Networking: access to a huge pool of knowledge and expertise

‘Networking and collaboration at the local, national, and international level allow school leaders and teachers to benefit from a huge pool of knowledge and expertise. This can be drawn from to transform and enrich student learning.’

Learning institutions must be encouraged to engage in multilateral relationships by establishing partnerships with their counterparts locally, nationally and internationally so that a veritable network of communication is created globally. This collaboration will lend a global dimension to learning, assisting learners to understand the world as a global community, and promoting a spirit of understanding, appreciation, peace, love and unity among the diverse peoples of the world.

Interaction among foreign learning institutions draws together peoples from distant worlds, of varying origins and cultures, in a spirit of partnering and collaboration via the educational process. The creation of an effective and efficient global network demands that partnershipsbe developed at all levels, internationally as well as locally (primary, secondary and tertiary) to facilitate a seamless exchange of information, ideas and programs and stimulate meaningful and effective interaction.

Participating partner schools will benefit from being creative in activities mutually agreed upon. These initiatives encourage innovative ways of helping students understand and appreciate the world as a global community. The incorporation of themes provides perspective, dimension and context to projects and formulates the basis for teaching learners an appreciation of other peoples and their cultures. Learners will be encouraged to analyse the impact of different cultures on human existence and how different ways of life define human behaviour; in so doing, learners will be inclined to revisit, redefine, revise and modify their own perceptions of people from a different world and of a different experience, and discard previously held misconceptions and stereotypes conjured up through ignorance.

If positive student outcomes are the major dynamic of global networking student travel should be an integral aspect of curriculum projects. Students can be presented with a tangible global perspective by personally experiencing and ‘living through’ face-to-face, interpersonal communication with colleagues of a different culture, in a different part of the world. Such opportunities are priceless since they afford learners a close-up encounter with a reality that would have been otherwise nothing more than an illusion. As many student visits/exchanges, as financially possible, should be encouraged to maximise positive student outcomes from these projects.

Schools should be receptive to developing themes that are topical, impact man and his environment and teach learners ways and means of bringing about peace, understanding, harmony and unity. Tourism, culture, sport, heritage, the environment, health, social reform and diversity are but a few such topics that could help to establish connections between cultures locally and globally.

The Department for International Development, through its Global School Partnerships Program (DGSP), encourages the fostering of multilateral perspectives of a global dimension as a means of disseminating and exchanging ideas, and promoting understanding, appreciation and harmony worldwide. Generating projects and sustaining meaningful communication, particularly in respect of international linkages, inevitably incur exorbitant demands. The Global Curriculum Projects (GCPs) and Return Visits (RVs) are initiatives under the Global School Partnerships Program through which grants, commensurate with the needs identified in successful bids, are awarded. This access to funding expands networking capabilities by facilitating student and/or teacher travel to foreign institutions. There is, understandably however, a limit to which this venture could be sustained particularly in respect of those institutions that have already benefited from Return Visits (RVs).

Funding for projects could be generated through fundraising activities where projects lend themselves to such pursuits. At St Francois Girls’ College, in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, many whole school projects are initiated and sustained through fundraising activities. Most projects are conceptualised from an entrepreneurial perspective and some element of the project is designed to generate revenue. For example, our annual five-kilometre fun run/walk to promote healthy lifestyles generates approximately 4,000 United States Dollars ($4,000.00USD) annually through fees from participants, the sale of customised t-shirts, and healthy foods. This venture seeks to transform our learners’ approach to life and living in an effort to improve their quality of life. Another objective is to heighten student learning in Business and Entrepreneurship by reinforcing, in a very practical manner, principles of business such as supply and demand, management, administration and retail.

