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Leeds: Himalayan classes for teachers
A Leeds school is leading the way when it comes to going global – and it wants others to follow suit.
Two teachers from Crawshaw School travelled to the foothills of the Himalayas, India, where they took part in classroom activities with overseas partner, the Gurdut Anglo Vedic (GAV) School in Himachal Pradesh.
The visit, by Steve Smyth, ICT teacher and partnership co-ordinator at Crawshaw, and deputy headteacher Jon Norden, was part of a Government-funded scheme to widen young people's knowledge of global issues.
And the duo, who observed and taught lessons while they stayed with host families, are now developing a global dimension across the curriculum.
Mr Smyth said: "The DFID (Department for International Development) Global School Partnerships scheme has made the world outside our local area real and personal for our students and they feel very privileged to have this connection."
He added: "The opportunity to share ideas and work together with colleagues in India to develop a number of planned projects is very motivating for everyone involved.
"We encourage other schools across the region to take advantage of the funding available to bring this valuable experience into their classrooms."
Schools involved receive grants and support to visit their partner school and develop projects together.
More than 150 schools are already involved across Yorkshire and the Humber, but the aim is to nearly triple that figure by March 2012 and Crawshaw School is helping to spearhead the campaign.
Crawshaw has been working with its partner on joint classroom activities including sharing information about themselves and their schools using Power Point presentations and video, and they are developing a project to compare their local communities.
Mr Smyth said: "Our students have gained an understanding of young people who are in a very different place geographically and culturally from themselves, and they have discovered that in fact, they are very similar in many ways.
"Our visit has enabled us to plan together to roll out the work across other year groups to involve as many students as possible on both sides, establishing a strong link which we hope will last many years."
Mike Foster, Minister for International Development said: "In today's global society it's more important than ever that young people understand the world around them – and realise their lives are connected with people thousands of miles away."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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