This week I want to introduce all my readers to an interesting e-mail project that I found on www.iearn.org.au/tbear/. It is called The Teddy Bear Project. This project is one of the most popular programs of all iEARN projects.

But how does The Teddy Bear Project work?

The first step when starting this project is to find a partner school in another country. Then you send a doll, for example a teddy bear, by airmail through the normal postal system to your partner class. Ideal for that are soft dolls that cannot be broken easily and that represent the culture of your country in some ways, for example it wears some clothes that are typical for your country.

When the doll from the partner school arrives, you can celebrate a welcome party for the doll.

The bears can make home visits, go on excursions, participate in class activities and enjoy social events. They take part in everything that the children in the class do. The bears send home diary messages by e-mail at least once a week. The students write these diary messages as if they were the bear describing its experiences in the new culture. Sending some pictures of the scene where the doll is having lunch, visiting the town or doing something with the students is suggested. The diary entries and the photos can make the exchange class ask questions about the events in the new culture.

When the period of time set before hand is over, the “exchange teddy bear” should be sent back to its own country with a diary full of memories about a foreign country.

What is the aim of this project?

This project was invented in order to give pupils of the whole wide world the opportunity to learn more about other places and cultures through the bears’ experiences. Furthermore, it should strengthen tolerance and understanding and break down cultural barriers. In addition to that, the children can improve their imagination by writing through the eyes of a teddy bear and describing its adventures. Another important fact is that the students get used to the new media by writing at least one e-mail once a week.

What is the role of the teacher?

First, the teacher is the organizer of the whole project. He has to find a class in another country which wants to take part in the project. During the weeks with the “exchange teddy bear” the teacher functions as tutor – helping his pupils with writing e-mails in the foreign language and guaranteeing that the partner class gets e-mails once a week.

How does the topic integrate with the curriculum?

As the teddy bear takes part in lessons and excursions, the diary entries can be seen as summaries about one week at school. Topics discussed in class can be depicted in the e-mails. Moreover the teachers could try to find classes in these countries which are topics in the curriculum in order to find out more about their culture and their life.

What do I personally think about the project?

I like the idea about sending a teddy bear to a foreign country which writes back e-mails to its home country about its experiences. I think pupils would be motivated to do this project and it could be fun. Furthermore, they could learn a lot about different cultures and improve their creative writing. But I do not know if there is enough time to do that at school, because this project seems to be very time consuming. Additionally, it is not always easy to find an appropriate class in another country. Nevertheless, I would like to try this project with my future students.