INTERNATIONAL THINKING in association with
Connecting
Classrooms
N THE face of it, pupils’ experiences
O
could not be more diverse.
International work and global links in our
Pupils in the primary schools involved in the UK
cluster – St Bernadette’s RC, Our Lady of Lourdes,
In one group of schools,
children have access to interactive schools are better than ever and are engaging
St John the Baptist, and Cottesmore St Mary, all
in Brighton and Hove – are also receiving a less
whiteboards and the latest stereotypical view of Africa through the links.
classroom-based technology, and
students across the UK. This week we launch
Tim Coxon, a teacher at Cardinal Newman, who co-
they don’t know what life was like ordinates the link with the primary schools, explained:
without mobile phones and computers.
For their peers across the globe, electricity may only
our new fortnightly page dedicated to best
“When we first started out, we asked children to draw
pictures of what they thought it was like in these countries
be available intermittently and classes of 60 or more
students are the norm.
practice in establishing and maintaining international
and they drew mud huts, dried up rivers, and dead
animals.
Yet for all these differences, the British Council’s
Connecting Classrooms scheme, which links schools
links. We begin with Cardinal Newman Catholic School’s
“Now children have developed a depth of knowledge
about those countries and how diverse life there is, and
in the UK with those in Africa, is helping pupils to we concentrate on the similarities between us rather
understand just how similar they really are.
African adventure. Dorothy Lepkowska reports
than the differences.”
Pupils all over the world are concerned with climate At a primary level, the partnerships have been used
change, for example, and how to make the world more mainly to further teaching in geography, literacy and
sustainable. And all children learn similar subjects, and observation and taking in best practice, but the suggested ways that they could take their pupils out of citizenship. Pupils have looked at the geography of the
grow up looking up to their heroes and role models. difficulty for British schools is not to appear too the classroom,” Mr Goldup added. area their school serves, and compared it with that of
For students at Cardinal Newman Catholic School, patronising.” “We know that, in Tanzania, the teachers took the African schools. Children have also written letters
a specialist humanities college in Brighton, links with He described his trip to Tanzania and the culture pupils to one of the national parks for the first time, to their African peers and made friends.
schools in Senegal and Tanzania have dispelled some shock of seeing how schools there operated. so some small incremental steps are being made. The Adja Dia, the teacher co-ordinator from Senegal,
of the negative impressions British children sometimes “They have few resources, class sizes are large, and teachers from Africa watched the way we did things said the links were crucial for developing the language
have of Africa. schools have no electricity. But for all that they are and saw more progressive and less didactic classroom skills of pupils in her country and for promoting
“The cultural aspects of the partnership have been doing a fantastic job. methods.” cultural understanding.
fascinating for our staff and pupils,” explained Graham “My impression was that their schools were almost Primary school education only became compulsory “English is our second language in Senegal but we
Goldup, the school’s assistant head with responsibility Victorian in their methods, with the teacher standing at in Tanzania from 2002, Mr Goldup explained, so also believe that to learn a new language effectively,
for the humanities specialism, and its Connecting the front of the class imparting knowledge. primary schools are taking on ever more pupils and are you have to have some knowledge and experience of
Classrooms co-ordinator. “English language teaching, for example, was very stretched to capacity. the culture in which that language is used,” she said.
“I think that overall we are quite ignorant about formal and based heavily on learning grammar. I He continued: “Despite this, the staff show so “The communication between our schools is vital
the continent as a whole in this country and tend to observed a lesson where the pupils were doing role- much enthusiasm and what really struck me was how for that understanding to occur and it is an important
formulate impressions that are created on programmes play. They were practising how to withdraw some hard people work. The pupils clearly feel privileged to tool in the way we teach.