Funding for Global Curriculum Projects (GCPs) could also be realised by encouraging participation on a competitive basis with monetary prizes for institutions placing among the first 10 in the various categories of the curriculum for Global Citizenship, Knowledge and Understanding: Social Justice and Equity, Diversity, Globalisation and Interdependence, Sustainable Development, Peace and Conflict. The element of competition will instil a sense of urgency, creativity and innovation. The repercussions for learners, teachers and institutions, nationally and globally, are positive and boundless. Another project at St Francois Girls’ College involves learners called ‘Young Leaders’. This project is geared for competition and sponsored annually by the RBTT Bank. The competition promotes themes of social justice, peace and conflict, diversity, etc. Almost every year St Francois Girls’ College is awarded a sum of no less than 500 United States Dollars ($500.00USD), or more, depending upon the number of categories won. The excitement and sense of urgency generated by the competition provides a catalyst for action, innovation and creativity.

In this age of globalisation, networking holds tremendous potential for educators and students regardless of which part of the world they inhabit. New and emerging technologies are shrinking our planet daily making information accessible globally, at increasingly rapid speeds. Learning institutions can optimise the use of technology and its vast potential for communication, to collaborate with local and foreign counterparts in a spirit of partnering to facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practice and students’ and teachers’ work; this collaborative effort will assist administrators and teachers to improve their own operations and practices, add value to their curriculum, and promote understanding, appreciation, peace and unity, locally and globally. Moreover, learning institutions can optimise opportunities to establish and cement multilateral relationships through emerging technologies, for example, video conferencing and web cameras that have the capability to electronically assemble people from distant locations for the purpose of conferencing. This technological innovation presents a reasonable and acceptable substitute for actual, real life experiences. In addition, administrators, teachers and students may take advantage of opportunities to make meaningful contributions on educational issues by having their work posted on sites such as iNet.This phenomenon presents a gateway to the rest of the world, an excellent medium for expression internationally, for sharing ideas and projects with colleagues from opposite sides of the globe.

St Francois Girls’ College is renowned for its pioneering role in the use of ICT as an integral part of smart pedagogical practice. Over the past eight years, our school has been in the forefront of the technological revolution currently taking place in our nation’s schools. Through professional development, the staff members have achieved such a high level of proficiency in this regard that their technical advice and expertise is sought by schools throughout the country. Indeed, administrators and staff have made presentations at principal’s conferences and schools throughout the nation on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the internet, as an integral part of smart pedagogical practice. Our goal is to enable other learning institutions to benefit from the use of technology by enhancing their potential for effective teaching and learning, generating high quality projects, and optimising opportunities for involvement in networking with other learning institutions, locally and globally.

The active and dynamic partnership between St Francois Girls’ College, Trinidad, West Indies, and the Manchester Academy, in Manchester, England, had its genesis in discussions held with Mrs Jane Delfino, of Manchester Academy, in May 2005, in Manchester. These discussions continued via email, after my return to Trinidad, and led to a subsequent exchange of information and ideas for promoting a partnership between both institutions. The result of this collaborative effort was an agreement on mutually acceptable themes for projects that would assist our learners to understand and appreciate the culture of their partner school. A successful bid through the Department for International Development Global School Partnerships Program resulted in a reciprocal visit to the Manchester Academy, in November 2006, by Renuka Sagramsingh, teacher of social studies at St Francois Girls’ College. Renuka spent one week observing the operations of the Manchester Academy, conversing with administrators, heads of faculty, teachers and students, registering similarities and differences, best practice, curriculum content and implementation. On her return to Trinidad, Renuka addressed a general assembly of staff and students sharing her experiences at the Manchester Academy and identifying ways in which the knowledge gained could add value to the operations of St Francois Girls’ College. She identified gaps in our pedagogical practice that could be bridged by adopting more efficient and effective strategies practiced at the Academy. An advocate for creating global citizens through the education system, Renuka felt privileged to be part of this exchange programme. She opined, ‘This exchange made me more appreciative of life outside the Caribbean and was indeed a learning curve which gave me the additional drive to return to St Francois Girls’ College and promote the importance of the global dimension in teaching and learning to both my peers and students; this was an experience I truly wish for other teachers and, more so, the students of my school . . . it has made me grow as an individual and with this self growth I am able to perform even better as a teacher and this continues to benefit the children I serve’.

