Kapiti College's online collaboration with Thai school teaches global competence skills

Kāpiti College students Tiora, Zenobia and Zoe with their teacher Tamara McGechan (bottom right).

International exchanges may feel like a thing of the past for many high school students, with exchanges being yet another aspect of schooling affected by Covid-19.

However, online collaboration has enabled students from Kāpiti College to continue developing their global competence skills and interact with students from another culture, after joining with Satit PIM School in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

Kāpiti College has a year 10 social studies class called The International Class, which has a special focus on international issues and connections that students can apply to get into.

Kāpiti College international education director Steve Burt, who facilitated the exchange, said instead of going to Thailand this year, Education New Zealand encouraged them to participate in an online digital programme.

"A social studies unit was agreed upon by teachers from both schools with the students examining the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and exchange ideas for the future.

"The students have been working together in small groups with the aim of producing a documentary, which will be unveiled at the Royal Thai Embassy in Wellington with the support of ambassador Pornpop Uampidhaya.

"Twenty-six Thai students and 28 Kāpiti students have participated in this year's online exchange."

The SDGs were adopted in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty and protect the planet.

The students are using the SDGs to assess the impacts of Covid-19 on each country.

Teacher in charge Tamara McGechan said facilitating the project has been a lot of fun, but has had its challenges.

"The students have been really keen to get to know their Thai classmates, so motivation has been the easiest part."

Tamara said the challenges were using unfamiliar technology such as Discord, a platform often used by gamers, along with Zoom and Google Chat.

"The difference in culture has been really positive.

"Students are enjoying learning about Thai culture in a natural way, through their interactions.

"As a teacher it has been hugely fulfilling to see how this window into another culture has provided new friendships, a real meaning to learn about our class topic (SDGs), and has become something the students have really looked forward to each week.

"They have told me this class has been the one class they really looked forward to and have found learning together about the SDGs and about Thai culture has been so much fun because they have been building friendships as they worked."

Steve said, "I feel it is important to continue with opportunities such as this online programme to keep our links strong with our sister schools and with the education agents who enrol many of our international students."

"The opportunities Kāpiti students have had in the past have been life changing and we are keen for those unique experiences to continue.

"At the end of each year those who wished to could go on an overseas trip to stay with families of our sister schools and attend the sister school for up to 10 days.

"Two years ago the trip was to Moscow, last year the plan was to go to Vietnam but Covid-19 changed that as it has for this year."

Before Covid-19, Kāpiti College hosted up to 80 international fee-paying students from all over the world with sister schools in Sweden, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and China.

With borders closed, no new students can be enrolled until the Government allows it.

The students will be documenting the exchange, creating a mini-documentary that will be finished this month.