Queen Alia Airport

Our time in Jordan has come to an end and it has been a fantastic few days. All the teachers taking part have been so enthusiastic about the work. It has hopefully had a great impact on the partnerships and I look forward to seeing all the work that comes from it.

Amman

This evening we visited central Amman this was a fantastic experience for everyone. It was such a hive of activity with its busy shops and side markets and gave us all an insight into the daily Middle Eastern cultures.

Planning Projects

This afternoon we have had time to plan projects to take back into schools to get the partnerships going. It was great to hear all the creative ideas flowing in the room and I can't wait to see the results from the children.

Refugee Teachers

Great morning listening to the teachers from the Zaatari refugee camp, so interesting listening to them and how they can teach with no electricity, don't think any of the teachers in here can ever moan about their interactive whiteboard or Internet not working. 

Dead Sea

Finally for today we watched the sunset over the Dead Sea, this is one of the most unique places I have ever visited. The water is very strange and almost feels more like oil as The Dead Sea has some of the most saline water on earth; as much as 35% of the water is dissolved salts! That's almost six times as salty as the ocean! 

What I also found amazing that this is the lowest place on Earth with a height of minus 420 metres below sea level.

A great end to a great day.

Mount Nebo

Following on from the visit to the museum we visited Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo (Arabic: جبل نيبو Jabal Nībū; Hebrew: הַר נְבוֹ Har Nevo) is approximately 817 metres (2,680 ft) above sea level and is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised land, it is also believed that this is the place where Moses died.

The views from here were just breath taking and many of the teachers were moved by its biblical connection.

Madaba Museum

This afternoon we had some free time and we visited the Madaba Museum, this was a fascinating place portraying the areas Holy Land background before moving onto looking at traditional Jordanian Life and the history of Jordan.

British council workshop-

This morning we have explored the customs and cultures of all 3 countries, with the Lebanese teachers even bursting into the Dabke dance. Then we looked at the education systems which gave the teachers a fascinating insight into the school life and demand on the teachers. 

Case Study Presentation

This afternoon I then presented to the group about my partnership with our school in Lebanon, discussing the benefits to the children and staff as well as any barriers and how we overcame them.

School Visits

This morning we all split up into groups and visited a range of schools. The school I visited was a fantastic school and the children were all so keen to learn and enthusiastic. Within the school they had a very large percentage of Syrian Refugees so much so that they have to split the school day into two sessions, a morning session and afternoon session to fit everyone in. A large part of the teachers job is building confidence and self esteem of the refugee children and this was just so inspiring seeing the children who have been through so much wanting to learn and build their lives back.

Arrived safely in Jordan

After a flight of nearly 5 hours we have all arrived safely in Amman, Jordan.

Getting ready to board

Just getting ready to board the plane at Heathrow for Amman

Aims of Visit.

The project’s purpose is to facilitate sustainable partnerships between UK-Lebanese and UK-Jordanian partnerships. To support UK-Jordanian and UK-Lebanese schools to share best practice with one another and to explore classroom resources