Overview | Academics | Cost | Location | Life Abroad | Student Voices
Students enrolled in the elementary teacher education program in Curriculum and Instruction have the option of completing a portion of their student teaching requirement at Rwentutu Community Christian School in Uganda. For this nine week study abroad experience, as a student teacher you will live in the Kasese region in western Uganda and will teach in the small village of Rwentutu.
As a student teacher, you will spend time observing classrooms, team teaching, participating in lesson planning, and taking part in full-class instructional planning and implementation. Because the social, cultural and linguistic context in Uganda is vastly different than that of schooling in the U.S., students who are open-minded and flexible are the best fit for this experience.
Through teaching children from other language and cultural backgrounds, immersion in Ugandan culture and a first-hand experience of being a newcomer in a rural community, you will develop a deeper understanding of the skills necessary to appropriately support immigrant and refugee children in your future careers, and will gain knowledge and understanding of another significantly different geographic region and the people who live there.
Rwentutu is a village of 10,000 people, roughly 40 minutes (driving time) from the town of Kasese. The village is poor, with no running water or electricity, and the primary means of sustenance is small scale farming. The school itself has well water and solar electricity that is available for several hours per day.
Kasese is a district of roughly 500,000 people in western Uganda, in the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains, and is home to the Bakonzo people. The district has a mountainous terrain in the north with flat plains in the south and is on the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the most-visited game reserve in Uganda. The town of Kasese (where you will live) has food stores, a gas station, a medical facility, an outdoor market, a pharmacy, an internet cafe, and other necessary services for everyday life.
Getting to Your Program
You are responsible for arranging your own transportation to Kampala but are given guidelines for arrival dates and times.
Visa
You need a visa to enter Uganda. Information about the process for obtaining this visa will be provided to you upon acceptance into the program.
Orientation
IAP expects you to be an active participant in preparing yourself for your study abroad experience. As a participant on an IAP program, you will receive a pre-departure orientation, either in-person or online. The type and format of this orientation will vary by program and will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program.
Upon arrival in Uganda, you will participate in a 2 day orientation at Makerere University in Kampala. This will include an orientation to the country: its history, educational policies, and educational systems (including curriculum, pedagogies, and assessments), and visits to cultural and historic sites.
Housing
You will live in a private home in Kasese. The house has electricity and running water, full living and eating facilities, and is secure. Rwentutu Community Christian School is a 40-minute drive from Kasese. You will be picked up in the morning, and transported home in the afternoon by the school's driver.
Excursions and Activities
During orientation you will have the opportunity to visit local cultural and historical sites. You are also free to arrange your own weekend excursions such as a safari at the nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Insurance
You will be enrolled in the UW System required health insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) and the cost of the insurance coverage is included in program fees.
On-Site Support
You will have a local Ugandan student teaching supervisor.
Handbooks
Use the links below to find out more information on academics, daily life and student impressions for this program.
Kasese, Uganda Handbook (Spring - 2012-13)
Uganda Student Teaching Handbook (Fall - 2013-14)
Returned Student Network
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here to see testimonials from students abroad or to contact a returned student.
Student Profiles
Check out student profiles to learn more about their experience abroad.
Kathlene Lemke
Student Testimonials
"I really enjoyed living in a small town and teaching at a rural school- working with the staff and students there helped me grow as a teacher, and living in a community nearby helped us to learn more about their lifestyle and culture."
"I learned so much working with educators from Uganda. They taught me about their educational system and we were able to work together to create an environment for the students to learn best in."
Rwentutu Community Christian School opened in 2007 and currently has 230 students in grades K-7. There are 7 teachers: 3 Kindergarten teachers and one for every other grade level, plus a headmaster. Instruction at the school follows the Ugandan national curriculum which is in English.
As a student teacher, you will work at the school full-time (5 days per week) in several classrooms, in partnership with local teachers. You will be expected to follow the national curriculum; however, there is significant flexibility in pedagogical approaches.
You will have a local faculty supervisor with significant professional experience in teacher education. Upon successful completion of this experience, you will earn 5 credits of International Student teaching.
Course Equivalents
Use the links below to see a list of courses that students have taken on this program before and the UW equivalents. Note: this list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses or departments. You will get instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance.
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