The Global Teachers Institute (GTI) is a teacher development network of educators, schools and organizations committed to developing high-quality teachers through school-based initial teacher education programmes, international exchanges and collaborative platforms.

GTI emerged from over ten years of transformative educational work within the LEAP Science and Maths Schools and in 2017 established itself as a duly registered and independent South African Non-profit organisation. With a strategic intent to address systemic barriers in education, through developing high-quality teachers from disadvantaged communities for rural, urban, low income and high-density schools through a school-based teacher internship model called the Future Leaders Programme (FLP).

This is a school-based teacher internship programme where student teachers are recruited and placed in participating host schools as teacher interns where they gain experience as assistant teachers, receive mentorship and study via distance learning institutions. Their professional development is enhanced through four transformative competency domains: Reflection, Empathy, Social responsibility and Instructional mastery.

The programme is delivered through four key activities:

1. Academic Coursework – Future Leaders study towards a BEd or PGCE qualification via a distance learning institution. They are recruited into high need subjects and phases and are required to complete a BEd within five years and a PGCE within one and half years. Studying via distance allows student-teachers the availability to be placed in schools and paired with mentors.
2. Mentorship – Future Leaders are paired with experienced teachers in their relevant subject areas, who serve as instructional coaches and personal mentors. Mentors meet Future Leaders weekly to plan lessons, reflect on performance and to support the professional development of interns.
3. Team Teaching – Future Leaders spend four days a week in class working with their mentor teachers as an observer, classroom assistant and/or lead teacher depending on their year in the Programme. Working with teachers in the classroom provides Future Leaders with opportunities to learn and implement the instructional and pedagogical approaches learned through their coursework.
4. Professional Development – Future Leaders receive support and training outside of their mentoring relationship in instruction, leadership, social development and other relevant topics for aspiring teachers. There are four key activities of the FLP professional development process:
   • Community of Practice (PD) - Future Leaders meet each week with their peers in communities of practice, where they share their learning acquired through their mentors and classroom experiences.
   • Reflective Circles – Future Leaders meet each week with their peers to reflect on topics that are relevant to them personally and professionally.
   • GTI Summit – Future Leaders attend a yearly gathering of all GTI teachers and partners for a multi-day professional development conference.