VSO is an international development charity, recruiting professionals to share skills and fight poverty. VSO's strategic work in education aims to increase the accessibility, gender equity, relevance and quality of education for disadvantaged people in poorer countries. Recent research looking at the benefits and outcomes of a VSO placement for teachers and schools in the United Kingdom found that 90% felt their placements had positively influenced their classroom management and practice. Similarly, over 84% agreed that the years spent overseas had a substantial affect on their personal and professional development. This session will demonstrate how teachers, having volunteered in a developing country can add value to the teaching and learning process and school leadership on their return. The volunteers will show how their experiences have made them more confident, committed, motivated, and appreciative of the resources available to them. This interactive session aims to provoke discussion on how teachers can use their own experiences to encourage and ensure pupils become informed and responsive citizens by increasing their pupil's awareness and understanding of cultures and beliefs and broadening their knowledge of the world. The speakers will challenge and inspire the participants to provoke thinking using their own experiences to illustrate this. The session will also focus on how the volunteer's leadership and management skills have been strengthened and how they are able to utilise these skills in the UK. | 