The Mobile Classroom

Introduction:
One popular method of delivering instruction to students in remote areas is to set up a mobile classroom. This model presents distinct advantages over internet instruction, especially for hands-on lessons. There are myriad ways a temporarty classroom can be installed.

Types
The idea of portable education has been around for many years, mostly in the form of modular classrooms that can be picked up and moved anywhere. They are typically installed as a cost-eective solution to an over-crowded school. They are semi-permanent and usually intended to remain for a few years (eg.: small town where population is expected to decrease sharply after a spike). Teaching in a modular classroom would be no dierent than a regular school. In poor countries, these may be installed as single room classes that can move according to economic changes within a community.

There are many other congurations available; some are built into semi-trailers, while others have been made with buses of all sizes. Red River College (Winnipeg, MB)owns two mobile training labs (53 foot trailers)that are used for remote communities. They are equipped to teach small engine repair and auto mechanics, but could easily be adapted for other uses. the sides of the trailer have slide-out sections. this type of installation is much easier to move than a modular classroom, and is intended for a specied term. The labs increase accessibility for students in rural areas to training programs, and link training with community-based projects and emerging industries. This program will allow students to remain at home to study, connect with community supports and help build labor capacity in rural and aboriginal communities. 1 The most versatile mobile classroom is, of course, the converted bus. From 72 passenger coaches to seven-passenger vans, they are used to deliver training in all elds, and across many demographics. Training institutes (and private individuals) have developed special units for: Training factory workers at their own facility (new equipment, software, or skills upgrading)temporary courses Conducting hearing and vision tests, vaccinations
1

From the Aboriginal Education section of Red River College website

 Developing countries; buses are occasionally used to bring training programs to rural communities Unique training programs

Figure 1: IT training in London

Mobile teaching
Teaching in a portable classroom has its quirks. Some teachers report that they enjoy itthey enjoy the privacy, the lack of peering eyes, the interruptions. If there are

Figure 2: Teaching in a bus in Mumbai personality conicts between teachers, this setup can be refreshing too. Others say that they feel too removed from the main school building. To a teacher that has become accustomed to a larger suburban style school, it can be quite a switch. Students my need to brave cold and snow to get to the portable from the main school building, and the migration must be supervised more closely than within hallways. Being a teacher in a bus is a very dierent matter. There is no main school building; the bus must be self-contained. It must be equipped with all the supplies necessary. The teacher must also be exible enough to adapt, if he or she doesnt have something on hand.

Teaching in a bus could be an interesting career choice; some technology companies use road coaches equipped with powerful computers and satellite communications. There is not so much a cost advantage as there is a marketing one. The high visibility of the ashy bus itself is intentional. In other cases, the bus classroom could go to a remote community where the teacher will remain for some months. Some teachers must also drive the bus to its location every day, which poses additional responsibility. When becoming a teacher, the prospect of teaching in an isolated or portable classroom is not mentioned. For better or worse, it could be a very dierent experience for the teacher. For the student, it can mean receiving instruction they would otherwise miss.