Another successful bid saw the return visit, in February 2007, by Mrs Maria Nightingale, the vice principal of the Manchester Academy. This RV provided the opportunity for administrators to engage in discussion, comparing and contrasting operations and sharing best practices. Mrs Nightingale was able to converse with teachers and students and capture a clear and holistic image of the school’s culture; she witnessed the school’s carnival celebrations and visual art exhibition displayed at the Central Bank auditorium. Additionally, she was taken on a visit to the sister isle, Tobago, where she visited with the administrators, teachers and students of the Signal Hill High School. In the short week spent in Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs Nightingale also visited some of the country’s natural sights, such as Maracas Bay, Bucco Reef and the Nylon Pool. She described her stay in Trinidad and Tobago as an ‘edifying and enlightening’, experience that enriched her learning and will enhance the learning of her teachers and students on her return to Manchester.

These return visits would set the stage for the continuous exchange of student projects between the Manchester Academy and St Francois Girls’ College. In October 2007, a project entitled ‘British History: The Influence of Islam in the Middle Ages’ was received from the Manchester Academy. This project consisted of a compilation of very visual user-friendly Lesson Plans in a delivery-friendly format readily accessible to teachers for immediate use in the classroom. The topic of Islam is very relevant to the Trinidadian context, since our country’s population consists of just over 50% of nationals of East Indian descent, half of whom are Muslims.

In January 2008, St Francois Girls’ College sent to the Manchester Academy a project entitled, ‘Surviving Indian and African Culture in Trinidad’, a treatise that documents the way of life of Indian and African people in the Caribbean Diaspora. The project also alluded to the various other ethnic and religious groupings to be found in the twin-island state. Prior to the establishment of a relationship with St Francois Girls’ College, the administrators, teachers and students at the Manchester Academy had no concept of this harmonious co-existence of diverse peoples in such a plural, multiracial society in the Caribbean. Unity in diversity! Indeed, when Renuka Sagramsingh visited the Manchester Academy in November 2006, Jane Delfino remarked: “We first met Patricia McIntosh, a Trinidadian of African descent who is a Christian, now we meet a Trinidadian of Indian descent who is a Hindu!’

Two other projects on carnival, from the Manchester and Trinidad perspectives, respectively, were exchanged at the end of June 2008 and will form the basis for comparing and contrasting the ways in which the different groups celebrate this festival.

Already the liaison between both schools has served to add value to experiences and promote mutual appreciation, understanding and unity among students, teachers and administrators. It is my wish that these two Institutions continue to collaborate on various projects especially in the areas of sport, tourism, culture, visual and performing arts, the environment, the integration of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as an Integral Part of Smart Pedagogical Practice,  as well as the integration of business and entrepreneurship in the curriculum.

Teachers are invariably the driving force behind all these fantastic projects that result in positive outcomes for the students. The quantum of hard work, expertise, creativity, and time expended by teachers encouraging, supporting, imparting, explaining, ensuring successful and timely completion and delivery of projects can never be overestimated. They are the unsung heroes who take pride in their learners’ accomplishments and progress.

In February 2008, St. Francois Girls’ College was introduced to the Cambridge Institute of Education’s (CIE) Teacher Accreditation Program (TAP), through which teachers are afforded the opportunity to gain accreditation for project work of a global dimension. This initiative has the propensity to encourage teachers in their work to enlighten learners and to pursue higher learning due to the acquisition of credits for their efforts.

