Online Education in Conflict Zones - Classrooms Without Walls with David Falconer

In this episode, we focus on the remarkable impact of online education in conflict zones. Our guest, David Falconer, is the Founder and Executive Director of Classrooms Without Walls (CWW), a Canadian organization that has been providing free online education to children living in these challenging environments. Since its inception in November 2022, CWW has launched three programs to support children in Ukraine, Myanmar, and Afghanistan.

If you are interested in volunteering with the CCW program, please contact David via email.

dfalconer@classroomswithoutwalls.ca

Transcript

Ellie Manzari : Hello, and welcome to our Technology and Learning podcast series. I'm Ellie, a member of the AARE Technology and Learning Special Interest Group, and I'm thrilled to have you join us today. In this episode, we're delving into a topic that's crucial in today's world: how online education offers opportunities for students living in conflict zones around the globe. A recent UNICEF report reveals that current data on out-of-school children often misses some of the world's most vulnerable populations. This highlights the importance of providing equal and inclusive access to quality education, from early childhood through adolescence. To explore one such initiative, I'll be speaking with David Falconer, the Founder and Executive Director of Classroom Without Walls, who has deep insights on this important subject joining us from Canada. Hi David, it's fantastic to have you on the podcast.

David Falconer : Hello, Ellie, and what a pleasure to be here with you! Thank you for inviting me.

Ellie Manzari : David. Could you start by telling us how the idea of classroom without was come came to you? And was there a particular moment or experience that sparked this initiative?

David Falconer : Well, thank you for the question, Ellie. I have been an educator for 35 years, and I definitely, in my 35 years, I've always been an advocate for students, especially for those students that have had needs, specific needs. But I have to say that this organization that we have now, that's known as Classrooms Without Walls, in many ways I can definitely link it, connected to a personal experience that I had when I was 11 years old, and I had to leave the country where I was born because of a coup. My parents sent me into exile. I ended up living in the Amazon jungle by myself, and here I am in my sixties, and I still remember that particular experience of being and living in exile, being away from my family, being away from school, and feeling desperately alone, and wondering whether or not the world really knew and cared about, David. 

When the full invasion of Ukraine happened, when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 24th 2022. I was principal, and I happened to be very much aware of what was happening in Ukraine and I was actually in many ways, wondering what could I do to support the children of Ukraine, that now we're internally displaced. That they were not able to attend school because of the danger of being in buildings that might be bombed. And it was just shortly after the fully invasion. It started that I actually happened to receive an email that was not even addressed to me from an organisation in Ukraine known as Smartest Vida. An organization has been around for 8 years now that has been doing a lot of work around developing the Ukrainian curriculum, providing professional development for teachers and so on. And when the war started, they basically reached out to the international community to find out if there were any educators that would be interested in providing support to Ukrainian children. And I couldn’t help, but, you know, raise my hand. Again, remembering that 11 year old living in the Amazon jungle. And I thought, these kids need help. They need to know that the world cares that they're not alone. And there are lots of individuals out here that will be ready and willing to support them through these very tragic times. 

So, I replied to that email. And as it turns out, I received an email back, saying, we would love to have you David, and I will never, ever forget, Ellie, that 1st session where over 300 kids showed up. And my lesson was actually specific to Canada. I wanted to share with them what it was like to live in the Arctic, Canadian arctic. And to share with them information about polar bears and Northern lights and icebergs. The experience was so powerful that at the end of the 1 hour, which felt literally like seconds. I wanted to volunteer even more. And they invited me to come back, and I did another session. And then it was such a powerful session again, that I started inviting colleagues of mine, friends of mine. It was just sudden, the sudden realization that jeez, you know, there are lots of educators there that would love to volunteer to do something like this, for kids that are right now finding themselves living the tragic reality of war. And so that was actually the beginnings, and I had no idea at the time that Classrooms Without Walls would ever happen. And I was just simply educators, myself included, coming together to support Ukrainian kids. Over 2 years later, we don't just support Ukraine, we also support Myanmar, as well as Afghanistan. But at the beginnings I will never forget. It was definitely what I would. I call a transformative experience for me.

Ellie Manzari : That's fantastic. I think that shouldn't be that easy to involve the students in online classes. What is your philosophy or strategy?  How do you engage with these students and how do you motivate these students?

