Education/News/January 2022/Welcoming new trainers of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program
Welcoming new trainers of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program
In 2020, along with Wikimedia affiliates in Bolivia, Morocco and the Philippines, the Education team at the Wikimedia Foundation piloted the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program with the participation of hundreds of secondary school teachers in the three countries. Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom is an 8-week online professional development opportunity for secondary school teachers to learn how to approach Wikipedia as a pedagogical tool. The curriculum is designed in alignment with UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy framework and it allows teachers to understand how to use Wikipedia to access, evaluate and create information and how it can help develop important 21st century skills in their students. Additionally, after the positive impact of this pilot the user groups in Bolivia and Morocco successfully applied to project grants that allow them to fully lead new implementations of Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom thus strengthening the impact of their work in their local education sector.
What is the Training of Trainers for “Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom” program?
As the next stage in this initiative, in October 2021 the Education team invited wikimedians and educators interested in implementing the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program to join the first Training of Trainers opportunity. Through this ToT, we sought to support new implementations of the program, taking advantage of the flexible design of the curriculum and a collaborative process of growth and iteration. The ToT was an online learning experience that included synchronous and asynchronous activities for 9 weeks. At the end of the program, the participants are able to present a program implementation plan for Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom in their countries. The participants who successfully complete the program received a certificate of accomplishment, an open badge, and the opportunity to access financial support to implement the program in their countries. Through this ToT, participants become active leaders promoting a better understanding and more critical approach to Wikipedia in the education sector ― empowering educators to leverage the power of Wikipedia as opposed to keeping it out of their classrooms.
What did participants learn in this Training of Trainers program?
In the 9 weeks of the ToT program, the participants worked through a curriculum designed to prepare them to successfully lead the implementation of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program in a way that is aligned and pertinent to the local education context. This cohort had the opportunity to test the WikiLearn platform (an instance of Open edX) and access a variety of educational resources and communication spaces, complemented by 3 synchronous training sessions and optional weekly office hours for open conversations and support.
The program consisted of three core modules:
- Module 1 – Learn: Participants are able to express the value of the Reading Wikipedia in the classroom curriculum to a variety of audiences, and they are able to identify areas for localization that ensure the program is in line with pertinent educational policies, practices, and the lived realities of teachers and students.
- Module 2 – Teach: Participants are able to design and facilitate an engaging program, whether online, offline, or blended, that is focused on the learner's context.
- Module 3 – Plan: Participants are able to create an implementation plan that includes needs assessment, outreach and partnership, budget, and monitoring & evaluation strategies.
Each module contained formative assignments and discussions that allowed the participants to finish the program will a robust program implementation plan.
Who participated in this Training of Trainers program?
We were happy to receive the applications of 126 interested wikimedians from all over the world and after a hard evaluation period, we invited 26 participants to join this first cohort. At the end of the program, 22 participants successfully completed all the requirements and are now certified trainers of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program. These new trainers come from 18 countries including El Salvador, Yemen, Nigeria, and Ukraine, to name a few. You can see a list of the newly certified trainers on this link. Moreover, this multicultural cohort strengthened bonds of cooperation, promoted knowledge sharing, and took advantage of the course forums and synchronous conversations to promote a positive and supportive learning environment.
What's next?
In the next few weeks, we will be sharing our learnings and participants' impressions of the Training of Trainers program while actively integrating the feedback we've received. On January 31, we will also open the applications for the second cohort of the Training of Trainers program for anybody interested in becoming a certified trainer and bringing the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program to their countries. This second cohort will take place from March-May 2022 and participants who successfully complete it will gain access to the same opportunities (certifications, funding for implementation, multicultural professional cohort). We will make the announcement in the team social media channels and mailings lists, you will find more information and the application (when it's available) on our Meta-Wiki page. Stay tuned!