Applications Invited for the AKDN Curriculum Development Project

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) invites experienced IB educators to join us this year for the AKDN Curriculum Development Project.  This will pair IB educators with continuing AKDN development projects with a view to creating curriculum units and resources suitable for use in IB schools.

The agencies of the AKDN are private, international, non-denominational development organisations. They work to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa, without regard to faith, origin or gender. Its programmes are designed to bring a critical mass of economic, social and cultural activities to bear on a given area. Its projects encompass many of the determinants of the quality of life, including the natural and built environments in both urban and rural areas, food security, health, education, access to financial services and economic opportunity, as well as the cultural areas of traditional music, architecture and art. Some programmes, such as specific research, education and cultural programmes, span both the developed and developing worlds.

This opportunity is open to IB educators experienced in the development of PYP or MYP units in their specialist curriculum areas.  Experience with inter-disciplinary planning and teaching is an asset and we welcome applications from teachers of all curriculum areas.

The project will involve travel to one of the following AKDN projects in India.  We have given some ideas of how these could lead to curricular iterations, but all plans for curriculum work would be agreed with successful candidates to reflect their strengths and interests.

1) Investigating the interventions of the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, in providing sanitation and safe drinking water to local villages in Gujarat, including the rehabilitation of the water table in the area. Curriculum units emerging from this experience could include: The science of water salinity, the geography of water table rehabilitation or the economics of financing sanitation.

2) Investigating how the Aga Khan Foundation and its partners are tackling the issue of childhood malnutrition in Bihal, by educating mothers about healthy feeding practice and disease prevention. This involves approaching households individually and working with new mothers to guide them into routines for healthy infant feeding. Curriculum units emerging from this experience could include: Human explorations of beliefs and culture, the mathematics of modelling disease spread or the sociology and economics of infant development.

You will work alongside AKDN staff and volunteers to gain an understanding of the work in progress, the challenges faced and the reality on the ground. Using this you will create a curriculum unit that will allow students to gain insight into real life development work, alongside a broader conceptual understanding of the curriculum area being studied. These units will form part of a wider catalogue of resources developed to promote awareness of development projects – and their links to areas of study within the International Baccalaureate.

There may be the opportunity to present a completed project at an IB Regional Conference in the 2015-16 academic year, and/or to contribute to the creation of the Category 3 Workshop in this field for delivery to the wider IB community.

The AKDN will cover flights and accommodation at the project, and a stipend for daily living expenses, with projects planned to take place in the second half of 2015, arranged around the availability of the selected candidates.

Candidates will be selected on their strengths; desirable experiences include:

• Experience in developing MYP and/or PYP units.
• Experience of work or travel in the developing world.
• Ability to work collaboratively across cultures.
• Prior experience as a programme co-ordinator or workshop leader.

Applicants should send a letter of no more than one page outlining their reasons for being interested, a CV and a completed PYP or MYP unit that they have planned and taught.  Applications and inquiries for further information should be sent to karim.ismail@agakhanacademies.org by 30^th June 2015.