Quality education

Individual task. Draw a timeline from now onto the next 10 or 20 years. Set milestones, think of goals you want to achieve in life.
What does it take to get there?
What are the obstacles that you could be confronted with?
How could you overcome those obstacles?
What environmental/climate challenges could occur that might affect your ability to achieve these goals?
How could you ensure that you progress in a way that supports and promotes sustainability?
What possible detours could you take?
What forms of education do you need to get to these milestones?
Share your findings with a partner and exchange your ideas and give feedback.

Work in pairs. Read through the infographic on education, skills and jobs, and discuss strategies to achieve these proclaimed changes if the SDGs are applied. Come up with 2-3 different strategies and present at least one to the class.

Watch films that give insight into education around the world. See, for example:

• Time for School
• 5 Must-Watch Documentaries About Education From Around The World

Discuss differences and what they show about education e.g. opportunities it provides, challenges it presents, differences in access.

Introduce the Sustainable Development Goals, explaining that these are a set of targets launched in September 2015 with the aim of promoting sustainable development worldwide. One of the Sustainable Development Goals is for everyone to have access to quality education (SDG 4). Get students to consider to whom they might write (e.g. a local or national politician) and then write a letter asking them to support this SDG. In their letter, students should try to quote some of the data from here.

Students should explain why they think this SDG is of particular importance and use examples to extend their ideas. Students should draw on persuasive writing techniques.

Group work. In groups of 3-4 investigate innovative forms of education, teaching and learning from a holistic perspective, i.e. include students’ academic, social, cultural and physical development and consider the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability.
Draw a flipchart where you present your findings to the class. Discuss the various ideas presented and think of the possibilities and what it would take to implement these ideas.

Homework: Individually, go to What Can You Do? and look at the section wcydo (What Can You Do?). Think of 4 possible actions that you can take and discuss these with your friends and family. Identify steps that you could take soon and set target deadlines.

Split students into groups of 3 or 4. Ask each group of students to draw a large outline or silhouette of a person. Ask them to think about what qualities and characteristics an educated person might have. Students should write these in the silhouette of the person.

Next ask them to draw a big circle around the silhouette of the person to represent the world. Students should now discuss what the qualities and characteristics of a world full of educated people would be and write these down.

Students can also add pictures and symbols to their drawing. Ask groups of students to share their ideas.

With students in pairs, ask them to think about the opportunities that could open up as a result of getting quality education. Ask them to come up with a list of five opportunities to share with the class.

Language Treasure Hunt. For students to experience a situation where they cannot find their way because they are unable to speak the language, to empathise with those who are refugees in a new country.
Consider the students in your class. Are there any learners that can speak an additional language to the one used for instruction in school? These could include languages that use a different alphabet. Gather these students together and ask for their help.

• Ask this group of students to make some signposts in their additional languages for common places you would find in a local community such as ‘Pharmacy’ or ‘Chemist’, ‘Supermarket’, ‘School’, ‘Police Station’, ‘Train Station’, ‘Library’, ‘Hospital’, ‘Shop’, ‘Doctor’, ‘Bus Stop’ etc. Make sure the signs contain only words.
• Ask the children to position themselves around the room or a larger space holding up their signs. Ask them to only speak in their language for the full duration of the lesson.
• Explain to the students that they will be asked to complete some simple tasks, similar to those that a newly arrived refugee might need to complete.
• Tell the students that they can ask for help from others and that if they have access to the internet they can also use that too. Let them set off on their ‘hunt’.

Show or handout a copy of a map demonstrating the unequal nature of access to education around the world. Ask students to discuss the following questions:

• What does the data show about education access in their own country and continent?
• How does this compare with other countries and continents in the world?
• What does it show about education levels or access around the world?
• Do students think that there is fair access to education across the world?

Class project. Set up a partnership with another school from the Global South in which you raise funds to support a student and/or teacher exchange. This will allow students from both schools to experience a different setting. It is important to emphasise that learning occurs in both directions and to avoid any stereotyping of rich/poor settings. To avoid the travel element, meetings via a video platform can be arranged based on questions raised by students on both sides of the partnership with each class conducting research and preparing presentations in answer to questions.

For further advice on school linking see this pdf document.