Tonbridge recently said goodbye to two students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Favour Oladimeji and Evan Rubel, who stayed at the School for a month through MIT's Global Teaching Labs programme.
During their time at Tonbridge, Favour and Evan were responsible for delivering lessons with boys and holding workshops with students in their specialised subjects.

MIT, which has ranked as the No.1 university in the world by QS World University Rankings for 12 years in a row, recently launched its Global Teaching Labs programme, which recruits top performing students to overseas posts, where they will be responsible for engaging with and teaching pupils from different cultural backgrounds, while developing their own skills during their degree study.

The programme is a fantastic opportunity not only for the visiting students to experience life at Tonbridge, but also for current pupils to interact with learning material from specialist subjects in a new and refreshing way.

Of her time at Tonbridge, Favour said: 

“Everyone has been really friendly and gave me a warm welcome. The boys have been great students: they’re eager to learn new things, which makes teaching them so enjoyable. I like to think I bring a unique perspective, as a current university student who has conducted a broad-range of scientific research. In many lessons, I’m able to draw connections between what the students are learning and ‘real world’ applications in Biology and Chemistry. In addition, I’m interested in travel and in exploring the wonders of England, and the Global Teaching Labs programme has provided an opportunity to do both!”

While Evan commented: 

“I strive to be someone who encourages the boys to ask questions and challenge what is presented. I have been impressed by the high calibre of teaching and learning, and the holistic education – both academic and pastoral – that the boys receive at Tonbridge.'

This exchange is also a fantastic way for Tonbridge boys to experience first hand some of what a US College education has to offer, with the number of US applications rising steadily in recent years.

Many thanks to Favour and Evan for their work in their time at Tonbridge.