Terms of reference
Position type: Consultancy
Timeline: April 2025 – June 2025
Position
Curriculum Developer to design and develop a curriculum for a 4-day, in-person Teacher’s Leadership Institute aimed at equipping high school educators with the tools, resources, and strategies to integrate global citizenship, global development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their classroom teaching.
Background and Context
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of private, international, non-denominational agencies working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in the developing world. The Network’s organizations have individual mandates that range from the fields of health and education to architecture, livelihoods development, and the promotion of private enterprise. Together, they collaborate in working towards a common goal – to build institutions and projects that can respond to the challenges of social, economic, and cultural change on an ongoing basis.
Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is an international development organization and registered charity. AKFC partners with communities, businesses, and governments to find innovative, lasting solutions to promote inclusive development. Working in Africa and Asia, the Foundation invests in local institutions and systems that anchor progress over the long term. In Canada, AKFC mobilizes funding and expertise, and promotes awareness of global issues. AKFC is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the world’s most comprehensive development organizations. Since 1980, AKFC has helped millions of people to unlock their own potential to build a better life.
AKFC’s Public Engagement and Resource Mobilization department is responsible for engaging with Canadians on international development issues. In carrying out this work, the department is tasked with informing and educating Canadians and inspiring them to take meaningful action. Two of the target audiences for this work are youth and educators in Canada. To effectively engage with, educate, and inspire these two interdependent groups, AKFC has a suite of programming specific to youth and educators.
AKFC produces a wide range of products and programs for educators including lesson plans, classroom resources, and professional development opportunities. As part of its mission, AKFC is developing a Teacher’s Leadership Institute to build educators’ capacities to integrate global citizenship and development themes into their teaching practices by enhancing their teaching strategies and subject area knowledge.
Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive and practical curriculum for AKFC’s 4-day, in-person Teacher’s Leadership Institute. The curriculum should align with best practices in professional development for educators, global citizenship education, and human centered design.
Specific objectives include:
- Design a structured and engaging curriculum tailored for high school educators. The curriculum should consider different subject areas, grade levels, and learning environments.
- Develop interdisciplinary workshop modules, case studies, and lesson planning tools that integrate global development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Incorporate human-centered design principles to help educators create interdisciplinary and student-focused activities for classrooms.
- Create a facilitator’s guide to support effective training delivery.
- Develop participant materials, including handouts, worksheets, and reference materials.
- Integrate diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender perspectives.
The consultant will work with AKFC staff and AKFC’s brand guidelines and editorial policy to deliver a finished product of one curriculum document, one facilitator guide, and participant materials in English. AKFC will work with the consultant to ensure that the content adheres to the ethics and standards for AKFC content, and follows AKFC’s broader policies and guidelines, including gender equality guidelines and AKF’s global safeguarding policy.
Key Activities and Deliverables
| Phase 1 | Meet with AKFC to discuss project objectives, expectations, and workplan. Read relevant documents. |
| Phase 2 | Draft the detailed curriculum, including workshop modules, activities, case studies, and lesson planning tools. Submit curriculum draft to AKFC staff for review and feedback. |
| Phase 3 | Revise content based on feedback and submit a finalized curriculum. |
| Phase 4 | Develop facilitator guides and participant materials for each session. Submit the draft facilitator guides and participant materials for review and feedback. |
| Phase 5 | Revise and submit the finalized facilitator guide and participant materials. |
Duration of Activities
This consultancy will begin on April 29th 2025, and end on June 30th, 2025. Proposed estimate for this project, including timelines and work breakdown (note that timelines and number of days may change due to nature of the work):
| Phase | Dates, 2025 | Activities and Deliverables | Days |
| 1 | April 29 – May 6 | Meet with AKFC to discuss project objectives, expectations, and workplan. Read relevant documents. | 2 |
| 2 | May 7 – 23 | Draft the detailed curriculum, including workshop modules, activities, case studies, and discussion questions. Submit curriculum draft to AKFC staff for review and feedback. | 8 |
| 3 | May 24 – June 2 | Revise content based on feedback and submit a finalized curriculum. | 4 |
| 4 | June 2 -16 | Develop facilitator guides and participant materials for each session. Submit the draft facilitator guides and participant materials for review and feedback. | 7 |
| 5 | June 17-30 | Revise and submit the finalized facilitator guide and participant materials. | 4 |
| TOTAL DAYS | 25 |
Qualifications
The consultant should be an experienced professional with expertise in creating cutting-edge curricula that explore international development themes. The consultant should have the technical skills and ability to deliver the scope of work and outputs, in particular:
- a degree in education, curriculum development, instructional design, international development or a related field.
- experience as a teacher (ideally at the high school level) in the Canadian context.
- a strong understanding of the latest developments in pedagogy, curriculum development, and experiential learning.
- experience in designing and implementing professional development programs for Canadian educators, preferably at the high school level.
- familiarity with the Sustainable Development Goals.
- expertise in human-centered design and experience in applying it to curriculum development and teacher training.
- research and analytical skills, with the ability to conduct research, synthesize information, and translate into interdisciplinary learning modules/workshops.
- excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in curriculum design.
- strong attention to detail.
Gender Equality & Safeguarding
AKFC is committed to advancing gender equality and inclusion through our programming and operations in Canada and overseas. AKFC requires all employees and consultants to review and abide by the AKFC Gender Equality Policy.
AKFC recognizes the importance of safeguarding and is committed to ensuring it manages a wide range of risks such that beneficiaries, staff, other associates, and the organization as a whole are kept safe from harm. All employees and consultants must respect the AKF Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policy.
AKFC welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
