Since May of 2020, grade 5 - 6 students in Ottawa and Chengdu, China have been collaborating virtually to share their cultures and discuss creative solutions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Schools involved so far have included Castor Valley Elementary, Half-Moon Bay and Pleasant Park.
With plenty of room for creativity and innovation, these collaborations have continued to strengthen and evolve. From paper cutting and food making demonstrations as part of Lunar New Year to sharing of hobbies, favourite sports and books, these partnerships can be done through a combination of synchronous meets and asynchronous sharing. One class has even opted to learn Mandarin twice a week after school for 8 weeks.
Opportunities also exist with our partner district in France with classes at both the high school and intermediate levels communicating about their lives and their interests in both French and English.
“(The students) have already started to feel a connection with the students from Chengdu after just one meeting. They had so many exciting observations and reflections to share as well as questions about our future meetings (if it were up to them they would meet every week...everyday for some)."
- Karen Snell, grade 5 teacher
“It was very interesting to learn about what they like to do there and how it’s still similar to what we do here is some ways, and in some ways we do it very differently”
- Student
"Our son is not typically very expressive but he had so much to tell us after he left the meeting, including how to say "hello" and the fact that some of the students like Harry Potter. :)...Thank you for making the world a little smaller for our students and providing them with this opportunity to see the similarities between themselves and children from another country and culture"
- Parent
“The Grade 6 students at Half Moon Bay have approached this opportunity with optimism and excitement. They are eager to connect, share and discuss their ideas with students from another culture, another country. They have begun to make connections, find common interests in literature, history, science and food. Framing the learning around the United Nations sustainable goals allows for greater independent learning that adds depth, consideration and personal context to the process. All students are eager to continue this adventure throughout this year and hopefully beyond.”
- Darryl Smith, Grade 6 Teacher
If you would like your class to be involved in this type of collaborative learning opportunity, please contact Mr. Sean Oussoren, International Education Coordinator, at 613-239-0314, Ext. 2108.