The Faculty of Education at Queen’s University formalizes its partnership with 1 Million Teachers by signing a partnership agreement in September. 1 Million Teachers (1MT) is a startup created by Hakeem Subair, a graduate of the Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship program at the Smith School of Business. 1MT aims to attract new teachers to the profession in Sub-Saharan Africa by training new and practicing teachers and motivating them to improve their performance through a comprehensive reward based development program that combines high quality online and classroom-based training with mentorship on a scale never attempted before.
The online component of 1MT incorporates gamification best practices that engage participants and motivates them to keep learning. 1MT leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to create bespoke training for teachers on a large scale.
1MT partnered with Queen’s Faculty of Education for their teacher education expertise and to develop program content. Dean Rebecca Luce-Kapler notes, “We believe in teachers as change leaders, and Hakeem’s vision of improving the quality of teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa inspires us. Our students benefit by sharing their knowledge of curriculum and teaching, and our researchers have the opportunity to explore how technology can be a powerful tool for learning.”
In March 2018, under the supervision of Dr. Jane Chin, a group of teacher candidates travelled to Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to deliver workshops and engage with teachers interested in the program. This group of thirteen teacher candidates were the first to contribute to the development of the 1MT program content. 1MT’s founder, Hakeem Subair, reflects on this partnership: “To be able to work in partnership with a venerable institution like Queen’s University through its outstanding Faculty of Education, and to have the privilege to be able to play some role in its highly regarded teacher education program has brought great joy to the 1MT team and has significantly raised the quality of our program. With this partnership, Queen’s University has once again demonstrated its commitment to leveraging its formidable resources towards tackling some of the most difficult issues facing our world.”
In July 2018, Dr. Peter Chin, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, travelled with Hakeem to Nigeria to support 1MT’s mission of supporting education for women and girls. The mission was endorsed by His Highness Muhammad Sanusi II, CON, Emir of Kano. Dr. Chin describes the mutual benefits to teacher candidates at the Faculty and teachers in Nigeria. “The best way to teach social justice is to model it in our own practice. 1MT is our international commitment to social justice and creates a community of professional practice that will improve teaching and learning in Nigeria."
Written by Nadya Allen and Rebecca Carnevale. Photo by Nadya Allen. Story as it originally appeared on the Faculty of Education website.
