CASE STUDY: AUCKLAND GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transcription

1 ASIA New Zealand FOUNDATION EDUCATING FOR ASIA case studies SERIES ONE 2011 EDUCATING FOR ASIA CASE STUDY: AUCKLAND GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL

2 Contents Introduction...1 Deepening asia awareness...1 Liz Thomson: Auckland Girls Grammar School principal...2 Asia awareness successes...3 Professional development...3 Appointments...3 What outcomes has the school achieved?...4 Curriculum implementation...4 Year 9 Programme for 2010: Walk in My Shoes...4 Annual events...5 Relationships...5 Further considerations...6 Intra-school communication...6 Cross-faculty conversations...6 Improvement of new staff induction...6 Introducing Mandarin language...6 Educating for Asia case studies: Series one...7 If you are viewing this document online the contents items are linked to the relevant page - click to quickly navigate to the relevant topic. There is a contents link at the bottom right of each page for easy navigation back to the main contents page. All websites listed in this document are active hyperlinks and will open a page in your browser if you are connected to the Internet. PAGE i OF 10

3 We have started things well, and have a lot really embedded in our systems and our approach, but now we need to continue and deepen the Asia awareness. INTRODUCTION Auckland Girls Grammar School (AGGS) is probably one of the most multicultural schools in the country. July 2010 statistics show the mix of cultures in the school to be 23 percent Maori, 17 percent European, 42 percent Pasifika, 14 percent Asian and 4 percent from other ethnic groups. The school reflects and celebrates the vibrant cultural diversity of Auckland City. Students actively choose AGGS, sometimes travelling long distances across Auckland to get there. In year 13 when they are leaving, the girls write me a letter about their time in the school. They usually write at length commenting on how they have made friends from all around the world as a result of being here. They really value the special multicultural character of the school (Liz Thomson, principal). DEEPENING ASIA AWARENESS This case study looks at how AGGS is working towards being an Asia Aware school - how they have gone about it, what gains they are making as a result, and what they are still working on as they move closer to their goal. The principal, board, staff and students at AGGS have been working towards this goal for some time now. PAGE 1 OF 10

4 Liz Thomson: Auckland girls grammar principal We know that our children will live very different lives from ours in their future, and we have to upskill as teachers to be able to prepare for the new opportunities and challenges they will face. Liz Thomson: Auckland Girls Grammar School principal School principal, Liz Thomson has been in the role since 1997 and was in the senior leadership team before that. She says that the school has always celebrated its culturally diverse character and had a commitment to being aware of Asia. Her commitment was strengthened after her attendance at the Asia:NZ Auckland Principals Forum: I realised that we needed to be more proactive and to formalise what we were doing, and make it more obvious. The school has a long-term sister school relationship in Japan. Liz says that she has stayed a number of times with people and made good friends there. It is really rich staying and being with the people. It is very valuable. And it has given me a really good sense of how the students who come here might feel about things. It has given me a much greater understanding of what it is like being in quite different cultures. Since then Liz has aimed to promote a deeper understanding of cultural identity and difference within the school, and to make sure that the girls will feel comfortable in the worlds that they step into at school and beyond it. I guess if we think of how Asia might be important for the girls in the next 10 to 20 years, it was Asia:NZ that made me think more about that, especially from an economic point of view. The world is getting smaller and the girls will travel more, not just to the countries where our girls come from. Staff members say that Liz is not someone who pushes them into things. Her leadership in Asia awareness has nevertheless been consistent and very purposeful. She has paid attention to her own professional development through attending Asia:NZ events. In recent years she has travelled extensively to Asia, including China, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as regularly to Japan. Liz has been working to embed Asia awareness into the systems of the school. She keeps the board of trustees well informed about Asia Aware developments, and in recent years has talked to staff, supported their professional learning, made significant appointments and promoted key school events. Board member Sarah Anderson says: Liz has talked about the concept of being Asia aware with the board over the last few years and that has meant us being aware of different countries, more open-minded, building good relationships with the sister school in Japan, and with the multicultural nature of the school looking at how we deal with relationships across cultures. Sarah talks about how Liz s positive attitude to Asia has resulted, where possible, in financial support from the board. Sarah, who has daughters at the school, says that the teaching practice of staff who have visited Asia is enhanced. She feels it is very beneficial for the board and the school to support these teachers. PAGE 2 OF 10

