FEATURE: CULTURAL EDUCATION
country correctly. The levels of knowledge were impressive, and what was especially pleasing was that some of this interaction had clearly been undertaken without being asked and perhaps unseen in the previous months.
This year, we are building on this, using food, a strategy started in the boarding houses. In some of the houses, each weekend new cuisine from each pupil’s nation has been, cooked and prepared by the pupils themselves. We have been treated to some spectacular borsch, curry, and dumplings over a few delicious weekends. What has been wonderful is that the constant presence of mobile phones has disappeared in these times, and the interaction and curiosity to each other as individuals and the places that help shape us have come to the fore.
Implementing globalisation into the curriculum
Another breakthrough has been in the implementation of an RHS diploma. While this is primarily a way to measure and record skills developed in all areas of the school, one activity that is now included is the challenge of finding out about another pupil’s culture. Students are encouraged to interview a student from a different culture or learn to cook a meal from their country or study something about their language. Hopefully, the real reward will not be in the school diploma, but in the further improvement into building a global community in rural Suffolk.
A language exchange is also underway. UK pupils who are keen to learn Mandarin, Spanish or Russian are paired with a native speaker of the language. They meet and chat for an hour or so, splitting the time equally between the two target languages. Language challenges, based on the variety of languages spoken across the school, have been given to pupils in tutor time, and a large number of our international pupils have taken on the role of teachers, teaching their languages to younger year groups both in this school and in primary schools locally.
Introduce an EAL guide and forum No progress in these areas is possible without language development. If you lack the ability to make rudimentary small talk and express your thoughts or needs, making friends is a challenge. Question formation in English is also grammatically tough – how many young children are prepared to ask questions to peers
and teachers alike if they first have to spend a few seconds debating which one of a myriad of auxiliary verbs they need for the question they are formulating? How can you have a discussion about similarities and differences, if pupils lack the vocabulary to express these? To that end, we have produced an English as an Additional Language (EAL) Guide, which has a writing and speaking frame for all the key academic structures, including phrases vital to comparing and contrasting. This seems to be helping pupils feel more assured in giving their opinions as they always have access to the necessary scaffolding. We have also benefitted from having a grandly titled EAL Forum. Each of our 11 boarding houses has at least one pupil who represents the international community. We meet regularly to chat and their insights have seen some great innovations. The biggest step forward has been in basketball, where it is wonderful to see a united and successful team proudly representing the school. The team arose from a suggestion made at the Forum. We are proud that the heads of the school in the last few years have been diverse since appointing the Forum, with Head Boys from Spain and China in recent years and a Russian deputy this year. A rare, ecstatic, standing ovation was given to the leaving speech in assembly by Bruce Qi, our head boy from Beijing, solidifying that we are a global community, and showing that mastering the language, as Bruce managed to do in his five years at school, is the key to
success in fostering diversity.
Bruce was also instrumental in helping the EAL department be more effective in selecting what to teach after a lesson where, in Year 9, he was lucky enough to be taught maths by Susie Botley, who dedicates a board to EAL pupils’ vocabulary needs, named Lucie. A penny dropped for us all when Bruce asked why an average might be “mean”? How could it be unkind? “What does ‘mean’ mean here?” he asked. To have this complexity of language laid out in front of all, the native speakers immediately become more sympathetic, understanding and helpful.
Adopt Model United Nations
Some of the best progress in our multicultural understanding has come through Model United Nations (MUN). This can be daunting for EAL pupils to join, with such rigorous language demands. As an introductory step, we have introduced our pupils to this through a series of international pupil debates and spelling bees with schools across the region. The confidence gained speaking in English here helps convince them to make the step up into our more advanced MUN. Our school, once the preserve of the sons of Royal Navy servicemen, is now even more diverse than the navy itself at its height. That history is vitally important, and the fact that so many of our international pupils buy into this ethos and are welcomed into it suggests we are making some strides, although it is always a work in progress. In conclusion, fostering a rich tapestry of cultural and national celebration within the classroom is not just an educational objective but a societal imperative. By embracing and encouraging the exploration of both similarities and differences, educators lay the foundation for a more inclusive and harmonious future. Creating an environment that values diverse perspectives not only enhances the learning experience but also equips students with essential skills for navigating an increasingly interconnected world. Through thoughtful activities, open dialogue, and a genuine appreciation for the myriad of backgrounds present, classrooms can become vibrant hubs where the celebration of cultural and national diversity becomes second nature, preparing students to be compassionate, informed global citizens.
https://www.royalhospitalschool.org/ December 2023
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