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Botswana: Teaching and Learning in Southern Africa

Why Botswana?

The beautiful country of Botswana, with its rich history and culture, provides an excellent location for field work in English primary schools.  The country's commitment to education is evidenced by the founding of the University of Botswana in 1982 when Batswana and other stakeholders made contributions of all types, including cash, cattle, grain, eggs, towards fundraising to establish a campus in Gaborone. 

Botswana is one of Africa's most stable countries - economically and politically. The capital city of Gaborone is a fast growing city that with a booming central business district within sight of traditional villages. 

Course description

This travel seminar centers around 32 hours of field experience within Botswanan primary schools, working with children and teachers. On-site seminar classes will focus on preparation for the field experiences, as well as on reflective practice, and written analysis of placement experiences with the context and culture. Focused observation templates will be utilized to guide classroom experiences in local elementary schools. Local experts in Botswana will provide a range of guest lectures on topics including the impact of race, gender, ethnicity, language and class in the Botswanan education system, along with other issues, opportunities and challenges within their education system.

Additionally, students will engage in a range of co-curricular and cultural activities such as a weekend homestay with a host family, tour of Gaborone, community engagement, as well as an overnight excursion to Mokolodi Nature Reserve. 

 

 

 

Learning goals

• Analyze the goals and purpose of schooling in the context of the culture and history of Botswana.
• Enact a multidimensional perspective of education.
• Evaluate and expand intercultural awareness and respect.
• Examine personal and positionalities to prepare for international learning experiences.
• Engage in thoughtful dialogue and active engagement in field placement experiences in Gaborone.
• Reflect, discuss and write about the impact of race, gender, native language, ethnicity and class in Botswana's school curriculum.
• Formulate a research question, a hypothesis, and a general plan for investigating an issue or concern based on experiences in Botswana.
• Integrate research, reflections, observation notes and field experiences to create a multimedia presentation. 

Sample Itinerary