Connecting Classrooms is in the spotlight in Vietnam with a series of events taking place within and outside Hanoi City.
Kicking off the month was a training on 18 October to welcome 38 new schools who recently joined Connecting Classroom Online programme (CCO). Taking part in the training were 60+ school teachers, eager to find out what the CCO is and what Connecting Classrooms means to students, teachers and their schools. After two days of training, Ms Lan and Ms Huong, Deputy Headteacher from Phan Chu Trinh school said ‘We have joined many projects but this one is really good’ and ‘the project helps students to improve their skills, especially those needed in an international environment and to develop as a global citizen. For teachers, the biggest benefit that the project brings to us is the international vision and improvement of our communication skills”.
Following on were two workshops to build capacity in leading international dimensions in schools for teachers and head-teachers from more than 100 Connecting Classrooms schools cross Vietnam. Also in the workshops, the concept of global learning was introduced through sharing success stories that demonstrate impact and relevance of developing an international dimension in schools and how schools have developed learners’ global citizenship skills through involvement in Connecting Classrooms.
Reflection from the workshops - “the students improve their life skills and integrate with wider communities. The project helps motivate teaching in our school. The aim of the project is not for a short term and is very useful for Vietnamese education. The project may end but schools will continue their international programme” - Mr Pham Van Thanh, Headteacher from Ngo Sy Lien Lower Secondary School shared.
The workshops were led by a team of educational experts and experienced trainers, Christopher Stone – a National Leader in Education, Professional Partner and Executive Headteacher to The Arthur Terry and Stockland Green Schools; Susan Douglas who currently shares her time between the British Council in the UK and The National College for school leadership; David Mathias – Regional School Manager who came along to update us on the future of CC; and Davide Greene who is well known in the school community in Vietnam through his engagement in a variety of training in ELT and Connecting Classrooms.
School Leadership workshop © Nguyen Quang Thang Traditional dance performing © Nguyen Quang Thang
Taking advantage of having 100 schools and more than 200 teachers, headteachers, leaders from local Education Departments of Education and Ministry of Education at the event, a photo exhibition was set up to show case success of Connecting Classrooms (CC) in Vietnam. The exhibition displayed more than 300 photos of Connecting Classrooms activities run nationally and internationally. Local Education Departments and schools were invited to send photos to share their CC activities with other schools. We received pictures from Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi and Danang for activities involving hundreds of students in their authorities. Schools also sent photos of their international work e.g. web-conferencing between teachers and students from UK, Malaysia and Vietnams as well as visits from UK schools to schools in Vietnam.
A Gala Dinner on 21 October was an important opportunity for all the schools to celebrate the success of Connecting Classrooms after two years of implementation. This was an occasion for the British Council and leaders from the MOE and DOETs to present big thanks to teachers and schools for being active in developing international activities in schools. Invited to the stage were teachers from schools that have had excellent records of international works. They received certificate, gifts and recognition from their leaders.
Also at the Gala, Mr Vu Dinh Chuan, Director of Secondary Education Department, Ministry of Education said that he has put in the national education plan in Vietnam that all schools are encouraged to boost their international work at school level. Mr Chuan also stressed that the Better Community Better Life competition is endorsed by the Ministry for roll out to all Connecting Classrooms schools in Vietnam.
Immediately after the training week was a visit by a group of 12 teachers from Cornwall, UK to their Connecting Classrooms school partners in Quang Ninh from 25 to 30 October. The visit was under the TIPD funding scheme. Key elements of the visit programme included professional exchanges in learning and teaching and recognition of the value of cultural dimension in school partnerships.
Talking about Connecting Classrooms, Nguyen Thuy Linh, a student said “I have more friends, explore many cultures around the world, learn many things from the foreign friends and I have a chance to introduce Vietnamese cultures to them”.
Ending the month was a Better Community Better Life Student festival. The event was chosen as the British Council’s contribution to the celebration of 1000 years of Thang Long Hanoi. Taking part were leaders from the Ministry of Education, Hanoi Department of Education, representatives from donors - Rolls-Royce, HSBC, British Business Group in Vietnam and four hundreds leaders, teachers and students from 15 CC schools in Hanoi. Schools exhibited their art works produced for the Better Community Better Life Competition. Nguyen Phuong Tu, a student expressed her felling: “I am proud to represent our school here. I learned how to work in a team with our schoolmates and learnt many interesting things about Hanoi which we have not realized before. For instance, we made a video clip about the diversity of Hanoi, we went to some villages to film there. When coming home, I will upload pictures of the festival, our work and video clip on the CCO website to share with our international friends about a diversity of Hanoi, the city of hearts”.
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