resources relevant to their contexts.

How can teachers effectively support displaced students with social and emotional needs?

Teachers can support displaced students by building strong relationships, understanding their backgrounds and challenges, offering psychosocial support, and creating a safe, family-like learning environment. This includes acknowledging sensitive topics and showing compassion.

What is the role of relationships between teachers and students in challenging contexts?

Establishing strong relationships is crucial, transforming the teacher-student dynamic into one of trust and support, similar to a family or mentor-mentee bond. This allows students to confide in teachers and feel supported, which is vital for their learning and well-being, especially in displacement.

What are the future plans for the Quality Holistic Learning Project?

Future plans include potential expansion, possibly honing in on specific regions. The team is focused on dissemination, exploring digital reach, gathering more data, and developing ideas for an app tied to social-emotional learning.

Key Moments

Stories from Educators in Displacement - Migration Summit 2023

Q: What is the Quality Holistic Learning Project?

The Quality Holistic Learning Project is an initiative that co-creates professional development resources for educators working with marginalized and displaced children. It focuses on social-emotional learning, psychosocial support, asset-based pedagogies, and differentiated instruction.

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Education3 min read58 min video

May 24, 2023|38 views|1

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Teachers in displacement share powerful stories using holistic learning to support refugee students.

Key Insights

The Quality Holistic Learning (QHL) project empowers refugee and displaced educators by co-creating open educational resources.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) and psychosocial support are critical for addressing the complex needs of refugee students.

Asset-based pedagogies and differentiated instruction help teachers tailor learning to diverse student backgrounds and challenges.

Building strong, empathetic relationships with students is fundamental to fostering well-being and academic success in displacement contexts.

Teachers in refugee settings face significant challenges including large class sizes, resource scarcity, and high dropout rates.

Co-created resources, available in multiple languages, enable teachers to adapt professional development to their specific contexts.

THE MIGRATION SUMMIT AND THE QHL PROJECT

The Migration Summit is a month-long global community event focused on building bridges for refugee and migrant communities, with this year's theme being 'Creating Pathways.' The session highlights the Quality Holistic Learning (QHL) project, initiated by Childhood Education International two years ago. This project brings together educators from Lebanon, Niger, and Kenya to co-create professional development resources specifically designed to support teachers working with marginalized and displaced children. These resources are freely available and focus on critical areas like social and emotional learning, psychosocial support, asset-based pedagogies, and differentiated instruction.

CHALLENGES IN REFUgee EDUCATION SETTINGS

Educators in displacement contexts face numerous hurdles. Vianney, a teacher in Kakuma Camp, Kenya, describes overcrowded classrooms with over a hundred students, inadequate resources, and limited technological integration. High dropout rates due to school fees, early marriage, drug addiction, and extreme poverty further complicate the educational landscape. The constant rotation of newly qualified teachers, many lacking significant experience, coupled with the preference of experienced educators for more stable government jobs, creates a persistent challenge in maintaining consistent, quality instruction.

HOListic LEARNING AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL APPROACH

The QHL project's approach to professional development is transformative, emphasizing a collaborative learning environment where teachers are considered fellows, bringing their unique contributions to the table. This process fosters mutual respect and empathy, moving beyond traditional expert-led training. The training integrates fun and creative learning methods, including journaling, leading tasks, and continuous communication, crucially involving teachers in the production of open educational resources tailored to their real-world contexts, making the learning stick and directly applicable to their classrooms.

SEL AND RELATIONSHIPS IN NIGER: HADIZA'S STORY

Hadiza, an EFL teacher in Niger, shares her experience using QHL principles to support a refugee student on the verge of dropping out due to difficult living conditions and epilepsy. By fostering a personal relationship, offering mental and some financial support, and using social-emotional learning and psychosocial support techniques, Hadiza helped the student remain in school. This relationship evolved from teacher-student to a near mother-daughter connection, evident in a touching Mother's Day poem the student sent. Hadiza highlights how vital it is to acknowledge students' social status and individual needs, transforming her classroom into a supportive, family-like environment.

EMPATHY AND CONNECTION IN LEBANON: JIHAD'S STORY

Jihan, an English teacher in Lebanon working with Syrian refugee students, illustrates the impact of holistic learning through a poignant classroom incident. During a lesson on family, a student became visibly distressed, having lost her father in the Syrian war. Instead of merely excusing her, as might have happened in the past, Jihan adapted the lesson to acknowledge diverse family structures and the complexities of loss, ensuring the student felt seen and supported within the group. This demonstrated Jihan's deepened understanding of her students' backgrounds and the critical importance of building trusting relationships, where students can confide in teachers as they would a parent.

EMPOWERING TEACHERS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY

The QHL project's open educational resources, including introductory courses, workshops, and micro-credentials available in French, Arabic, and English, are designed to offer practical tools for educators. These resources empower teachers to implement asset-based pedagogies and differentiated instruction effectively. The fellows' active leadership in co-creating and disseminating these materials fosters a sense of community and shared purpose. This collaborative spirit extends to encouraging connections with parents to better understand students' contexts and challenges, ultimately aiming to create a sense of belonging for both students and educators within the profession.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Organizations

●Concepts

Common Questions

The Migration Summit is a month-long global community meeting designed to connect diverse groups, including learners, universities, companies, and teachers, to address challenges and opportunities for refugee and migrant communities. Its theme this year is 'Creating Pathways'.

Topics

Teacher Training Refugee Education Holistic Learning Asset-Based Pedagogy Differentiated Instruction Open Educational Resources Teacher Resilience Cross-Cultural Education

Mentioned in this video

conceptDifferentiated Instruction

A key focus of the Quality Holistic Learning Project, involving tailoring instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners, particularly in displacement contexts.

organizationChildhood Education International

The organization hosting the Quality Holistic Learning Project, providing resources and support for educators working with marginalized and displaced children.

locationKakuma Camp

A refugee camp in Kenya hosting over 10 nationalities, characterized by diversity but also facing challenges like large class sizes, poverty, and high dropout rates.

conceptMicro-credentials

Accreditation opportunities offered through the Quality Holistic Learning Project, allowing teachers to demonstrate and be recognized for implementing learned skills, available in multiple languages.

conceptSocial and Emotional Learning

A core theme of the Quality Holistic Learning Project, focusing on helping learners manage emotions, build relationships, and make responsible decisions.

conceptAsset-Based Pedagogies

A pedagogical approach emphasized in the Quality Holistic Learning Project, focusing on leveraging the strengths and existing resources of learners and communities.

conceptPsychosocial Support

One of the four key themes of the Quality Holistic Learning Project, aimed at supporting learners' mental and emotional well-being, especially those from displacement backgrounds.

conceptOpen Educational Resources (OER)

Free and accessible learning materials created through the Quality Holistic Learning Project, designed for teachers' professional development and adaptable to various teaching modalities.

legislationSyrian War

The conflict that led to the displacement of many students Jihan teaches in Lebanon, impacting their family structures and emotional well-being.

conceptQuality Holistic Learning Project

A project focused on co-creating professional development resources for educators working with marginalized and displaced children, emphasizing social-emotional learning, psychosocial support, asset-based pedagogies, and differentiated instruction.

organizationPorticus Foundation

The funding organization for the Quality Holistic Learning Project.

conceptCompetency-Based Curriculum

A curriculum framework for which the 'Correcting Handbook for Holistic Learning' was developed to be implemented in Kenya, integrating social-emotional learning.