In this blog, we discuss the successful 2023 Global Teaching Labs in Wales programme which was delivered in-person in January 2023.
In January 2023, we saw the return of the in-person Global Teaching Labs in Wales programme after two years of the programme being delivered online due to the global pandemic.
What is the MISTI Global Teaching Labs in Wales programme?
The MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI) Global Teaching Labs in Wales programme is a uniquely impactful and transformative programme, bringing expert STEM instructors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to classrooms and staff rooms across Wales.
Through this partnership initiative, the Welsh Government, MIT and Equal Education Partners aim to enhance engagement with STEM subjects through exploring real-world issues and to empower learners to strive to achieve their full potential in and beyond the classroom.
For more information about the Global Teaching Labs in Wales programme, click here.
MISTI Global Teaching Labs in Wales 2023
On Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th January, our 12 Global Teaching Labs in Wales instructors – who are students at MIT – arrived in Cardiff before travelling across Wales to their host families to begin their month of delivering bespoke STEM curricula at their host and shared placement schools and colleges.
Over the month of January 2023, our 12 MIT students worked across 13 main host schools & colleges and 20 shared placement schools & colleges. Local primary and feeder schools to the host schools and colleges also benefited from the programme in some instances.
Host Schools and Colleges
The host schools and colleges for the Global Teaching Labs in Wales 2023 programme:
- Alun School
- Bridgend College
- Ysgol Bro Dinefwr
- Caerleon Comprehensive School
- Cardiff and Vale College
- Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
- Ysgol Garth Olwg
- Llanidloes High School
- Llantwit Major School
- Pembrokeshire College
- Pentrehafod School
- St. David’s Catholic Sixth Form College
- Tonyrefail Community School
Shared Placement Schools and Colleges
The shared placement schools and colleges for the Global Teaching Labs in Wales 2023 programme:
- Archbishop McGrath Catholic High School
- Ysgol Bae Baglan
- Bishop Childs CIW Primary School
- Ysgol Bro Carmel
- Ysgol Bro Gwaun
- Cathays High School
- Christ the Word Catholic School
- Coed Glas Primary School
- Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Gellionnen
- Gower College
- Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr
- Grwp Llandrillo Menai
- Ysgol Harri Tudur
- Herbert Thompson Primary School
- Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Lon Las
- Ysgol Gymraeg Melin Gruffydd
- Milford Haven Comprehensive School
- Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi CIW VA School
- Radyr Comprehensive School
- Treorchy Comprehensive School
The way each instructor worked in each school and college varied between each institution, however, in each setting, we saw a plethora of engaging STEM lessons, workshops and interdisciplinary projects as well as information sessions, masterclasses and university exploration sessions.
Showcasing Wales, its culture, history and unique identity
Over each weekend during the month, our Partnerships team organised a social activities calendar for the Global Teaching Labs instructors in order for them to travel and experience Wales. These weekend trips included visits to:
- A Scarlets rugby game
- A Swansea City football game
- Mumbles (with a stop to Joe’s ice cream!)
- St. Davids (with a traditional pub lunch in Solva)
- St. Fagans National Museum of History
- Cardiff Castle
- Cardiff Bay
In the students’ own time, their host schools & colleges and families also took time to show the students their local areas. Additional activities included participating in a Welsh male voice choir, watching a Welsh music gig, a trip to Tenby, hiking across North Wales, working on a family farm and visiting a large number of castles!
“GTL Wales went above and beyond my expectations. I taught in a secondary school in mid Wales, and stayed with a host family in a small town called Llanidloes. Not only did I enjoy teaching subjects near and dear to my heart like web development, robotics, and design and manufacturing, but I also gained a deeper understanding into those fields and teaching as a result. The students were so respectful and receptive to the skills I taught, and I enjoyed exposing them to the opportunities of higher education no matter their background. I got to experience hands-on adventures like feeding sheep up on the snowy hills, travelling to the shorelines of Aberystwyth, and hiking up the source of the Severn with newfound friends. I was surrounded by such a supporting circle of teachers and friends, and I can’t wait to reconnect with these lasting relationships in the future.”
Christina Chen, GTL in Wales 2023 instructor
How to get involved in January 2024
For more information on the MISTI Global Teaching Labs in Wales programme, go to https://gtlwales.online/ or email Rebecca Martin (Senior Associate for International Partnerships) on rebecca.martin@equaleducationpartners.com
Applications for schools and colleges to participate in the Global Teaching Labs in Wales 2024 programme will open in September 2023.