Internationalization of Australian schools: Sister school experiences AFTMLA Canberra, 6 July 2013 Rosa M. Prieto Spanish language adviser, DEECD-Victoria Spanish Education Office – Ministry of Education-Spain
Index • What are sister schools? • Projects: Examples in Australia • Examples of school etwinning overseas • Research
Sister school projects
Overseas learning experiences • language immersion programs • curriculum-focused programs • cultural study programs • overseas service and community engagement projects • sporting and arts programs • individual student exchange programs • exchange programs with sister schools
Background Australian students Active interaction Globalised world Internationalizing education Sisterschool relationships
Definition • A sister school relationship is the development of a positive association intrastate, interstate or overseas through the establishment of links between schools and school communities. • The opportunity to participate in a sister school relationship is open to any school with a desire to learn more about a culture other than their own.
Sister schools • Sister schools provide a wide range of opportunities for all involved. Students, teachers, administrators, parents and communities all stand to benefit from international links.
Aims • Preparing students in Australia for active interaction in an interdependent, globalised world, providing them with 21st century skills so that they can think critically, embrace technology and value diversity.
Internationalization • International partnerships develop cultural awareness and sensitivity and an appreciation of a different way of life. • Networks are established and new perspectives developed. • Sister schools encourage a global outlook on life and have the flow-on effect of internationalising the ethos of the whole school community.
Language skills • Intercultural exchanges encourage greater competency and confidence in language learning and communication skills. • Information communication and technology skills are also enhanced as students interact through wikis, blogs and Skype.
Cross-cultural communication • Sister schools illustrate the concept of global interconnectedness in a tangible way. • By incorporating collaborative learning activities, partnerships encourage students to locate and explore common ground and bring about a unique intercultural element to collaborative learning activities. • Students also develop cross-cultural communication and diplomacy skills, a deeper understanding of international issues and a respect for differences in other cultures.
Sample Sister School Activities • Exchange of student work (blogs, wikis, shared spaces), email, letters, photos, student newspapers, etc. to promote mutual understanding • Organizing groups of students in both countries to collaborate in curriculum areas such as English, art/design etc. through ICT- mediated communication. • Both schools will endeavour to maintain student, teacher and administrator exchange programs to provide the opportunity to study, work and live in the sister school community • Exchange of leadership development information between principals. • Exchanges of information: curriculum, school policy and school events • Exchange of teaching resources, course materials and teaching strategies • Involving the community through newsletters and websites and inviting parents to meet with the visiting teachers .
Sample Sister School Activities • Start a club for organizing a trip overseas and fundraising. • Start an E Pen Pals sister school Club • Convene a Working Party with representation across other curriculum areas to increase involvement across the school and to progress the program. • Use the school’s interactive portal ( eg. Wall-e) to enable students to post work, display and discuss their work and communicate with students from their sister school. • Provide video conferencing facilities which should be used for the development of electronically supported relationships between both schools. This can include class interaction and PD sessions. • Prepare a professional development program for the staff from your sister school on subjects of interest eg. student engagement, etc and • Investigate best practice in your sister school’s areas of expertise eg. Maths, Science, bilingual education.
Projects • http://oursisterschool.wikispaces.com/home Ascot Vale Primary San Fulgencio Primary School, Melbourne, School, Albacete, Spain Australia
Projects
Project • Our City and Our School • wiki
Music and Culture • Waltzing Matilda: a dramatization
Geography • Location and mapping • Google maps
Maths: Measuring Time http://www.timeanddate.com/
The Lunchbox project • Video recording of lunch box contents. Explain contents. • Photographs and Powerpoint • Spanish students
A blog: From the Other Side of the World • From Australia to Spain Bethal Primary School, Meadow Heights, VIC Concepcion Arenal Primary School, Potes, Spain
A Principal ´ s visit • Desde Wantirna a Toledo • Regency Park y Eduardo Palomo • Sister schools established in 2012-13 (Spain-Victoria): 25 • Principals visiting Spain: 3 • Australian teachers visiting Spain: 4 • Spanish teachers visiting Australia: 8
Celebrations • blog • Hampton Primary School, Hampton, VIC and • Jose Antonio Labordeta Primary School, Zaragoza, Spain
Student Exchange • McKinnon Secondary College, Melbourne, Australia. • IES Fernando Zóbel, Cuenca, Spain. Teachers meeting in Cuenca, Spain, 11-12 April - City tour - Workings sessions to plan activities for semester 2 and next year. Students exchanges planned to visit Spain in 2014: • Methodist Ladies College • Mckinnon SC • Wantirna SC • Waikirie SC • Mount Barry Station P-10
Edmodo
Project: Architecture and Design
A model: E-twinning Primary workspace: www.etwinning.net
History: E twinning • European Commission: 2005 • European Union's e-Learning programme • Lifelong Learning Programme: 2007. • eTwinning is part of Comenius • Schools to collaborate using ICT by providing the necessary infrastructure (online tools, services, support). • Teachers form partnerships and develop collaborative, pedagogical school projects in any subject area with the sole requirements to employ ICT to develop their project and collaborate with teachers from other countries (at least two teachers from two different countries are needed) • Objectives: • promote sister school relationships as an opportunity for all students to learn and practice ICT skills and, • to promote awareness of the multicultural model of society.
ICT you and me • Project information
ICT you and me • Introductions • Our schools • Surveys • Logo • My hometown • Our countries • Christmas / Easter • Free time activities • Healthy lifestyle • Statistics and me • Fun corner • Maths and me • Valentine's Day • Summer holidays • Evaluation • Chats The story of Europe: average Etwinner reflection
Involvement Schools 100000 90000 80000 70000 60000 50000 Projects 40000 Schools 30000 25000 20000 10000 20000 0 2005 2008 2012 15000 Projects 10000 Teachers 180000 5000 160000 0 140000 2008 2012 120000 100000 Teachers 80000 60000 40000 20000 0 2008 2009 2012
Impact Since 2005, over 54,000 projects have been registered involving more than 30,000 schools. If a simple 25:1 ratio of students per school per project – assuming, in the simplest scenario, that there are only two schools involved – is applied to this figure, it is estimated that the number of students touched by eTwinning projects is in the region of 750,000 .” Students in eTwinning: case studies on student participation . Ed. by Patricia Wastiau, Christina Crawley, Anne Gilleran. Brussels, European Schoolnet, November 2011.
Impact on students • Students ’ teamwork and social skills (65%) • Students ’ ICT skills (64%) • Students ’ language skills (63%) • Sister school relationships motivated students to learn (61%) • Students ’ understanding and knowledge of the subject(s) improved (58%)
Impact on teachers • making new friends and networking across other countries (64%) • the acquisition of new or improved ICT skills (60%) • making a positive impact on their students ’ skills or motivation to learn (55%) • sense of being involved in an international teaching community (55%) • improved foreign language skills (54%)
Impact • Decreased isolation of students and teachers in some countries and remote regions • Greater awareness and understanding of the lives of others in different countries and peer connections through shared achievements • Determination on the part of teachers and students to build on and retain contacts and friendships made through collaboration
Research DEECD - International Education Division commissioned research into sister school relationships across Victorian schools in 2012.
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