Educators from Brazil graduate from a Niagara College teacher training program
A group of 49 educators from Brazil graduated from a Niagara College teacher training program this summer and is already applying its newly developed skills in Brazilian classrooms.
The Brazilian Basic Education Teachers program was offered to educators of kindergarten to grade 12 and facilitated by a partnership between Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and Brazil’s Ministry of Education through Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, CAPES.
NC’s Welland Campus welcomed 49 educators from May 25 to July 21, while 47 attended training at Fanshawe College in London. NC and Fanshawe have collaborated to develop a customized curriculum for educators highlighting best practices of the Canadian education system and teacher methodology.
The training included two weeks of English as a Second Language skill development, two weeks of experiential learning endeavors, and four weeks of customized professional development focusing on student-centered approaches, the inclusive classroom, classroom management and technology.
During the graduation ceremony on July 20 at Welland Campus, class valedictorians performed Brazilian songs in addition to their speeches.
Pedagogical intervention projects
To be accepted into this unique program, teachers had to develop a proposal for a pedagogical intervention project – completed while in Canada – based on their own professional experience to improve their teaching practice. The assignment aimed to incorporate best practices learned during the Brazilian Basic Education Teachers program.
With the “Every Life Matters” project, Maikeli Carniel was one of the teachers accepted into the program. The goal of the project is to raise awareness among her students and the community regarding suicide rates around the world and strengthening suicide prevention actions.
“The program has increased my motivation, confidence, and preparedness to deal with challenges in education,” said Carniel. “My time at NC had a transformative impact on my pedagogical practices. Through the new strategies and methodologies learned, I can make more dynamic and engaging lessons tailored to the individual needs of each student.”
For teacher Isis Araujo, participating in the program allowed her to develop new ideas for the execution of her project thataims to create an accessible, digital Sociology manual with dynamic resources and tools to engage students.
“The modules on student-centered teaching and inclusive education were particularly inspiring,” said Araujo. “I will apply the knowledge gained to implement methodologies that will further enable student participation, generating greater student confidence, motivation, and connection to learning.”
Teachers celebrated their achievements before returning to Brazil after two months in the Niagara Region.
Bringing the world to Niagara
Through the Brazilian Basic Education Teachers program, administered in partnership between NC’s Global Customized Training and Consulting and the School of English Language Studies, NC continued to expand its global reach by bringing the world to Niagara.
The cultural exchange was a program highlight for Leandro Noronha.
“Meeting people from Canada, and from different cultures such as Russia, India, Ghana, Uganda, and the United States, was a very enriching opportunity to learn about diversity,” said Noronha, who teaches English in Brazil.
During his studies at NC, Noronha developed a project to promote poetry study workshops for his intermediate and advanced English as a second language students.
“The program helped us teachers be flexible and prepared to face the changes and challenges typical of an educational process in constant transformation,” said Pabline Coelho, whose project aims to guide and make high school students aware of their rights and duties.