In January 2008, three teachers of St. Francois Girls’ College, Renuka Sagramsingh, Vanessa Forde, and Alvin Thomas submitted projects of a global dimension to the CIE for accreditation. Renuka Sagramsingh, teacher of Social Studies, submitted a project entitled, ‘Trinidad, its People, its Culture’. This Project comprised three parts: three lessons on the history of Trinidad and Tobago, African and East Indian culture in Trinidad, and Tourism in Trinidad and Tobago. Three Powerpoint lessons on the history of Trinidad and Tobago (sent to Manchester in September 2007), were supplemented with relevant readings and assessment exercises and focused on the discovery of Trinidad and Tobago and the British influence on the country. A Powerpoint presentation on African and East Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago (also sent to Manchester in September 2007) focused on both material and non material forms of culture found on the islands. Samples of students’ work accompanied this lesson, together with relevant reading material and assessments. The third part of the project involved the promotion of tourism in Trinidad and Tobago and offered a rich blend of the history, ecology, geography and social life of the islands so that the students of Manchester can acquire a better understanding and appreciation Trinidad and Tobago, its people and its culture.

Alvin Thomas, a history teacher, submitted a project that focused on ‘Promoting Healthy Lifestyles’,  a theme transmitted through the annual staging of a five kilometre fun run/walk. This event was made possible through the hard work and generosity of many teachers and students at St Francois, as well as several corporate citizens who supported the venture. The idea behind this five kilometre challenge was born out of an urgent need to promote good, healthy habits and lifestyles among our student population, and by extension, their parents and other stakeholders. The inclusion of the ‘fun walk’ was an added dimension to encourage total participation among students, parents and stakeholders within the St Francois community with consideration for the less athletically predisposed.

The logistics for successful implementation were manifold; reaching out to the school and local community, liaising with relevant authorities from the Ministry of Public Utilities and the Environment, and Police Service for permission, guidance and assistance with traffic management, and Road Runners Clubs to professionally coordinate and manage the actual event. Students played a significant role in the promotion of the event by encouraging friends and relatives from neighbouring schools to participate and assisting with the sale of t-shirts and refreshments.

Home Economics teacher, Vanessa Forde’s project entitled ‘Let Not Your Identity Determine Your Destiny’ had as its theme ‘Realising Self Worth – Your Choice – Your Destiny’.This project, truly an exercise in community outreach, was spearheaded by Vanessa who was assisted by other teachers, and 50 form four students, aged 15 to 16, referred to as ‘Young Leaders’. The goal was to foster team spirit among the Young Leaders and nurture within them a sense of self-worth. Many of these students harboured feelings of low self-esteem because of lives fraught with socio-economic challenges. As a consequence, the project focused, first, on building students’ self-esteem before venturing out into the community. The project explored the school’s core values – self-worth, self-respect, responsibility, integrity, courtesy, individuality, personal hygiene, discipline, loyalty, commitment, academic achievement and respect for others. Research revealed that within our community, the St Dominic’s Home for orphans presented the ideal target group where the Young Leaders’ objective, of assisting others to develop self-esteem, would have the greatest impact. Our students, themselves struggling with self-esteem issues, initiated strategies to assist the deprived orphans to build their own self-worth. They organised sessions where facilitators instilled a sense of heritage and addressed personal and social developmental issues. The goal was to build good characters and strong citizens. In the meantime, the Young Leaders were establishing healthy interpersonal relationships and mutual respect while acting as role models for their newly adopted little brothers and sisters.

As an administrator whose school has been actively involved, over the past six years, in networking locally, nationally and internationally (the latter through the DFID Global School Partnership Programme), I unequivocally endorse the powerful effect of networking on student learning and support efforts to communicate the networking concept to other learning institutions as an effective strategy that will positively impact the way human beings perceive, treat and deal with each other. I have personally witnessed a growth in knowledge and understanding among students, teachers, administrators - lifelong learners that we all are - and an eradication of the ignorance that nurtures stereotyping and divides us globally as a people. As educators, our greatest legacy would be to ensure a better world and a bright and prosperous future for the children of tomorrow by doing our part to create a global environment where people communicate, collaborate, associate and  integrate on the basis of understanding, appreciation, mutual respect, and tolerance and where peace, love and unity prevail.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ms Patricia I.J. McIntosh is Principal (11) of St Francois Girls’ College, in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies.

 

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