Teaching Assistant
Volunteers
Teaching assistant
volunteers on the Andean Bear Project help out in local schools which
are mostly very understaffed. Volunteer teachers might be
teaching English, environmental education, sports or art.
Those with better Spanish language skills can potentially
help to teach other topics as well.
Teaching helps build
relationships
with local communities and where possible we aim to include
environmental topics in lessons, with special emphasis on the plight of
the Andean bears. The children in the local schools will, in the
future, be
the ones sharing their land with the bears and it is vital that they
grow up with an appreciation for them and an understanding of the need
to conserve them. Malnutrition and poor dental health are
common in the area, so teaching basic nutrition and dental hygiene can
also make a big difference to children's lives here.
Volunteers aged 18 or
over who speak basic Spanish can apply to be teaching assistants with
the Andean Bear Project. No teaching experience is necessary.
In this case volunteers will focus on teaching the
children English, primarily through games and arts and crafts.
(Talented artists might like to consider the Mural
Artist volunteer opportunities). Generally,
teaching assistant volunteers will be supervised
by a
local professional teacher. Volunteers with a little teaching
experience or training may be able to take on more responsibilities in
the classroom.
Qualified and experienced teachers
are especially welcome and will be able to teach more subjects, take
more responsibility and develop lesson plans for local
teachers or less-experienced volunteers to implement in the future.
Volunteer teachers need a good grasp of Spanish, at least
intermediate level, to be able to make the most impact here.
Environmental educators
are needed to develop and implement a modular environmental education
curriculum relevant to the situation here.
For teaching assistant
volunteers we require a minimum four-week commitment, as this
allows you to get to know the children and make a significant teaching
contribution. Teaching placements are not currently available
for
the forseeable future. Any future placements as a
teaching
assistant, teacher or environmental
educator with the Andean Bear
Conservation Project will be publicised on the Volunteer
Opportunities page.
