Is the global classroom the way of the future?

 

Victorian International School of Sharjah
United Arab Emirates

There is a saying that no one in the world is totally independent from others. Learning is also connected across this multicultural global world. Every country needs people with ability and talent from all over the world. And the working and living environment of people are not limited in their own country any more, as well. Therefore we know that connecting learners in a global world is an excellent idea because it provides students with an opportunity to gain knowledge and a culture of understanding from each other. It also let students to know the facts of others countries rather than just have an understanding of the rest of world from one perspective. This knowledge can help to reduce prejudice. However, connecting learners in a global world also needs money and human resources. So is it supported by countries all around the world? That’s an important question we have to explore.

Ryan Hreljac (http://www.ryanswell.ca/), is a Canadian who has contributed a total of 518 water and sanitation projects in 16 countries bringing clean water and sanitation services to over 640,000 people across Africa. Ryan didn’t get this idea about helping people who don’t have clean water from a random morning when he woke up. He was inspired by geography lessons learned in his grade 1 class about children in Uganda who didn’t have clean water. And if he didn’t have those lessons, perhaps he would have another job and another life without helping people in other countries. And if Ryan was in an international class when he was young, then perhaps his humanitarian work would have spread to other continents. It’s obviously worth investing in global classrooms of the future. Let’s look at how 21st century learning is now supported in the world.

In this case, the British Council (http://www.britishcouncil.org/new/) has been leading this model of learning. This represents a significant investment by British Council in providing the opportunity and support to help building greater understanding and trust between students in the Middle East and UK through sharing their cultures. One hundred and sixty new schools in the Middle East and the UK will join the Connecting Classrooms Programme over the next two years to work on practical exchange projects that give students the opportunity to learn more about others’ lives and cultures and to improve their language skills. This will bring the total number of schools involved in Middle East and UK school partnerships to nearly 400 schools by 2011. Olga Stanojlovic, British Council Director of Schools in Education said, ‘Connecting Classrooms is the British Council’s flagship Global Schools Programme. It can provide a powerful window on the world around us, giving students a deeper awareness, understanding and appreciation of each other cultures and the opportunity to establish long-lasting relationships’.

Besides the British Council, lots of American, European and Asian schools are also starting to build international classes. This particular SSAT-iNet student online conference is one such example I believe, the international class being general model of study in the future is a very close possibility.

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