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
Geography
• Location and mapping
• Google maps
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
www.mecd.gob.es/australia/
Spanish language adviser, DEECD-Victoria
Spanish Education Office – Ministry of
Education-Spain
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