5 Asia awareness successes Professional development Several staff have had support from Asia:NZ for professional development. This resulted in an idea that has given the AGGS annual end-of-year programme for year 9 an Asia aware focus for Len Wilson, responsible for junior Social Studies, gained a scholarship to go to South Korea. He has also travelled extensively in Asia (dating back to China in 1977). Len has used his learning from these travelling opportunities to develop resources and units for junior Social Studies programmes. Several other AGGS staff are interested in professional learning associated with travel to Asia. This can be enabled through the school s exchanges with Japan, and in the future with a Thai school. Appointments Embedding Asia awareness in the school structure and strategic plan has involved thinking about staff appointments; not only increasing the diversity of the staff, but also developing some new positions that give emphasis to the school s focus on Asia. A new role in 2010 has been that of Global Citizenship facilitator. This position is regarded as at the cutting edge and is an area of achievement for the school. It has been introduced to underpin numerous initiatives which already exist in the school that relate to human rights, international connections and the environment. One aim is that it should align a lot of what is already happening in the teaching areas. It links into Asia awareness from the point of view of global citizenship. It is about the civil society aspect of globalisation. It is really important that we get to know our international neighbours, not just for economic reasons, but in the sense that it is good for us to understand each other, sharing ideas, beliefs, rich traditions and cultures. We are already a hugely multicultural school, but we do need to be better at respecting diversity. (Libby Giles, Global Citizenship facilitator). Vicki Baas, another new appointment, is facilitator of teaching and learning, with a focus on literacy and inquiry learning. Her other major role is to coordinate this year s end of year 9 programme that focuses on being Asia aware Walk in My Shoes. The school has appointed a number of teachers who come from, or are strongly linked to, Asia. These teachers are important as role models for students and as Asia experts, as well as experts in their own curriculum area. Shan-I Lee and Bart Kim in the Mathematics faculty are getting together to organise an Asian cultural group for the first time at AGGS. Esther Graham, who is part Chinese, teaches English and is highly regarded by staff and students as someone who demonstrates her interest and commitment to things Asian. Indian teachers share their expertise about Asia with others on the staff. Until very recently AGGS has had a part-time Chinese counsellor. PAGE 3 OF 10

6 What outcomes HAS THE SCHOOL achieved? Curriculum implementation Liz says that most of what has been embedded in the curriculum at AGGS is happening with Social Sciences. She says there is also a very strong Japanese programme within the Languages faculty. Both Margaret Cotter who heads the Social Sciences faculty, and Len Wilson who is responsible for Social Studies, explain how a focus on Asia has been part of what they do. I feel that we do a lot in this area. It really supports our students and brings things alive for them. We have many Indian girls in the school and when we do Indian history it really affirms them. If they go on to year 13 and do New Zealand history they can make connections between how the people of Asia and the Maori and Pasifika views align (Margaret Cotter, head of Social Science). Len Wilson has been rewriting the programme for Social Studies at years 9 and 10 to meet the achievement objectives of the new curriculum. All the units at each level are optional for the teachers, but Len has developed a significant unit on China, and he has injected case studies from many Asian countries into the topics of the other units. We have an immigration unit in year 10 and I have included some of the Korean material into it, looking at why Koreans have chosen to come to New Zealand. I also show how much New Zealand has been changed by the contribution of the new cultures who come here our food, dress, religion, ways of thinking, arts, political thinking and so on (Len Wilson, head of Social Studies). Year 9 Programme for 2010: Walk in My Shoes A programme is run at the end of the year for all year 9 students. The focus this year is on Asia awareness. The event runs for six days and is across the curriculum. Nearly all the teaching staff will be involved, with Vicki Baas as the coordinator, assisted by a planning team. The desired outcomes for this programme are: to develop an appreciation and understanding of a range of cultures in our school and in our wider community to reflect on the experiences and ask - how has this influenced us? to suggest possible strategies and ideas that we might use to make AGGS an even more welcoming school community - personally and as a school to develop an awareness of the importance of Asia in New Zealand s future. As Vicki explains: We are focusing on the reality of Asia and its place in the future of our girls. We have highlighted six Asian countries: India, China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. There will be a big bang introduction for everyone, and then in their classes they will have the chance to focus on two of the countries. During their time they will also prepare a display or demonstration to give to the others. We want the girls to really deepen their knowledge about another way of looking at the world and how a culture comes to value certain things. Not only has Len produced many resources for his classes, he has also presented about his travels to the staff, to teachers from other schools and the wider public. He is well known by the girls of the school for his involvement and achievements in this area. Two senior school student leaders, Rosie Tapsell and Gabby Anderson, pay tribute to a wider group of teachers at the school who focus on Asia awareness. I think other schools could use the concept, and the approach would work in both primary and secondary. I think it will be useful to embed it for the next few years, using other countries perhaps. This time we are representing the girls cultures mainly. It will be interesting to see what impact it has on this cohort as they move through the school. Ms Graham, Mr Wilson, Ms Giles, Ms Sinclair and Ms Griffiths are some who make sure that we recognise the contributions of each of the cultures in Asia. We have also talked with Ms Thomson about her Asian travel. PAGE 4 OF 10

