Tauranga Intermediate
Examples of internationalisation activities at Tauranga Intermediate.
Total immersion into another culture to create new links and understanding is the key objective of Tauranga Intermediate School’s offshore cultural visits programme.
For the last eight years, the school has made visits to other areas of the world. Groups of up to 43 students and staff have now been to New Caledonia, Thailand, the Middle East, and China. It is intended that through these visits students will develop intercultural competence, ambassadorship and global awareness.
What happens
In 2009, a group travelled to Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and were hosted by the New Cairo British International School, the Alexandria International School, and the Aqaba International School. The trip came about thanks to the links made with the New Zealand Principal of the Aqaba International School and grew into a varied itinerary full of learning experiences.
The students collaborated with the International School students, paid their respects at the El Alamein memorial to fallen World War Two soldiers, performed kapa haka at the opening of New Zealand’s new embassy in Cairo and at the conclusion of the Dubai Rugby Sevens final match won by the New Zealand team, and acted as Kiwi ambassadors wherever they went. Many of these activities were made possible by working with Kiwis already in the region.
Benefits and outcomes
Principal Brian Diver stresses that the global awareness gained by students when they go abroad on such school trips enhances their learning, and believes that the revised curriculum offers new opportunities to incorporate such international activities and content. This is because the Social Sciences learning area is now more clearly linked to the larger purpose of preparing students for citizenship, including global citizenship.
Other staff speak about the many less tangible outcomes gained from such journeys: leadership, individual and collective responsibility, patience, empathy and tolerance.
In the Middle East, students’ ability to act as ambassadors for New Zealand was tested, requiring students to pay particular attention, for example, to their personal presentation and to interact confidently and sensitively with adults, including senior diplomats, and people from different cultures.
The School found the trip beneficial for the students to the extent that a further trip to the Middle East, this time to also include Oman, is in the planning stages.
Pointers
The School ensures that the opportunity to go on these cultural exchanges is open to all with a selection process and a long lead time to enable students to fundraise. However, Principal Diver openly acknowledges that only a small proportion get the opportunity to travel in their two years at the school, so it becomes essential to effectively share the impressions, learning and experiences of the travelling students across the whole school on the students’ return.
In terms of managing risks, careful planning was necessary, and expectations placed on students to avoid any risks or problems were made absolutely explicit. The School also uses Risk Analysis Matrices (RAMs) to try and anticipate any problems. The School notes that only staff very experienced in overseas travel accompany the students, and at a one-to-seven ratio.
Tauranga Intermediate suggests that schools making offshore intercultural visits make their plans known to a variety of people long before their itinerary becomes firm. By doing this, Tauranga has been able to assemble itineraries of the highest possible value for the students, including activities made possible by individuals beyond the School’s immediate community.
Contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is useful both for travel advisories and for links to the diplomatic (embassies and consulate) network New Zealand has offshore. Ministry of Education offshore Education Counsellors and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise staff may also be able to link the school to New Zealanders offshore.
Contacts
About internationalisation at Tauranga Intermediate School
Tauranga Intermediate School’s motto is: “Seek out knowledge and experiences, go beyond your comfort zone and focus on self improvement”.
Tauranga Intermediate is the largest school of its type in New Zealand with 95 staff to support the education of over 1,200 students from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
It is a school committed to raising students’ awareness of their place in the world and the differences within it. Internationalisation has been a part of the School’s curriculum for many years.
Principal Brian Diver has the full support of his Board and staff for taking this direction. “We are driving internationalism to give students a competitive advantage,” he says.
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