Internationalization of Australian schools:

Sister school experiences AFTMLA Canberra, 6 July 2013

Rosa M. Prieto

Spanish language adviser, DEECD-Victoria

Spanish Education Office – Ministry of Education-Spain

Index • What are sister schools?

• Projects: Examples in

Australia

• Examples of school etwinning

overseas

• Research

Sister school projects

Overseas learning experiences

• language immersion programs

• curriculum-focused programs

• cultural study programs

• overseas service and community engagement

projects

• sporting and arts programs

• individual student exchange programs

• exchange programs with sister schools

Background

Australian students

Active interaction Globalised world

Internationalizing

education

Sisterschool relationships

Definition

• A sister school relationship is the development of a

positive association intrastate, interstate or

overseas through the establishment of links

between schools and school communities.

• The opportunity to participate in a sister school

relationship is open to any school with a desire to

learn more about a culture other than their own.

Sister schools

• Sister schools provide a wide range of

opportunities for all involved. Students, teachers,

administrators, parents and communities all

stand to benefit from international links.

Aims

• Preparing students in Australia for active

interaction in an interdependent, globalised

world, providing them with 21st century skills

so that they can think critically, embrace

technology and value diversity.

Internationalization

• International partnerships develop cultural

awareness and sensitivity and an

appreciation of a different way of life.

• Networks are established and new

perspectives developed.

• Sister schools encourage a global outlook on

life and have the flow-on effect of

internationalising the ethos of the whole

school community.

Language skills

• Intercultural exchanges encourage greater

competency and confidence in language

learning and communication skills.

• Information communication and technology

skills are also enhanced as students interact

through wikis, blogs and Skype.

Cross-cultural communication

• Sister schools illustrate the concept of global

interconnectedness in a tangible way.

• By incorporating collaborative learning activities,

partnerships encourage students to locate and

explore common ground and bring about a unique

intercultural element to collaborative learning

activities.

• Students also develop cross-cultural

communication and diplomacy skills, a deeper

understanding of international issues and a

respect for differences in other cultures.

Sample Sister School Activities

• Exchange of student work (blogs, wikis, shared spaces), email, letters, photos, student newspapers, etc. to promote mutual understanding

• Organizing groups of students in both countries to collaborate in curriculum areas such as English, art/design etc. through ICT-mediated communication.

• Both schools will endeavour to maintain student, teacher and administrator exchange programs to provide the opportunity to study, work and live in the sister school community

• Exchange of leadership development information between principals.

• Exchanges of information: curriculum, school policy and school events

• Exchange of teaching resources, course materials and teaching strategies

• Involving the community through newsletters and websites and inviting parents to meet with the visiting teachers.

Sample Sister School Activities • Start a club for organizing a trip overseas and fundraising.

• Start an E Pen Pals sister school Club

• Convene a Working Party with representation across other curriculum areas to increase involvement across the school and to progress the program.

• Use the school’s interactive portal (eg. Wall-e) to enable students to post work, display and discuss their work and communicate with students from their sister school.

• Provide video conferencing facilities which should be used for the development of electronically supported relationships between both schools. This can include class interaction and PD sessions.

• Prepare a professional development program for the staff from your sister school on subjects of interest eg. student engagement, etc and

• Investigate best practice in your sister school’s areas of expertise eg. Maths, Science, bilingual education.

Projects

• http://oursisterschool.wikispaces.com/home

Ascot Vale Primary

School, Melbourne,

Australia

San Fulgencio Primary

School, Albacete, Spain

Projects

Project

• Our City and Our School

• wiki

Music and Culture

• Waltzing Matilda: a dramatization

Geography

• Location and mapping

• Google maps

Maths: Measuring Time

http://www.timeanddate.com/

The Lunchbox project

• Video recording of lunch box contents. Explain

contents.

• Photographs and Powerpoint

• Spanish students

A blog: From the Other Side of the

World

• From Australia to Spain

Bethal Primary School,

Meadow Heights, VIC

Concepcion Arenal Primary

School, Potes, Spain

A Principal´s visit

• Regency Park y Eduardo

Palomo

• Desde Wantirna a Toledo

•Sister schools established in 2012-13

(Spain-Victoria): 25

•Principals visiting Spain: 3

•Australian teachers visiting Spain: 4

•Spanish teachers visiting Australia: 8

Celebrations • blog

• Hampton Primary School,

Hampton, VIC and

• Jose Antonio Labordeta

Primary School, Zaragoza,

Spain

Student Exchange

• McKinnon Secondary College, Melbourne, Australia.

• IES Fernando Zóbel, Cuenca, Spain.

Teachers meeting in Cuenca, Spain, 11-12 April

- City tour

- Workings sessions to

plan activities for

semester 2 and next year.

