Global classrooms
For the past ten years the International School Award has been recognising teachers up and down the UK for their work in bringing ‘the world into their classrooms’. Sometimes compared to a modern day pen-pal scheme, the benefits of international school-linking are much greater and record numbers of schools seem to think so too.
More and more schools across the UK are recognising the importance of bringing an international dimension to their classroom, with the number of schools receiving the International School Award reaching an all time high of over 700 this year.
The International School Award (ISA) celebrates the dedication of UK teachers who work to forge links with schools across the world and internationalise their pupils’ education. Run by the British Council and funded by the Department of Children, Schools and Families with the support of the UK's devolved administrations, the award celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.
To date the British Council has helped create 2,700 international school links. Bringing this international dimension to the classroom both stimulates learning and helps equip young people with the skills and understanding to live and work in a global society after school.
Broadening horizons
‘International school links are about giving children the opportunity to communicate with other children in different countries,’ says John Phillips, Associate Headteacher at Hillside High School in Sefton, Merseyside. Hillside was one of the ISA winners this year.
By integrating international activities across the curriculum through school partnerships, Hillside has also seen children’s confidence and aspirations grow.
‘We’ve got real problems in our area with children thinking that the world is what’s immediately around them. For us, it’s about using this international work to give the children the confidence that they have something to offer and to realise that they can talk to people from different cultures.’
In one class, students have been learning about energy consumption in the home with children in India via video conferences.
‘They started off by sharing their different experiences and it’s been absolutely eye-opening for them,’ says Phillips. ‘It’s also given them a real purpose for learning in science.’
Multiple benefits
Freddie White, Deputy Headteacher at Christ's Hospital School in Lincoln which won the award for the fourth time, believes an international dimension to schoolwork gives the curriculum more richness, but he’s also witnessed other benefits school-linking can bring. During the ten years the school had been involved in the scheme, he says, racism had dropped to just one or two instances a year among the school’s 1,400 pupils.
Kevin McCabe, Executive Headteacher at Jervoise Junior and Infants School in Birmingham, has previously used international school partnership work to bring three inner-city schools in Birmingham out of special measures.
‘There’s a definite link between having an international dimension to learning and improving standards,’ he says.
‘Your bottom line as a teacher is that if you can engage and motivate your students, they’ll learn. We’ve used school links to teach the children about other countries and to talk to children overseas about subjects like science and maths, because when they’re engaged they’re learning,’ he says.
Local authority support
Birmingham is one of several local authorities who have committed to getting all their schools signed up to the award. ‘Having the local authority behind the award gives schools encouragement,’ says McCabe.
This year Plymouth and Haringey were the first two local authorities whose schools have all registered for the International School Award.
Plymouth’s local authority expanded their international work in 2004 in response to the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ strategy ‘Putting the world into world class education’.
Donna Aplin, International Links Co-ordinator at Stuart Road Primary School in Plymouth, explains that as the area is mainly mono-cultural, her school has used international school-links as a way of discovering other cultures: ‘We’ve used it to challenge stereotypes and make new friends around the world.’
Global citizens
And what do the pupils think?
‘Not only does the ISA give us a good understanding of other cultures and societies, but it allows others to gain an insight into how we live our lives,’ says Tanjeena Choudhury, aged 16 from Oaklands School in Tower Hamlets, London.
‘We are the leaders of tomorrow and to be strong leaders, we need to break all cultural and religious barriers that are holding us back today.’
Ateeq Khan, 15, says: 'It makes us feel more diverse in terms of culture, it gives us a deeper understanding of people in far corners of the world. We are citizens of the future and as the world is ever changing so rapidly, we all need to be aware that there are other people outside Bethnal Green, outside London, with different attitudes to us.'
‘It gives the children more insight into how things work and teaches them to be more reflective about how to operate with other people. Importantly, it also gives them more experiences to talk about,’ says McCabe.
‘When you’re operating in your own world, you’re only aware of the opportunities there, but once you become a global citizen many more opportunities are open to you.’
For more information about the International School Award visit www.globalgateway.org.uk/isa
or e-mail isa@globalgateway.org
For more information about the British Council's Connecting Classrooms visit http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-connecting-classrooms.htm
or e-mail connectingclassrooms@britishcouncil.org
