The goal was to connect students across the world, share ideas, and root the course’s curriculum in real-world events. A shared class of 26 students from Egypt’s Schutz American School and Proctor Academy engaged in asynchronous (and occasionally live) discussions about culture, current events, and politics. Students connected and shared about what’s happening in the world and what it’s like to be a teenager in each country. From welcome videos shared on YouTube and cross-Atlantic partners on research papers to an in person, face-to-face, gathering and discussion at the end of the term — these students experienced what it means to connect, work rigorously and exchange cross-culturally. Not least of which, genuine friendships were made and plans for future gatherings established. At the end of the term, students asked…”How can we build on this? We are so much more alike than I realized!” In this session, I will unpack the whole process — brainstorming, assignment creation, class structure, feedback loops, etc. and all the Edtech tools that supported our work. As a full year high school elective course, it was a wild and joyful ride full of challenges and highlights. As a lifelong learner, I was thrilled to co-create our curriculum and approach right alongside my students. We made a ton of mistakes that I am really proud of! And oh yeah -- all this amazing student-directed and motivated learning happened without the traditional system of handing out numerical grades on student work and effort! You’ll leave the session inspired by a real-world example of global citizenship learning in action — and be challenged to bring these types of learning opportunities to your school. Support Materials (some of which will be included in the presentation):
Globalization Course Uses Chalkup to Connect with Sister Class in Egypt: Proctor Academy
Globalization Class Introduction F’15: Schutz S
chool Global Studies Class Introduction F’15: Proctor Academy & Schutz School Collaboration 2016
Group Discussion:CoolcatTeacher -- Episode 214: Vicki Davis Interview: MERGING CLASSROOMS: H
OW I SHARED MY STUDENTS WITH A CLASS IN EGYPT: Proctor Academy Video:
Presentation Video