Students exchanges planned to

visit Spain in 2014:

•Methodist Ladies College

•Mckinnon SC

•Wantirna SC

•Waikirie SC

•Mount Barry Station P-10

Edmodo

Project: Architecture and Design

A model: E-twinning

Primary workspace:

www.etwinning.net

History: E twinning

• European Commission: 2005

• European Union's e-Learning programme

• Lifelong Learning Programme: 2007.

• eTwinning is part of Comenius

• Schools to collaborate using ICT by providing the necessary infrastructure

(online tools, services, support).

• Teachers form partnerships and develop collaborative, pedagogical school

projects in any subject area with the sole requirements to employ ICT to

develop their project and collaborate with teachers from other countries (at

least two teachers from two different countries are needed)

• Objectives:

• promote sister school relationships as an opportunity for all students to

learn and practice ICT skills and,

• to promote awareness of the multicultural model of society.

ICT you and me

• Project information

ICT you and me • Introductions

• Our schools

• Surveys

• Logo

• My hometown

• Our countries

• Christmas / Easter

• Free time activities

• Healthy lifestyle

• Statistics and me

• Fun corner

• Maths and me

• Valentine's Day

• Summer holidays

• Evaluation

• Chats

The story of Europe: average Etwinner reflection

Involvement

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

2005 2008 2012

Schools

Schools

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

2008 2012

Projects

Projects

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

160000

180000

2008 2009 2012

Teachers

Teachers

Impact

Since 2005, over 54,000 projects have been

registered involving more than 30,000 schools.

If a simple 25:1 ratio of students per school per

project –assuming, in the simplest scenario,

that there are only two schools involved – is

applied to this figure, it is estimated that the

number of students touched by eTwinning

projects is in the region of 750,000.”

Students in eTwinning: case studies on student participation. Ed. by

Patricia Wastiau, Christina Crawley, Anne Gilleran. Brussels, European

Schoolnet, November 2011.

Impact on students

• Students’ teamwork and social skills

(65%)

• Students’ ICT skills (64%)

• Students’ language skills (63%)

• Sister school relationships motivated

students to learn (61%)

• Students’ understanding and

knowledge of the subject(s) improved

(58%)

Impact on teachers • making new friends and

networking across other

countries (64%)

• the acquisition of new or

improved ICT skills (60%)

• making a positive impact on

their students’ skills or

motivation to learn (55%)

• sense of being involved in an

international teaching

community (55%)

• improved foreign language

skills (54%)

Impact

• Decreased isolation of students and teachers

in some countries and remote regions

• Greater awareness and understanding of the

lives of others in different countries and peer

connections through shared achievements

• Determination on the part of teachers and

students to build on and retain contacts and

friendships made through collaboration

Research

DEECD - International Education Division

commissioned research into sister school

relationships across Victorian schools in

2012.

Recommendations

• Focus on quality of the sister school experience

• Set challenging expectations

• Introduce learning outcomes for projects

• Impact on the whole school: – Embed sister schools more effectively into the school curriculum for

sustainable and school-wide impact.

• Focus on the student: – Provide more and better guidance for teachers on how to engage

– Empower students since levels of empowerment and autonomy are

associated with positive outcomes for students from projects

– Include students in tests for new tools; invite students to represent their

peers on user groups and focus groups in order to find out more about

their perceptions of the projects and its impact.

Identification of Effective Practice

• The program is a priority within the school

– Full support of the leadership team

– High level of support right across the school

• Matched expectations and objectives

• Clear common goals

• A coordinator on each side but with shared

responsibility across the school and succession

planning in place

Key Findings Benefits of Sister School Relationships

• Intercultural understanding within the school

community

• Increased global awareness and

internationalisation within the school

community

• Opportunities to better understand one’s own

culture/country

• Personal development of the student e.g.

leadership, maturity & independence

Key Findings Benefits of Sister School Relationships – contd.

• Improved ability of students to adjust to different

situations

• Opportunities for sharing pedagogies and engage in

joint curriculum development

• Opportunities for professional development

• Opportunities for reciprocal travel

• Enhancing the reputation of the school

• Improved competence and confidence in the use of

technology by teachers involved in the program

Important Factors for

Sustaining Relationships

• High level of leadership support

• Commitment to the partnership by both schools

• The program being a priority within the school

• Clear goals and objectives agreed upon upfront

• A team approach to supporting the relationship

• Adequate funding and resources

• Ongoing and regular communication

• A focus on planning of activities and collaboration

• The primary communicators on both sides should

share a common language.

How to establish a sisterschool

relationship

• Find the school (Consulates, Departments

of Education, Education offices)

• Discuss agreement

• Start planning

Next steps

• Expand sister school relationships

• Include outcomes and performance

indicators in the projects

• Include strategies to achieve quality

language practice and information

exchanges

• Thank you for your

attention • Muchas gracias por

su atención

Rosa M. Prieto

rosa.prieto@mecd.es

www.mecd.gob.es/australia/

Spanish language adviser, DEECD-Victoria

Spanish Education Office – Ministry of

Education-Spain