A group of 30 students from Carisbrooke College and the Island VI Form have returned from an 11-day cultural and language immersion trip to China, visiting some of the country’s most iconic cities and landmarks.
The trip, designed for students studying Mandarin Chinese, took place in October and saw the group travel overland across the country using sleeper trains and coaches to maximise their exposure to the language. Beginning in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, the group journeyed to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors, visited the historic communist base of Yan’an, and finished in Beijing where they explored the Great Wall of China.
The visit was led by Mandarin teacher Joe Briscoe, who said the experience gave students the chance to build their confidence, independence and language skills in real-world situations.
Joe Briscoe, Mandarin teacher and trip leader, said:
“This was very much an educational experience and gave learners as many opportunities as possible to use their language skills, experience the culture up close and develop their confidence and independence.
“Watching the students grow on a trip like this can be a really satisfying experience for a teacher, and although the scale and scope of it can be incredibly daunting for them, once again every single person grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I’m really proud of every single young person and incredibly grateful for the awesome team of Carisbrooke staff that made it a reality.”
While language learning was central to the trip, the itinerary was also designed to support learning in history, geography and religious education. Students took part in guided excursions, interacted with locals and even reunited with two of the school’s former Chinese Language classroom assistants while in Beijing.
Tali Jones, a GCSE Mandarin student, said:
“This trip has only boosted my desire to see the world even more. I think that after coming back from seeing a new place like this I feel better educated, more aware, more understanding and a lot more mature.”
Fellow student Leo Clack added:
“While the culture was very different from ours at times, it was easy to adjust to and I was made to feel part of something very inclusive and friendly. Now that I have visited China, I am far more open to travelling to other places across the world.”
Sophie Sanders said:
“From this once-in-a-lifetime trip I have gained so much; the confidence to speak to people (especially in the Chinese markets and to the locals) as well as an eagerness to travel the world. China was so eye opening for me and just highlighted that there is so much more of the world to see – I can’t wait to travel some more.”
Molly-Nora Harwood added:
“I loved being surprised by myself. I really hope that I can continue travelling as this has been one of the best weeks of my life.”
Carisbrooke College, which last year won the School Travel Organiser’s My Best School Trip award for their trip to Vietnam, continues to offer students unique and transformative learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom.
Lucky youngsters — and sensible! Mandarin Chinese may well become a much more significant part of their adult lives. This compares well with the opportunities that we had 60-plus years ago, when, for instance, Carisbrooke GS enabled a handful of us 16-year-olds working towards A-Level German to go off to Germany for three months to stay with German families and attend their local schools. Since then, horizons have certainly expanded from Europe outwards — and as far as China!
So good to hear of this. China is an amazing country to live in and offers great opportunities for further education. My son has studied to doctorate level over the past few years for free. Think of that … No debt!
Better prospects than Labour Britain.
This was a great idea. China is a wonderful
country.