The Old and New Beauty of Taichung

Three-way international virtual exchange for students from Taiwan, Japan, and Korea to exchange the beauty of their hometowns, as part of the International School Award Project

 

We had three exchange sessions about Taichung Station, Taichung Park, The National Library of Public Information, Miyahara Eye Clinic, and so on with my Japanese partner's students this Wed. and Thu. Our Korean sister school's Belle and her students also joined us at the first session. We had fun using simple English to introduce some tourist spots or cultural and historical heritage, along with follow-up questions. 

 

1. International School Award

 

It's a collaboration of the British Council Taiwan and Taichung City Government. The idea is for schools to develop a theme-based international curriculum, such as Identity and Belonging, Human Rights, Environmental Protection, to name just a few. We won the award in 2016, which I took pride in because I contributed so much to make it happen. 

 

We formed a professional learning community, with the director and subject teachers like English, Chinese, Social Studies, and Living Technology. Our goal is to devise, organize, and implement action plans and benefit as many students in KMJH by the end of the school year. My responsibility is to facilitate international collaborations with video conferencing.    

 

2. An International Team

 

Tommy, my Japanese partner, and I have worked on several Skype exchange sessions. Belle, my Korean sister school counterpart, also planned to have video calls on a regular basis. After back-and-forth texting and phone calls, we finally decided on the time frame that would work for the three of us. 

 

I've had many Skype sessions, but a three-way conference would be a first. Tommy and I ran a test on Meet, and the screen share and whiteboard features got me thinking about what we can do to make the most of it. 

 

3. The Setup 

 

Director Lin helped set up the projector, wireless microphones, and speakers in the meeting room. She's been supportive of international education projects. On top of that, she'd also walk the walk. For that, I was so very grateful. 

 

I then used a laptop, a phone speaker, and a webcam for the three Meet sessions. For students doing their presentations, they'd sit at the laptop and use the microphones so that they'd be seen and heard clearly on the other end. 

 

4. Worksheets and PPT Slides

 

To properly introduce a place in English, I created worksheets with guided questions regarding history, location, activity, feelings, and reasons why you'd recommend it. The idea is for them to answer the questions and then put together and answers to develop into a complete essay as a script. I then revised their drafts to make them sound more colloquial. 

 

According to the features in the scripts, I helped create PowerPoint slides to go with their presentations. For example, I found some really old Taichung Station and Taichung Park pictures back in the Japanese Occupation Era online. 

 

5. Planting a seed

 

To maximize the project's potential, Director Lin invited six more classes to audit two sessions and experience what it'd be like to use English in such an authentic environment. She then collected their feedback:

 

"A fantastic experience!" 

"Hope I can also interact with the Japanese students next time." 

"It's interesting to learn how Japanese people pray at a temple"

"I felt the need to learn English well." 

"I felt so close to the world."

"We're lucky to be in Taiwan."

"The Canadian college student is so adorable."

"The audio quality has a lot to improve"

 

I didn't expect so many students would react positively to online exchange sessions, especially when they were only sitting in. Director Lin has been supportive of international education projects, including ISA, SIEP, sister school partnership, and so on. I'd love to work with her on any English supplementary curriculum or programs, but before that, let's win another International School Award next year!