16/10/2012
Children from over 40 countries who are learning English have linked up with one another thanks to a new pen friend scheme for schools developed by a department of Cambridge University.
Cambridge English Penfriends – launched earlier this month by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) – has already received registrations from over 2000 schools across the globe.
The scheme provides a classroom activity for teachers to carry out with their students, designing and sharing cards with learners at a school in another country. The current theme for cards is ‘Amazing Animals’ and children are encouraged to include some English words in their design to help with their ongoing language learning. The initiative has already seen successful pairings between schools in Argentina and Czech Republic; Ecuador and Greece – and many more.
Cambridge ESOL’s Lorna Pedersen who is behind the scheme said:
“When young people learn English, it’s important that it’s done in an environment that is fun, practical and engaging. This has been the driving force behind the project and which is already proving to be very popular. We’ve designed the online platform so that schools with children learning English can connect with similar schools around the world, allowing their students to make new international friends as part of their ongoing learning.”
Schools taking part in Cambridge English Penfriends make connections with each other based on the age of their students and the size of the school, with instructions provided through the site at each step of the way.
Find out more here:
penfriends.cambridgeenglish.org