Azo Elementary School and Tuia Burnside Primary School Online School Cultural Exchange Programme

EITAKO started the very first exchange project with an online school cultural exchange in December 2020 with Azo Elementary School in Sōja city and Tuia Burnside Primary School in Christchurch, New Zealand.

 

EITAKO's school cultural exchange policy

Our programme encourages students to learn about precious and unique things as below,

  1. understanding a different culture
  2. understanding aspects of both cultures at the same time
  3. driving students to introduce their own cultural values to the other school 
  4. enhancing students' willingness and respectful attitude for both cultures 
  5. encouraging students to develop awareness and pride for their hometown in line with the Okayama Prefectural Office's Chi'iki-Sōsei policy collaborating with local schools

 

 

We polled Azo Elementary School skateholders to see how they felt about our exchange project. The questionnaire results are as below.

1. Azo Elementary School 4th grade students in 2022, 2023 and 2024

 

Features of Japan, Okayama and Sōja city 60%

for example,

"Hare no kuni (Sunny Hometown)" Okayama

Names of "chi'iki" (places) Okayama and Sōja city

Architecture of Japan

Okayama & Japanese culture

Good points of Azo area

"Azokko Festival" in Azo area

Tale of Momotarō 

"Kinojō (castle)" in Azo

Sushi & Japanese food

One's favourite items

Japanese way of greeting in class

Popular books from other countries in Japan

Etiquette that people take off shoes when they go into the house

other 40%   (They didn't answer the particular things but they answered what they introduced as above, the previous graph.)

 

 

2. Four Azo Elementary School form teachers in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (on the way)

Q.1 How many times in a year do you think is the best for this exchange?
  • Current 3 times a year is good. 75%
  • School should be able to provide this exchange flexibly in other classes such as Sōgo-jikan if the puspose of the exchange can suit the subject. 25%
Q.2 What was the most meaningful thing for your students doing this exchange?
  • To be able to provide our students the opportunity of using English in class 100%
  • Both students and teachers can understand the other culture  75%
  • To elicit students' willingness or proactivity of their study  50%
  • Students can find the Japanese uniquness by introducing their school, Japanese culture and Azo area  75%
  • Students can build up the teamwork with the group presentation 75%
Q.3 (on the way)  
   

3. Azo Elementary School parents in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (on the way)

4. Azo area people (on the way)