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When two teachers from Culverhay, a secondary school in Bath, visited Subodh Public School in Jaipur, India, in 2002, little did the staff – or pupils – know that it would lead to what has now become a strong and established partnership between the two schools.
The study visit was arranged as part of the Teachers’ International Professional Development (TIPD) scheme, to examine best practice in citizenship. Both teachers returned enthused by their professional experiences even though occasionally they had felt overwhelmed by the shock to the system which is India.
With staff at both our schools anxious to extend the opportunities of this exciting new link, we investigated the prospects of applying for a DFID (Department for International Development) Global School Partnerships Curriculum Project grant.
We put a lot of thought into how best to use information and communications technology (ICT) to develop the partnership.
We started by setting up ‘International Teams’ at both schools to identify shared aims for the project, which focused on enabling our students to investigate and make informed choices about global issues of concern to them.
The hope was that all the students in the link would become ‘global citizens’ while at the same time completing educational activities. We expected our project to grow organically from small beginnings to spread across the curriculum. We decided to name the project ‘Respect’ and I took on the role of International Coordinator.
ICT played an immediate major part in the project. Via e-mail the International Teams compared contexts and clarified aims and objectives. Our joint project application, the result of many e-mails, brought the two teams together, as well as encouraging groups of teachers to be imaginative and fulfilled by these exciting plans.
Also, a driving force in both schools was the desire to visit our partners – this should not be underestimated when teachers and students are trying to sustain the link! We were approved for a Curriculum Project Grant, and a structured, funded programme to accompany the link was soon up and running.
We have always been keen to ensure link activities relate directly to the curriculum. Students have so far developed activities in English, citizenship, communication studies, religious education (RE), geography and personal, social and health education (PSHE).
In all these areas ICT has been essential. Right from the start, students have shared personal profiles and discussed their daily lifestyles with their Indian counterparts via e-mail and through the use of digital photography.
This initial activity proved extremely successful as the students were developing core skills and extending their application of ICT. Communicating with what was often a ‘live’ audience also proved a strong motivating factor and gave students more confidence as our project gathered momentum.
In geography, the students have shared studies in physical geography and completed projects about their own local areas. They have sent questionnaires to each other asking about the natural hazards experienced in each country.
They have also taken the opportunity to quiz visiting teachers on subjects such as earthquakes, the Indian monsoon and English floods. Students aged 11–14 designed PowerPoint presentations promoting our two heritage cities – Bath and Jaipur – as tourist destinations.
RE students have studied, compared and shared materials about the different beliefs, festivals and cultures in the two countries. Students aged 11–12 wished to learn more about various celebrations and experience them in the classroom through dress, cuisine and simulation (drama).
Imagine our English lads’ response when they were asked by a visiting Indian teacher if they would give presents to all their sisters at the festival of Raksha Bandhan!
E-mail proved an excellent means of communication and included questionnaires, reports, designs (Christmas cards) and digital photos of Diwali and Christmas. Without doubt, the link has had a direct impact towards raising achievements in RE and geography at both schools.
The study visit element of the curriculum project grant has also contributed to the success of the partnership and acted as a catalyst to develop further joint curriculum activities.
After visiting Subodh, one teacher from Culverhay, who felt enriched by the experience, said it offered the opportunity to ‘immerse yourself in a new education system, reflect on these experiences and improve your practice, where appropriate, when you return home.’
Our Indian colleagues have also taken an active part in teacher training sessions at Culverhay during their study visits. Imagine the quality and breadth of discussions about whole-school issues with trainees when given an Indian perspective! They have also seen ICT in action in our school and have taken some of those ideas back with them.
International education has come a long way in the last decade, with ICT enabling meaningful joint curriculum activity development between distant schools.
It has made an invaluable contribution to our Global School Partnership programme, providing professional development for teachers, energising International Teams in schools and enhancing the learning opportunities for our youngsters to become responsible and proactive citizens in an increasingly complex and interdependent world.
Andrew Camp has recently retired from Culverhay School, Bath.
DFID Global School Partnerships are a powerful and exciting way of bringing a global dimension into the lives of young people and their teachers. Successful partnerships have a profound and lasting impact on those involved.
The programme is a consortium initiative of the British Council, Cambridge Education Foundation, UK One World Linking Association (UKOWLA) and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), funded by the Department for International Development (DFID).
It offers advice, professional development opportunities and grants to schools in the UK and in Africa, Asia, the Carribbean and Latin America that use partnerships to develop a global dimension in the curriculum. For details, visit the Global School Partnership's website.
Culverhay School has previously been accredited with the International School Award and is currently applying to renew its accreditation. Subodh School is one of five schools in India to have recently gained ISA accreditation under the current India International School Award pilot scheme. A further 19 schools are undertaking the process. For more information, call John Rolfe on 020 7389 4419 or e-mail john.rolfe@britishcouncil.org
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