English Schools on the Tandem Project

Report of a visit to Sheffield between June 30^th to July 4^th by Christine Reymond and Michèle Demoëte, organised by Mike Calvert.

800 pupils. Not much money. Phone : 0044133284065

Dave Clark (school) dc@ecclesbourne.derby.sch.uk

Mark Purves (school) mp@ecclesbourne.derby.sch.uk

equipment : 200 computers, 15 available for languages, a new room to come, 7 in library, 2 at the back of Paula Munday’s room. 3 NT servers : admin, pupils, e-mail server ; contract with BT for full access between 8 am and 6pm ; no access to the server from the outside for security reasons, so the pupils can’t use their e-mail at home.

pupils: 7girls and 1 boy in lower 6^th in French + 1 girl in German. Here is what they reported of their Tandem experience with Lycée St François in Evreux.

What they didn't like:

• lack of training with the software
• difficulties of access to the computers
• no answers from the partners
• delays and no answers to the questions
• too many messages from home (German boy)
• too many corrections (she didn’t like other suggestions for what was already correct)

what they liked:

• liked to correspond and wish to continue
• would like similar periods to communicate in real time
• one tandem really worked well (Ruth and Emilie) : she liked to be corrected by someone her own age " who knows" and intends to start again as soon as possible.
• all very keen. Should be able to be autonomous next year.

• keep a log of the frequency of the messages sent and received. ( report to the teacher, grid in the copy book)
• exchange time tables from the beginning ( don’t forget the change of hours)
• the teachers select a few themes before starting and correspond regularly

 John Port School (Etwall, Derby)

2000 pupils. En reconstruction. Comprehensive school, ex grant-operated.

11 Y12

60 Y11 in two groups of 30

GCSE in Y11 : subjects (see document)

• no internet at school yet. Teachers don’t know their address at home.
• 12 language teachers.
• want an exchange with 60 pupils and 3 teachers.

Sheffield High School

expensive independant school depending on "Girls’ Day school Trust" for girls’education, dating back to the beginning of the century.

web site : http://www.gdst.net/sheffieldhigh

phone : 00441142660324

teachers :

David Scales, IT technician (home e-mail) : dscales@she.gdst.net

Dez Martin , French and Spanish (school e-mail) Rhmartin@shs.sheffield.sch.uk

Sue Burns (school e-mail) : Sburns@shs.sheffield.sch.uk

Equipment : NT network and 100 machines : 1 room of 35 that can be cut in two, 2 rooms of 8 (including one just for 6 forms in self service with e-mail but no browser for security reasons), 10 in the library, one in the teachers’ room. Trust in London as provider on local phone rate.

Pupils :

10 Y13

14 Y12 (2 groups)

50 Y11 ( Sue has a group of 12 weak)

Phone : 00441653693296

Clare Dodd, French e-mail : CDODD321@aol.com

IT technician : e-mail: Ntncoll@aol.com

Equipment : Very few machines connected at the moment, but pupils willing to communicate

School e-mail : maltoncp@rmplc.co.uk

Head teacher: Colin Culley

Personal e-mail : colin_sandra.culley@virgin.net

Teaching : 40mn a week for year 5 and 6

Pupils : 330 pupils from kindergarten to Y6

33 Y6 and 40 Y5

equipment : ISDN, internet, NT network, stations in the classes, videoconference, digital camera, Power Point

Project : regular e-mail exchanges between teachers, at least once a week for pupils on e-mail, plus videoconference . Idea : built progressively a wall presentation or a data base of the foreign class, with children talking to a different partner each time and progressively enriching the wall presentation. Starting with one school, then progressively extending to others.

 Conclusion :

• all schools have a fire wall which prevents students from using their school e-mail from home and hotmail addresses in schools. They will have to decide on a provider which fits both requirements.
• all schools have IT technicians from which the teachers can get help, although the communication is not always easy.
• The teachers have to exchange mail on a regular basis, to monitor the exchanges and build together the themes and vocabulary the pupils will need.
• Communication with exchanges only once a fortnight don't work well. Since exchanges every week seem too constraining, we could try short periods of intense exchanges (at least one exchange each way every week for a month for instance)
• French people would like to exchange with their 2^nd, but the corresponding class in England is Y11, which is very busy with GCSE exams. The English would rather work with Y 12 and 13, who are more specialised.