David Falconer : What’s key here. And I do introductory sessions for new prospective volunteers every week. I've been doing these now for the last 2 years. One of the things that I say to volunteers, look, what's key here is to open yourself up to letting your students know that you've just met, who you are. Connecting with them at a personal level is crucial. Letting them know who you are. Especially for children that are living the experience of trauma. Where they have had to leave their neighbourhoods. They had to leave their schools or families. They need to know who that person on the other side of the screen is. So, I say to them, look, your 1st session really needs to be about 10 min. 50 min, where you actually share with your students who you are. And I remember my 1st session, and where I started telling them where I lived, and my favourite books, and so on. And it was really interesting that as I was actually sharing with them, this information about, you know, living in the Canadian Arctic, that students suddenly would stop me, because they wanted to ask me questions. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? What is your favourite movie? And what is your favourite food? I knew that they, you know, these questions had nothing to do with the actual topic, the lesson, but they had a lot to do with them wanting to know who is this person coming all the way from Canada to be with us. So connecting with the students at a personal level, is crucial. And that's something actually, every teacher needs to do with his or her own students. Connecting and establishing those safe supportive relationships that need to happen so that students feel that you care about them.

Ellie Manzari : That's so true. Can I ask you about the what Classrooms Without Walls is currently doing?

David Falconer : Well, it's an exciting question to be asked Ellie. Because initially, we were very much about teaching academics, and then we started venturing into, well, ‘why didn't we bring a magician?’ Geez, do we know of any magicians out there? As it turns out, yeah, there were some people that said to me, ‘you know you can connect with so on so.’ So we teach everything from Social Studies, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Linear Algebra, Coding. But we also have volunteer teachers that come and share with students things such as information about whales. And we have an organization, Canadian organization known as Ocean Wise, that has been teaching students about ocean life. We also have, quite a well known Museum here in Canada, known as the Royal Tyrrell Museum that has come and shared with students incredible sessions about dinosaurs. So we are open to all sorts of possibilities. We have teachers who have taught students how to grow tomato plants. Other teachers have taught students how to play pokemon cards. At the end of the day what these students need to hear is that there are individuals out there who really want to be there with them, support them through these very, what I call tragic times. 

Ellie Manzari : This situation must be difficult for the teachers, too. I mean, it's very hard to teach students online, particularly in this situation that the students have. Could you tell us more about the teachers or educators involved this program?

David Falconer : Ellie, you're totally correct. My students, some of them call me grandpa, often will say to me, you know, ‘Grandpa, you're so emotional.’ And my response to them is, ‘Yes, I am emotional, because what you're going through is a tragedy.’ At your age you should be thinking about going to a birthday party. You should be thinking about getting together with a friend to watch a movie and have some popcorn. Instead you're dealing with the violence happening right outside your doors. So for our teachers that are involved with Classrooms Without Walls, definitely they get to know our students well, and they know what they're going through. And it's not something that you can just simply cut at the end of the 60 minutes, where you might have been, where you might have been teaching Physics or Chemistry. You literally take these lives with you, after those sessions. You get to know your students. So, our teachers are volunteers. They talk about their students. They talk about them as if they were their nephews, their nieces, their daughters, their sons. And so the incredible relationships that develop can be heard from teachers that are coming from Australia or from United States or from Canada. And we have teachers that are coming from many, many countries. They all talk about the relationships that develop. And that's in addition to what they're teaching them. And what's key to what we do is about letting these students know that we care that we're there because we really truly care about them and not be shy to let them know that they're loved. And that that we're here with them for as long as needed. I work with angels, and they have different names, and they come from different countries, and they all have the same goal, and that is to bring love to these kids that right now feel desperately alone.

Ellie Manzari : I believe that. This experience must be very fantastic for the teachers too. So, if the new teachers want to volunteer with the Classrooms Without Walls. How they can contact you?

David Falconer :  You know, just send me an email. And that is at dfalconer@classroomswithoutwalls.ca  and as soon as I get that email, I will invite them to join me in an introductory session. During that introductory session which lasts approximately 60 min, I share with prospective volunteers information about how Classrooms Without Walls started. I share with them who our students are. I share with them the importance of connecting with our students. Establishing those strong, positive, safe relationships with them. Then I talk also about trauma informed guidelines. The importance of realising that these students are dealing with extreme hardships. You think of what's happening in Ukraine, with the daily missiles that are being dropped in cities. You consider the Civil war that's happening in Myanmar, and you consider the situation in Afghanistan with the Taliban. So, these are important things that they need to be aware of. After the 60 min they can make a decision. Whether or not this is something they wish to join. And if they do, then we send them a survey that asks them about questions such as, when are you available? What topics would you like to teach? Are there things that we can do to support you? And once we go through all that paperwork. We basically set them up with their students. And the 1st experience, like, I said, will be unlike any they've had before, even for those teachers that have been teaching for a long time. Like for me,  35 years, and every time that I meet with my students, and that happens every week because I continue to teach it's incredible. It really is incredible. I become a student. They become my teachers.

Ellie Manzari: That would be great. Thank you very much, David. It's truly inspiring to hear about the opportunities you're providing for students care teachers in conflict zones and your vision for the future. We're excited to see how your initiatives continue to grow and make a difference. Thank you much again.

David Falconer : Thank you very much, Ellie. Thank you for this opportunity.

Ellie Manzari : Bye for now