Defining your objectives
A successful school link depends on the commitment of both school and a certain amount of give and take. If you have a clear idea of the purpose of your link, it will be much easier to motivate your colleagues and pupils. It is also important to recognise that your partners will have their own objectives and you should therefore be willing to adjust plans to suit both schools.
Things to think about:
- why have you decided to link with a school in Japan (the UK)?
- how does this link fit in with your school's overall vision for international links?
- what do you hope to gain from the link? In the short term? In the long term?
- is there any specific material or information you would like to receive from your partner school?
- what can you offer a partner school?
There are almost as many reasons for setting up a link as there are schools wanting to do so. As a general guide, some of the more common reasons and expectations are given here:
- we want our students to develop an awareness of other cultures and traditions (J, UK)
- we want our students to see their own culture more objectively (J, UK)
- to give our students a real context for using their English (J)
- to give our students a chance for using their Japanese (UK)
- to fulfil international understanding, English and ICT elements of the integrated learning curriculum (J)
- to complement a geography unit of work / primary project on Japan (UK)
- we have an assistant English teacher from the UK (J)
We look in detail at the planning of a link elsewhere in these guidelines, but it's important in the early stages to consider how the objectives of both partners can be met.
If you have questions about setting up a school link, please contact Katherine Donaghy. We also welcome your comments or suggestions concerning these guidelines,
so please email us with them.
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