like Comic Relief, where the images can be quite money from the bank by pretending they were the receive an education and the children value the fact they “It is not just the pupils who benefit. As teachers we
negative. customer and the teller, but of course here we would have an opportunity to attend school. are learning a great deal from our counterparts in the
“The visiting teachers have spoken to our pupils probably use a cash point machine.” “Sometimes whole extended families have to scrimp UK and Tanzania about different teaching methods and
about their schools, how families live, their religions On the return visit, the African teachers examined and save to send one or two children to school and pay what works. In particular, our experiences of travelling
and customs. It has helped us to move away from ways they could move away from teacher-centred for things like uniforms.” to the different countries have been useful in teaching
stereotypical impressions.” learning. During his visit to Tanzania, Mr Goldup became geography, maths, climate change and the environment,
Cardinal Newman, and a cluster of five primary “They have limited resources for doing this, but we involved in a discussion and debate with older students and for teachers of English.
schools in Brighton and Hove, became involved after about the slave trade and was subjected to some “Thanks to this project we have also received
responding to a newspaper advertisement seeking the difficult questioning. “They asked us how we felt as resources and teaching materials and we now have
involvement of English schools in the scheme. Schools a society to have been involved in the slave trade. I internet links which have completely opened up new
in the African countries, meanwhile, were invited to remember thinking that if they had a whiteboard, how ways for our pupils to learn, allowing them to keep in
participate. much more interactive the lessons could be with images touch with pupils in the UK.”
In all, there are six African schools in the partnership. and access to different sources.” Isaac Nanjaro, the co-ordinator from Tanzania, said
In Senegal, they are Aboulaya Mathurin Diop Junior But what has his school learned from its African he had been struck by the smaller class sizes in the West
School, Ahmadou Barriba Mbakthsne Diop 2 Primary, counterparts? Sussex schools.
and Blaise Diagne High School, all in Dakar. At Cardinal Newman the impact of the partnership “In Tanzania it is not uncommon for a teacher to
In Tanzania, the participating schools are Imbaseni on the curriculum has been mainly through geography teach a class of up to 100 children,” he said. “We have
Primary, Tuliva Primary, and Maji Ya Chai Secondary teaching. The school has developed modules for years learned a great deal by observing how other teachers
schools. 7, 8 and 9 which have included a focus on Africa in teach, as well as gaining some training in the use of ICT,
“The setting up of the partnership was a bit like some way. which is not yet that commonplace in our schools.
African speed-dating,” Mr Goldup explained. In year 8, for example, pupils studied tropical “We do not yet have much idea about computers
“Representatives from all the schools – in our case forests and the Savannah and looked at eco-systems and how best we can use these in our teaching.”
the cluster – met up in Mombasa with a portfolio about in Tanzania. In English teaching, meanwhile, pupils John Rolfe, manager of DCSF the International
themselves, and talked to each other before deciding looked at the myths and legends of the Baobab tree, School Award at the British Council, said: “The scheme
which partnerships would work best for them. which has mystical qualities on the Savannah. Pupils is an excellent means of ensuring we are turning
“Having a link with two countries rather than also studied the Masai tribe and how they live. out young people who are global citizens, and who
one prevents the British school from assuming too In year 9, pupils examined community development understand and know about the wider world.
dominant a role in the partnership.” and did a module on eco-friendly tourism on safaris. “This is a very dynamic collaboration and it is great
Each partnership initially received £15,000 over The school has also tapped into the expertise and to see these schools working together so closely.” SecEd
three years from the British Council to help pay for individual talents of visiting teachers. One of the
teacher exchanges. Each year, teachers from each of Senegalese partnership co-ordinators, for example, is a • Dorothy Lepkowska is a freelance journalist.
the countries visit each other to swap ideas and see how brilliant artist and took some art classes examining with
the others work. Global classroom: An English lesson in pupils the use of colour and texture in African art.
Further information
Mr Goldup continued: “The key to the partnership Tanzania (top) and a Cardinal Newman Students from all three countries also exchange Connecting Classrooms: www.britishcouncil.org/
is engaging learning and teaching ideas, based on teacher visiting a link school in Senegal letters and emails where possible. learning-connecting-classrooms
SecEd • April 23 2009 19
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