Engaging students in Pen pal experience

 

Pen-pal experience

International-mindedness provides us a vast array of possibilities to understand the importance of the different perspectives according to our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. People have recognized the benefits of it and the opportunity to know more about someone or a group of members belonging to a distinct culture. It should be an amazing opportunity to admire and accept others, in this way the values are essential to respect several points of view and how they can enable to feel closer and be in touch with someone over the world.

For that reason, all of this happened, when I was in contact with Alma Omanovic a teacher from Acibadem Okullari school in Istanbul, Turkey. We were really eager to know more about each country, especially the landscapes and some features of the school. In this chat,  we decided to encourage our students to know other perspectives by exchanging letters about outstanding places or moments describing the school with 2nd-grade students from her school.

In our collaborative work, we have fostered our students to involve in these experiences some questions to make connections with other students and gather useful information from others were always very helpful to enhance their skills.

Starting a new journey to know more about another culture has been significant for each girl. At first, they were excited and made a brainstorming session to arrange their ideas or thoughts. From the beginning, my students showed commitment to write a letter from a foreign student in English, expressing some relevant aspects of their school, and drawing some icons that represent the country. As a teacher I remembered to ask some questions to their pen pal to find out more information about them. Writing skills are remarkable in this project they made an enormous effort to express their ideas with coherence, good spelling, and grammar, showing passion and interest for them.

So, they looked forward to receiving their personal letter, were satisfied enough to know about Acibadem Okullari school, whose lives changed after reading some similarities and differences from that country. They loved to know about other subjects like drama, wood carving lessons, archery courses,  favorite sports, and their families. Both schools have a coliseum in which they celebrate several events throughout the year. 

Communication skills were crucial to listen to each student in this process of exchanging letters, they were enthusiastic to know about other students from a country far away. Each detail written provoked discussions and made emphasis in some specific details. They were able to find out that diversity is essential to discovering amazing moments in a definite country. 

Most importantly for us is how our students have admired another culture taking into account places, people, and traditions, as well as they, share the letter with their families to tell them the aim of writing someone was a splendid opportunity to meet new people with different customs that joined us a lot.

Reading the letters arose a variety of feelings, thoughts, and expressions:

 “I felt happy and excited because I knew another person and I discovered her culture, school, activities, members of her family and community” 

                                                                                          María Fernanda Leal

“ I learned many things of their culture “lu durum doner”, that it is a traditional food, and they have different lessons like drama”   
                                                                                       

                                                                                     Julieta López

“ I felt good because in the letter I found much useful information to know about the school of Turkey.”

                            Gabriela Duarte

At last, our students could appreciate social and cultural diversity and the advantage to know other points of view that help them gain respect and appreciation for others. So they could demonstrate curiosity and enthusiasm in this outstanding pen-pal experience in which they are still inquiring about Turkey. Where is the country located? What are the most famous places? What are the official languages? Generating more knowledge in their own process of learning and their compassion enhances being more tolerant toward others.