Beyond Ourselves is partnering with schools in the UK to teach British children about Zambia and to facilitate meaningful relationships with schools in Zambia. We believe it is important for children to learn about cultures different from their own and have the opportunity to engage in relationships with people from other countries.
We have developed a scheme of work for upper Key Stage 2 that includes a series of geography lessons as well as suggestions of cross-curricular lessons. The scheme of work includes a resource box full of photos and artefacts from Zambia, which are a fantastic way to encourage hands on learning. There are also ideas for activities that can be done with a class in the UK and then shared with a class in Zambia to build relationships with one another. This way the children are not just learning about one another but with one another too.
We also believe in people experiencing Zambia first hand. We are sending our first team of people from the education profession to Zambia this year. This team will be working alongside Zambian teachers as well has having the opportunity to visit the homes of the school children to get insight into the lives of the school children.
There are many exciting ways to make connections between UK and Zambian Schools. In 2011 the Year 6’s at Cranbrook School in London have used the scheme of work to learn about Zambia. Exchanging letters and portrait drawings with a class at Janna School in Zambia has been a highlight for the students. Cranleigh School in Surrey is fundraising to build Kawama School a classroom block and is sending several teams to build the school alongside local labourers.