What is Connecting Classrooms?

Connecting Classrooms is a school partnership project. It connects groups or clusters of schools between Central and South Asia and the UK to strengthen cultural exchange and build an international dimension into education. Connecting Classrooms provides a rich platform for teachers and students to better understand each other’s societies and cultures and prepare them more effectively for life and work in today’s inter-connected world.

Why Connecting Classrooms?

In an increasingly interconnected and intercultural world, it is essential to bring global issues to life for young people and promote a healthy respect for the similarities and differences between countries and cultures.

We believe that bringing together young people from different cultural and economic backgrounds, and those who influence them, is an effective way of breaking down barriers, tackling mistrust and building future understanding between societies.

Which countries are taking part from Central and South Asia?

Connecting Classrooms in Central and South Asia builds mutually beneficial partnerships between schools and educationists in the UK and Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Clusters of schools from these countries will work together with clusters of schools in the UK.

What types of schools can get involved?

State, private and faith-based schools – particularly those in less disadvantaged areas.

Why get involved?

If you are a young learner, you will get the chance to work together with other learners from diverse countries to develop each other’s work skills and better understand each other’s worlds.

If you are a teacher, you will learn from professional development opportunities (particularly in child-centred learning, English language and Information and Communications Technology) to raise the standard of learning and teaching in classrooms.

If you represent a school, your school will get the opportunity to enrich intercultural understanding by linking with other schools in Pakistan and in the UK.

How long will the schools work together for?

Initially for three years.

How can the British Council help you?

• We support schools in establishing international linkages
• We then support them in designing and implementing classroom projects that promote intercultural dialogue
• We also assist teachers and educators by connecting them with networks of professional learning, to encourage the development of teaching skills, particularly in the area of child-centred learning.

Why partner with the British Council?

• Partnering with the British Council will provide you direct access to education networks, and communities of interest in education and learning across the Central and South Asia region
• In 2008/09 alone, we will link nearly 200 schools in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh with counterparts in the UK
• By 2010/11, more than 572,000 schoolchildren aged between 6 and 18, will be involved in school partnerships, permitting the joint exploration of issues such as the future use of finite resources, the impact of climate change, and understanding between cultures
• Across the region, we have extensive knowledge and experience of working with schools, from conducting UK examinations, working on school partnership activities and also working with national governments in implementing educational development projects.