Nantou Prefecture Shuangdong Elementary School

School Profile

School Name	Nantou Prefecture Shuangdong Elementary School
Location	Taiwan
Number of Participants	31 people (25 students, 6 instructors)
Age of Students	10 ~ 12 years old
Main Purpose of Exchange	Intercultural Exchange

School Exchange Partner

School Name	Matsushima The Fifth Elementary School
Location	Miyagi
Website	http://matsushima.ed.jp/matsu5es/ open_in_new
Number of Participants	44 people (36 students, 8 instructors)
Age of Students	10 ~ 12 years old

Online Exchange Details

Date & Time	27th April in 2022
Program	Cultural Exchanges / Recent Status Report Recreation Activities
Tools used	Google Meet

Flow of the Day（JST）

10：40～10：45	Brief school introduction and self-introduction (self-intro in English)
10：45～10：55	Icebreaker (the weather and what has happened around students on that day)
10：55～11：10	Learning, introduction of works, etc., and performance
11：10～11：25	Questions (what students would like to know after watching video in advance)
11：25～11：40	Message of thanks

Thoughts from Faculty and Students

Thoughts from Faculty

Being able to hold international exchanges become a meaningful place of interaction not only for students, but also for teachers.

Instructor at Matsushima The Fifth Elementary School:
With the cooperation of the Miyagi Prefecture International Policy Division, we were able to enjoy an exchange day after introductions and two meetings between principals which began from the previous school year. Being able to hold international exchanges with overseas schools during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a meaningful place of interaction not only for students, but also for teachers. We hope to continue to exchange videos of school activities and provide opportunities for exchange once a year.

Reviews from Students

I was relieved and happy to think that my words were conveyed.

Student at Matsushima The Fifth Elementary School:
I was nervous when I introduced myself and my school but when I finished, I received an energetic round of applause from the students and teachers of Shuangfuyu Elementary School, so I was relieved and happy to think that my words were conveyed. If I was able to converse in Mandarin, I think it would be a more enjoyable exchange. I was glad to deepen my bond with everyone at Shuangfuyu Elementary School. I hope to interact with the students there again, deepen our bond even more, and make friends.
I want to make friends and go to Taiwan.

Student at Matsushima The Fifth Elementary School:
I would like to continue to sing Taiwanese songs, dance Taiwanese dances, and deepen interaction with Shuangfuyu Elementary School. I also want to make friends and go to Taiwan. I hope they will come to Matsushima Town too. I hope that we can sing "Donguri Koro-koro" together, and that I can show them around Matsushima. I also think it would be great if they could see the snowy scenery of Japan.

Leadup to Exchange (Japanese side)

Advance Preparation (Faculty)	(1) Online exchange (introductions) between school principals (2) Online exchange between teachers in charge (introductions, discussion) (3) Plan/produce video, send to partner school (4) Rehearsal (22nd April)
Advance Preparation (Students)	・Students who will be presenting prepare a manuscript and practice ・ Each grade practices school song, elementary school student council song, and the "Donguri koro-koro" (Rolling Acorn) song ・Prepare questions from own school and answers to questions from partner school
Advance Preparation (Local Government Contact Person)	・Selection of host school ・Schedule and participation in meetings for the implementation of exchange (including interpretation and preparation of agenda)
Role of the contact person at the local government	・Liaison between schools (including e-mails and translations between Japanese and Mandarin) ・Participation in meetings ・Translation of materials ・Press releases to the Prefectural Government Press Club ・Support such as interpretation during exchanges (International exchange person from Taiwan serves as an interpreter)
When they reached out to the exchange school	2nd December in 2021
When they engaged in meeting with the school	8th February in 2022
When the date for the exchange was finalized	6th January in 2022

Future Areas of Improvement/Secrets to Success (Japanese side)　

Teacher

Thanks to the support of the prefectural government and Matsushima Board of Education, we were able to have a more meaningful exchange. In particular, our school lacks confidence in regards to the language aspect, so it was really great that the international exchange person (from Taiwan) at the prefectural government took care of translating various documents and interpreting on the actual day of the exchange.