The Buddy project – a Pilot Professor yaw sekyi-baidoo – university of education winneba, ghana Anette Bruun – KP Copenhagen, denmark Kari Bratland – oslo metropolitan university, Norway Eva rose rechnagel – KP Copenhagen, denmark

Collaboration between Oslomet, UEW and KP Social education - University College Copenhagen, Early childhood education - OsloMet. Nordic Students have had internship in Ghana , through University of Education winneba, for several years In Kindergartens/Preschools /primary schools

Changing positions and new challenges for students with internship in Ghana First challenge: Being a student – becomming an expert We send out students, who are ment to be in a position as students, the one being taught, the one who has to learn, reflect and develop in a new practice, a new setting a new country we sometimes see the student chanGing her or his position into the role as an expert Al of a sudden they see themselves, as the one who must teach their new colleagues, and change the practice they are a part of. (Case: To report a colleague) Second challenge: cultural selfoverrating To overrate oneself and ones ability to change the setting, instead of having reflections over the new way of interaction with children and young people in preschool/primary school (Case – Child solidarity)

I want to make a difference I want to change the world From student to teacher

Practice placement In Ghana

What could be the reasons for these challenges? Sometimes the nordic students overrate themselves and underrate their local colleagues in the Global south The prejudices that they had before they came may then be confirmed in stead of questioned and reflected upon One reason might be that not all of the local colleagues have an academic grade, like a bachelor in early childhood education

What to we want? We want to build up relations between the students, and try to reduce the influence of economy and power We want to build on friendship and common professional ground that can work against postcolonial attitudes

Pilot project We want the nordic students to meet and work with the UEW students during their internship That they have some of their practice placement together That they work with observations, Peer-FEEDBACK, and do activities together With the children That we have a midterm workshop with all the KP, UEW and oslo met students and their international coordinators (skype). Here they can meet and reflect together.

The aims of the buddy project To support and qualify the students reflections about their internship To help the students get a complex understanding of the practice abroad and the professional knowledge and approach used there To strengthen the academic and professional reflections through peer-feedback To involve UEW students who have beEn exchange students in Denmark at KP To strengthen the collaboration between UEW, Oslo-Met and KP 

With this we hope to achieve That the students discover that they have a lot in common, knowledge, understanding, competences, educational background, future dreams That they can learn from one another

BudDIES

PEER LEARNING/PEER FEEDBACK the open conversation (dEN MAGTFRIE SAMTALE) PEER LEARNING and PEER FEEDBACK is about learning from the interaction between equal positions, between fellow students (K.J Topping , Trends in peer learling, 2005) Peer learning and peer feedback, happens when the students know the method and know how to reflect and develop throuhg interactions with their fellow students, in a peer to peer relation (Wedel, NILS, Peer assessement, 2018)

Peer feedback Peer feedback can have a strong motivation Working with peer learning, the students can help one another understand the challenges and develop at better understanding by collaboration and a better understanding of their own learning proces (wedel 2018)

the plans of the Buddy team UEW, KP and OSLOMET students and their coordinators A. Identify challenges and options B. Buddy match – look up the curriculum for the period of internship, discuss options and challenges for collaboration C. make A PLAN FOR THE TIME TOGETHER, INVOLVING OBSERVATION, COLLABORATIONS AND ACTIVITIES D: Buddies observE ONE ANOTHER – TOGEtHER WITH THE CHILDREN

The plans (cont.) E Buddies DO ACtivitIES TOGETHER -peer feedback F: Buddies disCUSs AND REFLECT their ACTIVITY, IDENTIFY CHALLenGES AND OPTIONS THAT THEY WANT TO BRING BACK TO THE Buddy team G: After having finished their internship, the students meet with the international coordinators at their home university, evaluation H: Final evaluation of the BuDDY project in june

Buddy project

Midterm evaluation on the 13th of April Good idea Opportunity to exchange knowledge Good collaboration with the children by using child centered approach (G) Nice to get to know more people I think these opportunities helps the foreingers to cope with the Ghanian enviroment and way of doing things (G) Planing a teaching project togethet (D) Buddy project as a part of the whole internship (D) It ia nice to have someone to communicate with My buddy and I share interest, which is great

Midterm evaluation (cont.) Better communication/Information/preparation Better communication to the schools Same educational programme: Teachers –Social educators Start the project earlier Buddies are not mentors – we can learn from each other

Good practice?

Improvements for the Buddy project Place the project within a time frame when the local students have their placements and some foreign students are there (august-september) Match buddies with the same gender and education or ask what they prefer Prepare students better for the project before leaving for ghana Try to involve the schools more and if possible have an information meeting with envolved teachers and the buddy team before starting

Thank you