The teacher who made the world his classroom | Koem Timmers, Belgium | Global Teacher Prize

Summary

Phil Thomas, a web design teacher in Europe, shares his journey of creating the Climate Action Project, a global four-week learning program focused on climate change. The initiative connects students from around the world to explore climate issues in their countries and share their findings. The project has engaged 250 schools across six continents. Thomas also reflects on his experience teaching refugees in the Kakuma camp, where he helped provide free education through Skype, thanks to crowdfunding. His story emphasizes the power of education, connection, and providing opportunities for change.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker, Phil Thomas, is a web design teacher from Europe who has spent 15 years teaching in Belgium.
• 🌍 Phil's goal is to make learning global, particularly through his Climate Action project which connects students worldwide to focus on climate change.
• 🌱 The Climate Action project is a four-week program that involves students researching climate change in their country and sharing their findings using videos.
• 🌐 Over 250 schools from six different continents have participated in the Climate Action project, showcasing its global reach.
• 🇨🇮 Phil reflects on his connection with Ivory Coast, where students gain exposure to similar global issues, fostering collaboration for solutions.
• 👩‍🏫 One of Phil’s students, Kuhn, introduced a collaborative idea that demonstrates the power of global learning and community connection.
• 💡 Phil describes how the project encourages students to share ideas, which can inspire others and lead to actionable learning outcomes.
• 👨‍🏫 Through the Climate Action project, Phil has successfully connected students across various cultures, showing that shared problems have shared solutions.
• 💻 Phil recounts his experience using Skype to teach refugees in the Kakuma refugee camp, providing them with valuable education despite resource limitations.
• 🔋 Phil was able to arrange crowdfunding to provide solar panels and devices to the refugee camp, enabling continuous education via Skype, changing lives with these technological contributions.

Q & A

What inspired Phil Thomas to create the Climate Action project?

Phil Thomas was inspired by the desire to make learning global and reach more children around the world. He wanted to connect students from different countries and give them an opportunity to focus on climate change in their own regions.

How long has Phil Thomas been teaching web design, and where did he teach?

Phil Thomas has been teaching web design for 15 years, with a significant portion of that time spent teaching in Belgium.

How many schools participated in the Climate Action project, and where were they from?

The Climate Action project had 250 schools participating, spread across six different continents.

What was the impact of the Climate Action project on students in different countries?

The project allowed students to recognize that they face similar environmental challenges and encouraged them to work together to find solutions, fostering global cooperation and learning.

What is the significance of the collaboration with Kuhn from Ivory Coast?

The collaboration with Kuhn from Ivory Coast was meaningful because it introduced new learning possibilities for students, helping them understand that people from different nationalities share common problems and can collaborate for solutions.

What was the role of Alvis in the Climate Action project?

Alvis, a student, contributed an idea to the project, and Phil Thomas praised him for his innovative spirit and willingness to implement new ideas that benefit the project and the students involved.

How did Phil Thomas contribute to the education of refugees in Kakuma camp?

Phil Thomas contributed by offering free education to refugees in Kakuma camp, even though they lacked access to computers or power. He sent his private laptop, set up infrastructure, and arranged for solar panels and devices through crowdfunding, allowing him to teach via Skype.

What challenges did Phil Thomas face when providing education to refugees in Kakuma?

Phil faced challenges such as the lack of computers, power supply, and proper infrastructure in the Kakuma refugee camp. He overcame these obstacles by arranging his own setup, including sending a solar panel and devices for the refugees.

How did the crowdfunding campaign help Phil Thomas with his work in Kakuma?

The crowdfunding campaign enabled Phil to send a solar panel and 20 additional devices to Kakuma, which allowed him to continue providing free education to refugees using Skype.

What lesson did one of the refugees share about the human body, and how did it relate to the education they received?

One of the refugees shared that they had learned about the 206 bones in the human body, showing that the education they received was impactful and helped them gain knowledge in various subjects.