Latest Comment: What would you do?Hand in hand with our neighbours: case studies
Thinking global, acting local
A Lanarkshire school is using sport to develop links with young people 6,000 miles away in South Africa.
The experience is having a profound effect on youngsters from both countries - and their education - as they explore each other's history and culture.
About a year ago, Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill was invited to apply for entry to the
Dreams and Teams global programme, set up to encourage young people's learning through sport and international educational links.
Cardinal Newman High was partnered with Thapama Secondary in South Africa's North West Province.
Head of PE at Cardinal Newman High, Kevan Egan, said: "The most striking observation was not the considerable differences between us, but the many things we had in common.
"We quickly formed a strong bond that we hope will flourish - to the mutual benefit of both communities.
"We have entered into a three-year plan with Thapama, and have agreed ways to strengthen the relationship between us. We'll know it's been a success when Thapama no longer needs an introduction because it is immersed in the entire Bellshill community."
Already the Scottish school is absorbing lessons from South Africa - including the geography and mineral wealth of the country; the history of the country post-apartheid, and the struggle for equality; language and culture, and establishing pen pals and Internet links. Of course, sport also plays a big part in widening expectations in both schools' student cohorts, and the school has set up a fundraising team working to finance an exchange visit of Thapama pupils and staff to the International Children's Games in Scotland in 2011.
Headteacher Isabelle Boyd CBE, commented: "This is Cardinal Newman High School and as such we had to go beyond the remit of the Dreams and Teams programme - the impact of the visit of the Headteacher of Thapama Secondary to our school was such that pupils requested that we divert their charities' monies raised daily in the school to feed needy people in Thapama."
Related websites
For more on the Dreams and Teams programme, which is run by the British Council, visit: www.britishcouncil.org/sport-dreams-about.htm
The first Ceilidh in Cuba
Lewis Renton, Head Boy at St Thomas of Aquins High School in Edinburgh, recounts his experience organising an exchange with the school's Cuban counterparts.
In June of 2008, my Spanish teacher, Mr. Montenegro, approached me and said he was planning to run a trip to Cuba the following year. It seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime to experience the Cuban culture while it remains in the Castro era, and I immediately agreed to become a member of the trip group. I was extremely excited by the prospect of the trip rounding off a year of hard study; however I had underestimated just how much commitment and work would be necessary in ensuring that the trip was a success.
Creating a social network
One of our first steps was the creation of our NING, a social networking page that allowed us to easily circulate important information such as dates for meetings: http://2cubavamos.ning.com
This use of technology gave those of us with little experience of working with IT the opportunity to develop our skills, and also ensured that our communication techniques were extremely efficient and effective. The creation of the NING page also allowed us to share letters and other documents, making our trip as eco-friendly as possible.
Research
As well as setting up the IT link, the initial stages of our trip planning consisted of highlighting the areas of Cuban society which we were interested in investigating before we left. We felt that prior research would allow us to appreciate these aspects fully when we arrived in the country and would also give us a better understanding of life in the country.
From these early discussions, we formulated a list of topics that we were interested in researching before and during our trip, comprising music, history, sports, schools, dance, architecture, climate, food, geography and language. Each of our weekly meetings was dedicated to a different topic and our appreciation of the Cuban people and culture grew very quickly, whetting our appetite for the trip that lay ahead.
These introductory lessons and presentations definitely enabled us to maximise the learning experience while in Cuba as the entire group already had a basic level of knowledge regarding the important aspects of the nation's culture.
A particular highlight was the salsa lessons which we undertook under the tutelage of the teacher who was in charge of the group and who had experience in salsa. We learned a variety of basic and more advanced steps, and it was an activity which definitely got us in a suitably Cuban mood, simply adding to our excitement as the trip drew closer. Our dance classes were key in showing the Cuban people that we had made an effort to embrace their culture. It also provided us with a way to interact with the natives that we met on our trip, as dancing together was more powerful than conversing, and for those without Spanish speaking skills, dance gave them a tool which they could use to overcome the language barrier.
