1. Broadening Teaching Perspective:
Teacher Exchange Programs
“ We cannot hold a torch to light
another’s path without brightening
our own”
-Ben Sweetland

2. To become a global teacher, you
need to broaden your teaching
perspective. Expanding your
experiences beyond the confines
of your classroom to the wider
learning environment of the world
is one of the many avenues in
order to achieve a level of global
competitiveness.
Introduction

3. 1. Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF)
The Visiting International Faculty Program is
the United States’ largest program for teachers and
schools. It is dedicated to transforming lives through
international exchange of teachers.
A. VIF Purposes and Beliefs
It is the intention of the VIF to ensure that
students, educators and communities worldwide reap
the benefits of international education.
Let us take a closer look the to program to increase the
perspective of teachers

4. The Program believes in the following
principles:
a. all schools should have at least
one international exchange teacher.
b. all students should be exposed to
variety of exchange teachers during
their academic careers.
c. all communities should have an
equal opportunity to develop globally
literate citizens to help build a
foundation for success in the global
market place.

5. B. History of Visiting International
Faculty Program
The program started 19 years ago.
It was founded in 1987 and began
accepting teachers from other countries
of the world to teach Kindergarten up to
grade 12 in 1989. this project is in
cooperation with the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction

6. 2. Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program
Since 1946, the Fulbright Teacher Exchange
Program has helped nearly 23,000 teachers and
school administrators to promote mutual
understanding between the United States and
countries around the world.
3. Inter-African Teacher Exchange
The objectives of this program are to provide
opportunity for African teachers to learn from
teaching environment in other African countries and
also aimed to extend experiences and widen the
horizon of African teachers by encouraging exchange
visits to countries outside the Africa as well.

7. 4. Canadian Educators Exchange
The Canadian Education Exchange Foundation
is a non-profit foundation which handles both
student and educator exchanges. International
educational exchanges offer educators and their
students an opportunity to broaden their
understanding of one another’s cultures, customs and
languages.
5. Global Teachers Millennium Awards
Although this program is limited only to
participating countries, it is important to learn that
the Global Teacher Exchange program contributes to
the quality of teachers worldwide.

8. The Global Teacher Exchange Program commits to
improving the quality of Education in South
Africa, Ghana, Uganda, and the UK and to promote
partnership between the North and South African
countries. The program aims to:
a. change the lives of UK educators, personally, and
professionally by encouraging them to fulfill their
aspiration and use their talents in innovative ways;
b. ensure benefits for staff and pupils of UK schools
and their local communities through the
dissemination of innovative development education.
c. support the aims and activities of Link’s educational
programs in South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda.
d. set a standard and develop a model for other
similar scheme.

9. It is the intent of the program to achieve learning
outcomes among the target partners of the UK in terms
of:
a. increased knowledge of people and life in developing
countries.
b. better understanding of how UK is linked with other
countries.
c. more positive attitudes towards people and life in
developing countries-challenging stereotypes and
beliefs in shared humanity.
d. more positive towards multicellular nature of UK
society-challenging of stereotypes and embracing of
diversity.

10. A Global Teacher in this program is described as someone who:
a. thinks and act both locally and globally;
b. embraces the world’s rich variety of ways of life’
c. understand how world is interconnected.
d. is committed to making the world a more equitable place;
e. believes in education for sustainable development
f. has professional and personal skills to share and to learn;
g. brings the world into their classroom, school and community;
h. encourages dialogue and partnership between the North and the
South
i. can inspire others to act as Global teachers.

11. The various activities of the Global Teacher Exchange
Program have provided learning experiences to the
participating teachers in the development of their
personal and professional lives. The main changes which
resulted from the program are summarized by the
following statements of the teacher participants:
“ As a result of the participating in the
scheme, I have developed my ability to mentor
students and staff and have developed a more
consultative leadership style in my school”
“ the best thing I have ever done. I have come
back a different person-more
understanding, more sensitive to the needs of
the others. The impact of this Award will stay
with me forever.”

12. It is interesting to note that
these programs give teachers
the opportunity to live their
personal and professional
lives in another context, in
another setting, in another
country, thus strengthening
their skills in understanding
diversity and multiculturalism.