Students from China and Korea address SDG through music and art

As everyone knows, music is one of the most important elements of human culture. This week, on November 29, music brought students from Zhenjiang Vocational College, China, and Incheon Performing Art High School, South Korea, together. During the Live Class, students shared their passion for dancing and music while discussing Music and Humanity in the two countries. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, both schools managed to participate directly from their classrooms, which facilitated great interactions between all students.

Throughout the semester, students worked on diverse activities, devoted to music and art and their connection to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of the Live Class was to share the results of semester-long efforts, learn about partner country’s music as well as develop new attitudes towards the role of art for humanity. Chinese students presented the development of rap in China and introduced a famous Chinese rapper, Jackson Wang. According to their research, his music not only promotes common values such as love, hope, and peace but also is calling against cultural division between East and West. Additionally, they performed a dance on one of J.Wang’s songs. Korean students shared their reflections on the famous song “Heal the World'' by Michael Jackson. Students explained that the main theme of the song was covering many of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, in the reflection part, they mainly focused on SDG #16 “Peace, justice and strong institutions”.

After the presentations, students discussed similarities and differences of both artists’ music, its’ role, and main messages. Students concluded that although Jackson Wang and Michael Jackson might have different audiences, both artists’ music is addressing important goals for humanity in a fun and memorable way. Also, they noted that both artists are calling attention to global issues and aim to make this world a better place.

During the Performance time at the end of the Live Class, students got a chance to show their talents and sang songs in Korean and Chinese. Since both schools’ students joined from their classrooms, they could exchange immediate reactions and show their impressions altogether. Such direct online contact between students from two classrooms raised their interest in their partner’s culture and language.

Overall, students were encouraged to view the role of art in cultures from different perspectives. Live Class activities helped students to realize how art connects the world, how similar are its goals and means. While listening to partner school’s presentations, students learned how to express their behavior and attitude towards foreign artists correctly in a foreign language. As the principal from Zhenjiang Vocational College noted in his closing remarks, this Live Class was “a breakthrough in form and content”. Indeed, students explored a new side and purpose of art in a memorable way and at the same time gained new intercultural knowledge about each other.

#IVECA #21CenturyEducation #GlobalEducation #InterculturalCommunicativeCompetence #GlobalCitizenship #SDG #LiveClass #MulticulturalEducation #IEGI #ArtClass #ArtsForHumanity

Argentina and Korea plan and discuss special events for a positive impact on their communities

Over the last two weeks, various high schools in Daejeon, Korea partnered with a High School in Pampa, Argentina to participate in a series of Live Classes about special events in their communities. Students discussed current events in their countries and planned new events to benefit their communities.

Throughout the semester, in the IVECA Virtual Classrooms, students had a chance to share with their partners existing events, festivals, and other activities that are important for their culture and society. However, during the Live Class students got the opportunity to dive deeper into their own communities and plan upcoming events that take into consideration the current situation in their country such as Covid-19 restrictions. Students were very creative in coming up with their own events and festivals, which would benefit their community.

Students from Korea shared their ideas and thoughts about different festivals, devoted to diverse topics on K-pop, Korean Culture, Movies, and others. Additionally, students highlighted ways to protect the environment and care for disabled members of society. Students from Argentina shared their culture by presenting different festivals and events in their country. Additionally, Argentinian students explained how each event impacts society.

Students got a chance to learn more about their partner country’s culture and traditions as well as to discover their own history and culture. As one of the students from Choongnam Girls High School shared in their presentation: “I did a lot of research on Daejeon [city in Korea] to plan the festival, and thanks to this, I felt closer to Daejeon”. Exploring their own culture, getting closer to their own society helps students to develop an important part of intercultural competence - self-awareness. Only after knowing their own community from the inside did students learn how to compare similarities and differences between community events in two countries in appreciation of cultural diversity

IVECA Team is very excited about the rest of the Live Classes to assist in students’ journey to explore themselves as well as other cultures through IVECA activities.

#IVECA#LiveClass#internationalvirtualschooling#interculturalcompetence#21stCenturyEducation#GlobalCitizenship#21stcenturyskills

Korea and the United States Join Together Live to Discuss Important Historical Events

On November 15, Live Classes began between Hanil High School in Gongju, South Korea, and IB Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, Florida, the USA. Having the whole same grade students of their schools participate in IVECA as a subject class this semester, Hanil and Carrollwood arranged five live presentation meetings for the week of November 15 through November 19. The Live Classes were conducted in a hybrid format when Hanil High School students joined individually from their homes, and Carrollwood Day School students participated from their classroom.

Throughout the five Live Class sessions, students from the two schools exchanged their ideas and opinions about important historical events in their countries. Hanil High School students shared presentations about historical events from different centuries: starting from the period of Three Kingdoms and Silla unification in the 7th century until the 1997 IMF Crisis and its impact on the Korean economy. Appreciating the opportunity “the best way to learn is to teach”, Carrollwood students shared what they have learned in history this semester. Floridian students covered over 200 years of history in America from the first settlements in Jamestown and Plymouth to the French and Indian War and American Revolution in the 18th century.

After their group presentations, students also had a chance to discuss the background and impact of the historical events. In their comments, American students mentioned that they were impressed and learned a lot about Korean history and especially about the Korean war: “I was very fascinated to learn that America sided with South Korea and North Korea sided with the Soviet Union and China. I never knew that is how South Korea and North Korea decided the border.” The diverse viewpoints of Korean students regarding the Korean war helped American students to look at the wars in American history from a different perspective. At the same time, while listening to presentations from Carrollwood, Korean students realized how similar the historical paths of the two countries are. ”I never realized that our histories are so similar”, shared one of the Korean students during the discussion.

As Hanil High School principal Mr. Insoo Shin shared in his closing remarks, students got the opportunity to better understand not only about partner country but their own country. They also felt proud of themselves envisioning a prominent future ahead. Comparing similarities and differences between two countries through the lens of history, as well as learning about different cultures from each other’s cultural performances helped students to develop the deepest level of intercultural competence.

IVECA Team is looking forward to the coming Live Classes in the following weeks to provide teachers and students with the best learning and cultural experiences.

#IVECA #LiveClass #internationalvirtualschooling #interculturalcompetence #21stCenturyEducation #GlobalCitizenship #21stcenturyskills