Charity work
We decided that at some point during our trip it would be important to undertake some form of charitable work; therefore visits to two schools were factored into the trip itinerary. As a group, we organised a large fund-raising ceilidh in the school hall, with a raffle and silent auction supported by many local businesses. The evening also featured a salsa performance from the group, showcasing our newfound skills.
The event raised over £1000, with which we purchased stationary and other school equipment, which we then delivered to the Cuban schools in person. The night was a great success, and was testament to our organisational skills and clearly showed that our series of meetings had created a sense of teamwork within the group.
Language
Another key area of the preparation process was language.
There were a number of students in the group who had no previous Spanish speaking experience. These students undertook a series of short lessons giving them basic conversational skills and other valuable phrases that would come in useful in restaurants, bars and hotels.
Those students who already spoke Spanish completed projects and formulated presentations containing information about Edinburgh and various aspects of Scottish culture. We then gave these presentations to the children in the schools we visited. This was a great way of engaging the Cuban children in an activity which at the same time was teaching them about our nation's traditions and cultures, while also giving us the chance to practice our language skills under pressure.
Blogging it
Before we left for Havana, we continued our use of IT by setting up our "Cubanisimo" blog: http://cubanisimo.edublogs.org
Our aim was to use the blog to enable us to relay our experiences to our friends and family at home during our trip. The use of the blog provided us with an electronic diary that was a great way of storing our daily memories, while also informing all those logging in at home of our activities and how we were getting on.
In this way, we made it possible for many other people to gain an insight into the unbelievable Cuban culture that we were lucky enough to be experiencing first hand. It also forced many technophobic parents to begin conquering their fears in a way that was very rewarding for them as it allowed them to share in our experiences.
The use of the blog was one of the big success stories of the trip, and the comments and feedback were extremely positive, such as "Hi there, thanks for the blog. We've loved reading it each day. Have a brilliant last couple of day." It was clear that the parents were all really enjoying the contact we had with them as it enabled them to join in the experience of the trip as well, albeit from a distance.
Putting skills to use
Throughout the trip, we were forced to use skills from all across the school curriculum. One of the major problems we encountered concerned the exchange rate and a fairly competent level of mental maths was needed to convert sterling into Euros, then into the Cuban convertible pesos which tourists use in the country. Our science skills were also put to the test, especially when we visited the community of "Las Terrazas", a biodiversity reserve where we learned a lot about the flora and fauna of the country, instructed by a local guide.
The use of languages was also clearly paramount; however it was skills in areas such as PE which provided us with an alternative way of communicating and integrating with our Cuban peers. Furthermore, our sporting experience enabled us to unwind and socialise as a group, as well as joining the locals in the ubiquitous social games of the national sport of baseball.
Curriculum for Excellence
As a group, we also embraced the Curriculum for Excellence, proving in many different instances that we were all responsible citizens - acting as ambassadors for our school and for Scotland, effective contributors - by organising meetings, contributing to the Cuban schools and all making a key contribution to the trip's success, successful learners- by learning about the history and culture of the country, from the early settlers to the Cuban revolution and the stories of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, and confident individuals - in the way in which we delivered our presentations about Edinburgh and during our frequent interactions with locals.
A great educational experience
The trip was an unbelievable experience for everyone. For many of the students, it was their first time travelling outside Europe and the insight gained into the colourful and vibrant culture will definitely live long in the memory.
All the meetings and lessons before the trip ensured that as much educational value as possible was extracted from the trip, while also making it more enjoyable due to the knowledge we had already garnered before our departure.
The whole experience acted as a great educational experience, while also giving the students the chance to develop social skills in an unfamiliar yet unbelievable environment.
Related websites
http://cubanisimo.edublogs.org
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they do feel that fostering a sense of global citizenship in the classroom can have a long-term, positive effect on the wider world?
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would like to knowthe GTCS view on this scenario. I agree with Steve its a last option!
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