Global Messengers
A NEAD Project (May 2006 to March 2009)
The Global Messengers project aimed to provide practical support to key education professionals with an interest in local/global issues who visit schools as part of their work. The key target groups for Global Messengers (GMs) were:
- Advanced Skills Teachers (ASTs): experienced teachers who spend one day a week supporting other teachers to develop their skills and experience through the sharing of best practice ideas and methodologies;
- Local Education Authority (LEA) Advisers: generally former teachers or headteachers who provide advice and support to schools;
- Initial Teacher Education (ITE) tutors: experienced educators (many former teachers) who support trainee teachers at their institutions and in their school placements;
- Local and regional NGO staff: people who work in and with schools as part of their work.
Here's a job description of a Global Messenger (DOC file, 51 KB).
As a result of this support the recruited Global Messengers helped hundreds of teachers and schools in the Eastern Region to equip their students to actively participate in our increasingly globalised world and culturally diverse society. This increased provision across East Anglia was far far more than could have been achieved by NEAD alone.
By the end of the project over 150 Global Messengers had been recruited and supported. The key project tool was the Global Messengers Pen Drive.
Many of the the recruited Global Messengers had suggested to NEAD project staff that they did not have the time to read all of the current teaching resources nor, research new sources on the Internet. Project staff, therefore, researched and identified a number of key websites; others were suggested by existing Global Messengers. As a result of this a ‘mini website’ of the most useful weblinks was created and loaded on to a Pen Drive.
For ease of use, the collected websites were listed under a number of key headings headings: Images and perceptions, Global Issues, Cultural Diversity, Human Rights, Sustainability, Student Resources, Global Citizenship, and finally a list of the best sites to obtain Teachers’ Resources.
This simple tool enabled Global Messengers to easily provide up-to-date information about resources, initiatives, campaigns, etc to teachers they met in the course of their work.
The GM Pen Drive was launched at the Norfolk Professional Development Centre on October 18th.
The Pen Drive is a fabulous idea… this use of technology is fantastic, it shows new ways to communicate, to teach and how to find new ways so that we can engage with local/global issues
Fred Corbett (Deputy Director of Early Years, Schools, Communities for Norfolk Children’s Services)
Since then, the pen drives have been distributed to over 150 Global Messengers from the target groups (above) and a further 100 guest Global Messengers. The response to the pen drive from Global Messengers was overwhelmingly positive. It was seen as a simple, innovative and important tool which enabled them to highlight and easily access information and resources for the promotion of the global dimension in schools, classrooms and so on.
Other means of support for the ever-busy Global Messengers came from a regular Global Messenger e bulletin, and information exchanged between Global Messengers and NEAD staff.
The Future
After April 1st 2009 we aim to:
- continue to support and stay in contact with the Global Messengers (time and resources permitting). If you have any ideas as to how we might continue this project… please do contact us;
- research and develop new versions of the Global Messengers Pen Drive. These will be available to NEAD members. If you have any ideas of new links then please do contact us.
Join NEAD and download the Pen Drive’s contents, or be sent a Pen Drive.
Global Messengers Resources
Some of the resources, activities, and information developed or found by this project are listed below. Your web browser requires JavaScript and Adobe’s Flash Player to access some of this content.
- A great lesson starter:
The wombat speaks, and he's smarter than you, so listen up! in less than a minute, this rapid-fire animation tells you everything you need to know about how to get along on earth for the next million years
… - Weaving words: descriptive writing skills for GCSE, a DVD/teaching pack also available for loan from NEAD
- Shift Happens, a short video on the increasing pace of change in our world, what does this mean and how are we preparing?
The list of activities is as follows:
- A large-scale assembly or conference activity. If there were just… 100 People in the World (DOC file, 53 KB)
- A range of activities and ideas to use to promote local/global awareness: Development Education Toolbox (DOC file, 178 KB)
- An icebreaker or classroom activity for you to amend: Globingo (DOC file, 47 KB)
- Some additional ideas for Running the Trading Game (DOC file, 48 KB)
Some ASTs and LEA advisers have been developing lesson plans for events like Black History Month (October each year), Fair Trade Fortnight (March) and Refugee Week (June). These and other NEAD projects can be found on the Projects page.
Lastly some useful documents for Global Messengers:
- GM job description (DOC file, 51 KB)
- Healthy Schools Quality Standards (DOC file, 66 KB)
- Trade (Learning Outcomes sheet) (XLS spreadsheet file, 68 KB)
- Sustainable Schools Pack (DOC file, 1.6 MB)
Links to more resources can be found in our Resources section.
This project is funded by the Department For International Development’s Development Awareness Fund with support from Norfolk Children’s Services, Suffolk Children’s and Young People’s Services, Norwich City Council and Oxfam.
