| Country Denmark
City Nuuk, Greenland
Host Institution Inerisaavik (Center for Educational Development and In-Service Training)
Project Description
The EL Fellow will be a "traveling English teacher" who will spend approximately 75% of his/her time traveling and teaching English to students in grades 4-10 in schools in remote settlements (villages) located throughout Greenland. In addition, the EL Fellow will provide support for the regular lesson planning and classroom activities of the local teacher(s). Actual contact classroom hours will not exceed 20 hours a week. The other 25% of the EL Fellow's time will be spent in an office environment at Inerisaavik in Nuuk, the capitol of Greenland. When in Nuuk the EL Fellow will be involved in activities designed to institutionalize the "traveling teacher" concept as a method for teaching English in Greenland. This will necessarily involve program evaluation and planning. In addition, the EL Fellow may be involved in teacher training; materials development; workshop and seminar design; computer-based and on-line teaching and teacher training; in-service and pre-service training; and similar professional duties as may be specified by Inerisaavik. Most of the settlements where the EL Fellow will live and teach are in extremely remote locations with difficult living conditions. For example, travel to and from many settlements is by small boat along coastal waters, and many settlements have no running water or indoor plumbing. The majority of the settlements the EL Fellow will visit have populations of between 50 and 150 people. In such settlements the school would typically consist of 5 to 40 students. Even in such small settlements the school would typically have more than one teacher, although some of them may not have been educated as teachers. In many settlements Greenlandic would be the only language that is effectively used or understood. Many settlement schools do not have fully-trained teachers. In addition, many children leave the settlements at around age 14 to go to the "big cities" to continue their education. The level of English in settlement schools is often poor or even non-existent. Notwithstanding these challenges, children in the settlements are often more motivated, better behaved, and more focused in school than children in the "big cities." In addition, even small schools in small settlements usually have at least one computer with internet access. Although small schools and classes create challenges, they also create opportunities for individual attention and close student-teacher relations. Inerisaavik will be responsible for all travel and living arrangements for the EL Fellow both in Nuuk and in the settlements, and Inerisaavik will cover 100% of all travel, housing, and utility costs. While in the settlements, the EL Fellow will live in small furnished "service housing" available to visitors on official business. Such housing will be heated but will usually not have running water. The EL Fellow might have to shower at another location. Toilet facilities range from pit-style toilets inside buildings to buckets that residents put outside their living quarters for pickup by a sewage disposal service. The EL Fellow should be a recent TEFL/TESL master's degree graduate. Some previous TESOL experience and overseas teaching experience is preferred, but not required. The person should be physically fit with the mental and physical stamina necessary to live and work independently in small, isolated arctic communities where the weather and seasons dominate everyday life. Although this project is a challenging one, it offers a unique opportunity to an adventurous person to visit some of the most remote and beautiful places in the world. In addition, it offers a unique professional development opportunity, and will make a difference in the lives of Greenlanders and the future of the country in a globalized world where English language skills are necessary.
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