7 Annual events Among the many things that AGGS does each year around Asia awareness are three significant events: International Week. This long-standing event consists of displays and demonstrations for the whole school. Dances and short plays are also performed. It is organised by Glenn Sinclair who is head of ESOL. I helped organise it this year working with Ms Sinclair. There is a presentation to the assemblies and they all get to know about our countries. We have food stalls and a costume day. It is really good and really fun for the whole school (Sunny Zhou, international prefect). Polyfest is a major event for the Auckland area schools, and AGGS plays a large role in it. Pasifika and Maori groups have traditionally had a significant role in Polyfest, but recently an Indian group has entered from AGGS and it is hoped that a wider Asian culture group will join as well. MUNA (the Model United Nations Assembly) is hosted each year at AGGS. Up to 100 teams from different schools represent and roleplay assigned countries. Many Asian countries are represented and all contribute to debate on a range of issues of particular concern to them. Relationships This year the school organised for a speech and a skit to be run for both senior and junior assemblies. It looked at relationships across cultures. It was very entertaining as well as encouraging serious learning, and the girls talked about it afterwards. It had a huge impact because it came from the girls themselves. Good relationships are carefully nurtured at the school, as these comments show: I think that a lot is happening through the real friendships that are developing within the school between girls from a range of different cultures. We do have to be careful not to put people in boxes though (Steph Griffiths, Japanese teacher). The girls do mingle with each other across the cultures. They really have moved in the last few years (Glenn Sinclair, ESOL). I am an international student from China. The Pasifika and Māori students are really nice and do talk to me in class. I feel really comfortable and accepted by them. A lot of people are interested in our country and I am willing to talk to them about China, because I am very proud of being Chinese (Sunny Zhou). We get on well and don t find it hard because we all speak English. So in terms of getting on with others it is okay. It may not be as easy for some of the international students if their English is not so good (Helen Chen, Emily Goh, Nirvani Niranjan, students resident in New Zealand). Our student council is this year arranging shared lunches with the international students and trying to make sure that they are properly introduced into their mainstream classes. We are training people in ice-breaker techniques and that has been successful, giving the chance for the groups to talk together and get to know each other (Esther Graham, Rosie Tapsel, and Gabby Anderson). We do have good foundations and relationships across cultures which are well established and people are proud of them, but we need to keep working on it (Rosie Tapsell and Gabby Anderson). PAGE 5 OF 10

8 Further considerations In many ways AGGS is a very Asia Aware institution already. But they think they can improve! During interviews for this case study three things were identified that the school would like to work on further over the coming year: Intra-school communication There is some discussion among staff that people are not fully aware of what others are doing in relation to Asia awareness. This can lead to some staff not realising how significant a development it is for the school as a whole. In some cases people thought the girls were more aware than staff. Here are some examples of what was said. The girls perhaps have moved more than the staff in the last few years. Even though things are changing with staff too, the girls are sometimes taking the first steps. The girls do it. They reach out to each other, but we don t do it as staff ourselves. We need to find and use each other s strengths. I am not sure that all the staff are on board and aware of having an Asia focus. I think we have a real range of awareness. Cross-faculty conversations We do need better knowledge of what is going on already in the school. That would be one way to improve our Asia awareness. For example, what we are doing in our faculty could be integrated with what is going on elsewhere. We can t totally integrate but we can know what is going on in other areas. With the year 9 programme, it is taking some staff out of their faculty zones, and they are working and talking across curriculum, and showing all sorts of expertise we didn t know about. People are talking about the whole idea of understanding Asia for the future. We could perhaps be more sharing in the school. We have a lot of experience and knowledge but we need to share it more, without pushing it on everyone. Improvement of new staff induction While there are some very good aspects of the induction for new staff perhaps there isn t enough around cultural things? For example, how to relate to different cultures, pronounce names properly and being more aware of what is available to people. Perhaps more induction is needed for new staff, to get people up to speed on these issues. We need to talk about it more. If we are to be a school with a strong focus on Asia we need to go beyond the surface and do some real in-depth stuff at induction: why is it important? What do we need to do it?hhow do we do it? What can we learn from it? What will be the student outcomes? Introducing Mandarin language At the moment AGGS has a really strong language faculty, with Japanese being the one Asian language on offer. Conversations are taking place around the introduction of Mandarin as a second Asian language. There are diverse views on this which the school is working to resolve. PAGE 6 OF 10

9 Educating for Asia case studies: series one As the fastest growing region in the world, Asia will play a major part in global affairs in the 21st century. Asian communities in New Zealand are thriving and expected to represent 15 percent of New Zealand population by Fostering Asia awareness in the next generation of New Zealanders will equip them with knowledge and skills that they can put to use as good citizens, able professionals and keen advocates of New Zealand s interests in a world increasingly shaped by interactions with Asia. Asia awareness begins in the early school years and Asia:NZ s education programme strives to promote Asia learning in the curriculum. By commissioning this series of eight case studies on Asia Aware schools, Asia:NZ wants to highlight participating schools progress so far and to encourage other educators to lead Asia learning in their school and community. Asia:NZ gratefully acknowledges the participation of staff and students from Auckland Girls Grammar School in this case study, which was conducted in October Visit the school website at For more information, resources or opportunities related to Asia awareness, make sure you explore the Educating for Asia section of Asia:NZ Online at PAGE 7 OF 10

10 ASIA New Zealand FOUNDATION EDUCATING FOR ASIA case studies SERIES ONE Asia New Zealand Foundation Level 16, Fujitsu Tower, 141 The Terrace PO Box Wellington, 6143 New Zealand Telephone: Facsimile: asianz@asianz.org.nz