AISA Professional Learning Institutes (PLIs) have been very popular events as they offer participants the opportunity to focus on a specific aspect of practice, collaborate with others who are as passionate about education as they are and explore new parts of the African continent. Why not open a professional learning event you are organising at your school to AISA members and share the learning?

What is an AISA Professional Learning Institute?

• Offers high-quality, engaging and relevant professional learning for teachers, leaders or co-professionals
• It runs over two or more days (often a weekend), offering at least 10 hours of professional learning and is led by an expert in the field
• It takes place onsite at an AISA member school, with the school taking responsibility for transferring participants from a nearby hotel and back again each day, providing lunch and refreshments and ensuring participants feel welcome at home
• Involves participants from the Host School and other AISA member schools
• The PLI is listed as part of the AISA PLI Programme, uses AISA’s online registration and billing systems and charges the standard AISA PLI registration fees
• Generates income for the school as 85% of the registration fees from participants from other AISA schools go to the Host School
• Fosters collaboration between those in the Host School and other AISA member schools

What are the Criteria for Hosting an AISA PLI?

An AISA member school will need to make the following considerations before submitting an application to host an AISA PLI:

1. The school’s educational philosophy must align with AISA’s mission and strategic objectives.
2. The event must be 10 hours or more of engaging and challenging learning, opportunities to collaborate with peers and guidance on implementation.
3. The facilitator must be have experience and expertise in the field which they are addressing and be inclusive and equitable.
4. The school needs to:
   • Allocate an onsite coordinator—someone who can oversee the organization of the event, liaise with AISA and attend the event to troubleshoot and assess quality
   • Be easily accessible (flights and visa) to facilitate international and local travel
   • Have access to affordable hotel accommodation options nearby
   • Provide transportation from the hotel to the school or venue
   • Have onsite catering facilities
   • Have a workshop venue that can host up to 30 participants, is well ventilated, has access to Wifi, speakers, a data projector and screen.
   • Have adequate onsite safety and security measures to ensure the wellbeing of participants
   • Secure Public Liability Insurance that covers participants attending the event
   • Have technology and cleaning support staff throughout the workshop
   • Have backup plans incase of the loss of power, water or the internet

If you are interested in hosting an AISA PLI at your school, complete this online application form by 13 SEPT 2024. The AISA Professional Learning Design Team will review the applications and select those that meet the above criteria for inclusion in the AISA PL Programme.

Who will be responsible for what?

The Host School will:

• Decide the title, focus and learning plan for the PLI, usually in line with their own strategic goals
• Select and pay the facilitator/s to lead the PLI
• Send at least 10 of their own personnel to the PLI
• Ensure the PLI is financially viable without relying on any external registrations from other AISA schools
• Suggest accommodation and airport transfer options for those visiting from other AISA schools
• Provide transport to bring participants to the school and back to their hotel daily and provide lunch and other facilities
• Receive payment for each registrant from another AISA school attending the PLI
• Represents AISA in ensuring everyone at the PLI feels valued and their voices are heard

AISA will:

• Support the Host School with the planning and logistics
• Promote and market the PLI via our website and emailers
• Manage the online registration and fee collection process
• Liaise with participants to arrange transfer times from the hotel to the school
• Manage the online evaluation process and feedback to the Host School

Submit an application to host a PLI today.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your plans before completing the application process, please get in touch with Graham Carlini Watts, AISA Deputy Executive Director gwatts@aisa.or.ke