Four student teachers from the University of Namibia (Unam) recently returned from a five-week school-based practicum in Hamar, Norway, as part of an enriching cultural exchange programme.
The students, Meloline Herunga, Matias Ntinda, Aaliyah Eichas and Lucia Hilarius, described the programme as educative.
“Going to Norway was an incredible experience,” says Herunga, a student from the School of Education at Khomasdal Campus.
The primary goal of the teaching attachment was to provide the students with a practical teaching experience within a classroom setting.
They received guidance and feedback from faculty supervisors, focusing on aspects such as instructional time, course development, assignment grading and curriculum review and planning.
The four Namibian students all say the opportunity profoundly influenced their perspectives on teaching.
“Seeing the Norwegian approach firsthand raised my understanding of effective teaching methods,” says Ntinda.
They observed the priority given to children’s mental well-being in Norway and noted the practical approach to learning, emphasising play.
“The focus on mental health and play-based learning in Norway is something that I believe can truly enhance our teaching practices back home,” says Eichas
During their trip, the students were visited by three lecturers from the Khomasdal campus, namely Jessica Jansen, Ivy Heyman-van Wyk and Narenda Hoepfner.
The Multicultural Practicum Groups and Internationalisation of Teacher Education is an innovative exchange project between the Unam and the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in Hamar, Norway.
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