Culture swap

Have you ever considered what it would be like to teach on the other side of the world? Huang Liang from Chongqing in China is finding out as part of an exchange with Litherland High School in Liverpool.

"In the beginning, I felt surprised every day," says Mr Huang, who started teaching at Litherland last September. As well as discovering that English children have cookery lessons and are taught in much smaller classes, he has been amazed by the differences between his Chinese and Liverpudlian students. "In China, the pupils are quiet and quite shy — whereas here, pupils are independent and like to show what they know!"

Litherland is partnered with Qiujing High School in Chongqing, and Mr Huang is part of the exchange programme organised and funded by the British Council. As well as running the school's Chinese Club and teaching Mandarin to Year 7, he takes part in classes across the curriculum, bringing a Chinese perspective to everything from history to art.

The exchange began in 2002, when the British Consul in China invited schools from Sefton local education authority to visit Chongqing. Already expert at working with European schools, Litherland was an obvious choice. Passionate about the benefits of international links, headteacher Jim Donnelly says: "When I came back from China, the photos of the visit appeared in the local press, so the impact does filter out to the wider community. It's great for our children to see that the world is more extensive than just our local area, or the north-west of England."

Information and communications technology is crucial to the effectiveness of Litherland's international links. As well as weekly email contact, students participate in exchanges and video-conferencing with partner schools in the Basque country, the Czech Republic and now China.

Meanwhile, Mr Huang's Chinese Club enables students aged from 11 to 15 to learn about Chinese New Year, as well as how to write their own names, animals and numbers in Mandarin. In January, pupils joined in New Year celebrations with members of the local Chinese community. They now plan to invite them to Litherland to observe their Chinese work.

Learning about China with Mr Huang — or Jack as he is known to pupils — has proved a different experience for each student. Michael Seddon, 11, emails his pen pal at Qiujing about football teams.

"I wanted to find out about the culture and what it's like over there. My pen pal likes a lot of stuff that I like and supports his local Chinese team," he says.

James Casey's excitement about the partnership has rubbed off on his mother: "If we go to China, my mum said that she'd love to come too." As Mrs Casey explains, "Some of James's friends are Chinese — he is learning about what they do at home as well, which is just fantastic. If there's a trip to China we would definitely put his name down as it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Litherland faces the same challenges as any inner-city school, and Maria Sharratt, assistant headteacher and head of modern languages, says international partnerships help to overcome deprivation and low aspirations. "We are very committed to giving everybody the opportunity to go abroad, no matter what their financial circumstances. It makes them realise anything's possible."

And as Liverpool has the oldest Chinese community in the UK, Mrs Sharratt says the partnership with Qiujing is key. "It makes students realise that yes, they are Chinese, and it is miles and miles away, but that's all — the only thing that separates us is space." And she adds: "Working with Jack improves the students' cultural awareness and their tolerance, which in today's society is worth far more than just being able to say 'How are you?' in Mandarin."

Mr Huang sees benefits for the Chinese students as well. "English is the main subject in China and the Chinese students want to learn more about England and English culture. At the same time, China is developing and has the largest population in the world — so it can only benefit the students to get to know each other."

Joint curriculum projects are a good way of cementing links. And curriculum requirements are not necessarily a barrier, says modern languages teacher Karen McGreevy. "I think that you'll always find common ground, even in things as basic as school culture or family life." Mr Huang agrees: "Year 11 pupils in China also have the great pressure of exams."

International exchange also has some professional benefits, as Ms McGreevy points out: "You see what happens in other schools. At Qiujing, they don't have as many ICT facilities as us and that helps me to see how they maximise what they've got." Mrs Sharratt agrees. "It's about looking at the available educational opportunities, and finding different ways of teaching the same theme."

Future plans include more email contact, joint projects and — most exciting of all — a trip to Qiujing High School this autumn, hopefully with members of the Chinese Club. "Some of our pupils have barely been outside the family home, let alone outside Liverpool or Britain, so the prospect of an exchange to China is like a dream to them," says Ms McGreevy.

The trip will also provide an opportunity for a reunion with nine teachers from Chongqing's Bashu Primary School — which is partnered with a Liverpool primary school — who visited Litherland earlier this year.

Opening a lecture on 'Citizenship and Education' at Liverpool Cathedral during the Chinese teachers' visit, secretary of state for education and skills Charles Clarke said the Sefton-Chongqing partnerships were a "classic illustration" of what citizenship should be: "citizenship as citizenship of the world, not just of Liverpool, of England or of the UK".

No doubt James Casey would agree — as he says: "They're just the same as us, they just speak different."

The Global Gateway is open...

If you would like to set up a similar partnership, visit the new Global Gateway website, a one-stop shop for global learning, with comprehensive information on funding and making links. The international website will enable schools across the world to engage in creative partnerships. Its comprehensive schools database will help you find a partner in another country, while its resource section provides access to quality teaching materials. The site will also keep you abreast of developments, events and news relating to a global dimension in learning.

Liverpool

Litherland High School

Number of pupils 861
Average class size 28
Number of teachers 51
Pedagogy differentiated
Core curriculum English, maths, science, Spanish, ICT, PE, RE, music, art, technology, history, geography, catering
After-school activities sport, music, dance, photography

Chongqing

Qiujing High School

Number of pupils 2,400
Average class size 55
Number of teachers 160
Pedagogy didactic
Core curriculum Chinese, English, maths, physics, biology, chemistry, geography, history, politics. Sport, music and art are part of the curriculum

Further information

www.globalgateway.org.uk

www.britishcouncil.org.uk

For more on the Teachers' International Development Programme, visit www.teachernet.gov.uk/tipd

This content was published in March 2004 and may not reflect current policy