Teachers RISE
What is RISE Travel Institute's Teachers RISE Program?
Teachers RISE: Educating for a Better World Through Sustainable Travel is a five-week professional development program designed for educators. By exploring attitudes toward travel––past, present, and future––you will develop a new understanding of your relationship with the world as a traveler and educator.
What is the Teachers RISE Program format?
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A 10-hour online professional development program
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The program is conducted in English
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Time commitment for the program is estimated to be 10 hours over 5 weeks, including:
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3 rigorous asynchronous modules
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1 international virtual tour curated by award-winning Mejdi Tours
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Video lectures
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Asynchronous discussion board
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One live session
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There will be an option capstone project
What is the curriculum?
Module 1: Reflecting on Where We’ve Been
​In Module 1, teachers will explore past attitudes towards travel from a personal and global perspective by identifying the impact of extractive tourism on ourselves, other communities, and ecosystems while navigating concepts of intersectionality, privilege, power, and difference in the context of shifting attitudes towards travel.
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Module 2: Noticing Where We Are
​​In Module 2, teachers will recognize the tourism industry's recent shift towards more regenerative practices and identify the role systems-thinking plays in traveling more sustainably. Using this knowledge, they will study the long-term positive impact of ethical and sustainable travel on our own travel experiences, host communities, and global ecosystems. They’ll investigate ways to leverage our positions of power to help shape the future of travel.
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Module 3: Aspiring Toward Where We’re Going
​In Module 3, teachers will analyze and identify gaps in previous field trips or study tours through RISE's sustainability and anti-oppression lenses. They’ll engage in a transformative virtual tour to Palestine and Israel that exemplifies impactful travel for tourists and local communities alike, and will be able to apply the concepts of this program to create, build, and conceptualize a sustainable field trip and/or study tour for students.
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Who are the instructors?
The Teachers RISE program is designed and taught by the RISE Travel Institute team in collaboration with academics and professionals in tourism, social justice, animal protection, and environmental sustainability.
Who should take the Teachers RISE Program?
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Primary, secondary, and tertiary educators worldwide
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Members of school or district administration teams
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Higher education instructors and professors in field work
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Study abroad educators
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TOEFL educators, ESL teachers, FLE educators, special educators, and study program leaders
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International educators
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Experiential learning instructors
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Wildlife and natural resource instructors
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Social justice teachers
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Parents interested in traveling with children
Asynchronous Program Schedule
Day 1: Asynchronous video lectures and discussion board
Day 2: Asynchronous video lectures and discussion board
Day 3: Asynchronous video lectures and discussion board
Day 4: Synchronous international virtual tour
Day 5: Synchronous, live discussion session
How much is tuition?
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$375 USD tuition per person
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$300 USD per person for 2-4 people enrolling together from the same school or district
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$225 USD per person for teams of 5 or more enrolling together from the same school or district
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To make our programs and courses more accessible to everyone, we adopt a tiered pricing model for individuals based in lower-income economies (Read more about our pricing model here)
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​Our textbooks and film resources are not included in the program cost
Why should you take the Teachers RISE Program?
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Receive a Shareable Digital Completion Badge for your LinkedIn profile and your digital CV
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Increase knowledge on social and environmental justice issues related to travel through a systems-thinking framework
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Experience a one of a kind dual-narrative virtual tour of Jerusalem by an Israeli and Palestinian guide with Mejdi Tours, an award-winning global leader in socially conscious travel
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Develop strategies and tools to design impactful lessons, field trips, and/or study tours
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Have the opportunity to present your project at the Annual RISE Travel Institute Student Conference in January, 2023
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Receive access to a cohort of like minded educators around the globe
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Gain access to RISE Travel Institute’s network of values-aligned thought leaders, educators, and travelers
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Get 20% off to all RISE online programs
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Access RISE Travel Institute’s Alumni Online Resource Bank for further reading
Convince your school to fund your enrollment
If you wish to convince your school administration to fund your participation in this program, this is a letter you can download, personalize, and submit to your administrator. If you are interested in bringing this program to your school on specific dates that work for you and your colleagues, email us at info@risetravelinstitute.org and indicate "Inquiry: Teachers RISE" in the email subject line.