School builds Spanish links

IN March, Beverley McCormick, a teacher from Newbuildings Primary School in Londonderry, linked up with CEIP Carmelo Cortes in Spain as part of an EU scheme to create partnerships across Europe and improve education standards.

In total 19 teachers from all over Northern Ireland travelled to various schools in the region of Castilla La Mancha to work shadow for a week, under the guidance of Averill Watt, field officer for Primary Modern Languages Programme (PMLP), Anne Rowan, joint co-ordinator for the PMLP and Liam Heaney, Southern Education and Library Board representative. This venture is part of the larger Comenius project, funded by the European Commission and managed in the UK by the British Council.

The programme provides funding and professional development to enable students and teachers across Europe to work together and learn about each other's culture and education methods.

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Beverley McCormick said: "It was an excellent opportunity to experience first-hand the education system within a European country and to have the opportunity to compare and contrast the different pressures faced by teachers and pupils. I was able to live and work as the Spanish for a week which has helped my understanding and pronunciation of the Spanish language.

"Our schools hope to maintain the friendships and build on our experiences to add a European dimension to our classroom environments. We are already working on some activities to do with the pupils in Spain and Northern Ireland.

"In Newbuildings Primary School, we value the need to allow our pupils to experience a new language. Each week a Spanish tutor visits our school and engages the Foundation and Key Stage 1 pupils in a variety of songs, games, drama and language based activities which enhance their understanding of other cultures and the language itself. The children look forward to her visits and seem to pick up the language so easily.

"We have been fortunate to have been part of the Primary Modern Languages Programme and hope that those in the Education Department realise the full extent of the benefits it provides to the children in the programme. Currently funding is only in place until 2011. We don't know what will happen after that, but it will be a sad day for the children and teachers of the Ministers of Education decide to pull the plug.

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"The programme in schools has worked so well due to the dedication, planning, expertise and enthusiasm of those involved in the planning."

As well as learning about their partners' society, the programme also helps young people learn more about their own culture and build links within their local community.

Head of EU Programmes at the British Council, Simon Williams said: "We have a responsibility to prepare young people for life and work in our global society.

"Partnerships like this not only help to build trust and understanding between people of different cultures, but also braoden pupils' horizons, bring languages and other subject to life in the classroom, and equip young people with the skills and understanding they need to become global citizens."

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