Thoughtful Integration of Global Learning Throughout Guatemalan Classrooms

By: Ms. Helen O’Neal, Teacher at Colegio Americano del Sur, Guatemala

The Colegio Americano del Sur (CAS) grade 7 class presented their projects on Human Life and the Environment on June 21st, 2017.  Our IVECA class partnered with Boram Elementary School in Korea. The work of the students was supported by teachers Ms. Sanha Lee from Boram Elementary and Mr. Edgar Caniz, Ms. Ema Hernandez, and Ms. Helen O’Neal from CAS. For our live class presentation, each student group researched a different technological innovation, examining the innovation’s positive and negative aspects. The class focused on the similarities and differences between our two countries’ daily activities and impacts on the environment. The IVECA course encouraged our students to examine possible solutions to our impact on the environment from a local and global perspective. Our IVECA program lasted three months and included topics integrating language arts, social studies, and science.

Our middle school English teachers collaborated on the extended classroom project. The IVECA program facilitated horizontal alignment within our existing curriculum. Ms. Hernandez, our English Language Arts teacher, focused her students’ work on different stories and narratives addressing her curriculum objectives such as text and author analysis. Ms. Hernandez tells us, “Students wrote a narrative about life at CAS in which they expressed how happy they feel to be part of this school.” Working on the assignments, students were able to build upon prior knowledge and activate prior skills to complete each topic. Also, the program integrated technology, making use of 21st-century skills within the classroom. The variety of topics and integration of technology provided an appealing platform for students to work and interact with their Korean partners.

IVECA motivated our CAS students to participate and to collaborate within groups and with students from different Korean cultures.  The topics of the IVECA course were interesting and relevant to the students. In English Language Arts, the students analyzed characters and techniques of local narratives such as Rigoberta Menchu and La Nina de Guatemala. “Rigoberta is one of the most important characters of modern Guatemala. La Nina de Guatemala is one of the most well-known poems due to its relation to historical events,” Ms. Hernandez explains. The science projects, led my Mr. Caniz, pushed students such as Juan Ignacio, to take responsibility and lead his group to completion. The projects researched local Guatemalan innovations such as “biobardas,” plastic barriers that protect riverbeds. The topic of technological innovations encouraged students to explore further ideas to protect the environment. Mr. Caniz adds, “Something really interesting was that many of our grade 7 students were surprised to find out that in Guatemala, as well as Korea, there are many people who have invented technological innovations that have helped our world.” Leaders emerged from each group and the students worked to their fullest potential. It was a unique experience for our students to share and discuss these topics with their peers across the globe in Korea.

Finally, the farewell activities demonstrated our students’ talent and enthusiasm for their local culture. Each class, from Guatemala and Korea, presented a performance reflecting the history and traditions of our country. Korea presented the traditional Korean sport of Taekwondo and choreographed a modern K-Pop dance. CAS student Ligia played the national instrument of Guatemala, the marimba, while students danced in Guatemalan dress and presented traditional flags. Ms. Hernandez adds, “Marimba music is so beautiful. Guatemalans are very proud of it.” This performance was followed by a skit, the conquest of the Maya by the Spanish invaders in Guatemala, directed by student Luis. These activities featured our students in a personal and fun way, bringing our cultures closer together through art, performance, and music. Overall, the IVECA experience provided our students and teachers at CAS with a memorable and productive experience!

Throughout the IVECA course, our students and teachers made meaningful connections. Connections were made across our middle school curriculum and across the world with our partners and friends in Korea. The IVECA platform facilitated the sharing of our students’ projects; meanwhile, our students practiced their 21st-century technology skills and abilities. The Colegio Americano del Sur 7th grade class was pushed to boundaries of their abilities and talents in a new and exciting way with IVECA.

#IVECA #GlobalCitizenship #InterculturalCompetence #GlobalCurriculumIntegration #VirtualExchange #GlobalEducation

High School Students Make the Best of Globalization

The 21st century is often described as the era of globalization – but what does that mean exactly? Do we really live in a global village? Well, 10th graders from Escuintla city in Guatemala had a one-hour virtual class with their IVECA partners from Daejeon city in Korea in order to discuss these questions.

Obviously, it took them more than one hour to properly understand how globalization is influencing today’s societies. During the last three months, both schools carried out research and developed critical thinking on this complex topic. The students first defined globalization before digging down a little deeper to carefully investigate the political, economic and environmental impacts of this phenomenon.

On June 20th, during their live class, the teenagers presented their findings as well as their solutions to mitigate the detrimental effects of globalization. For example, students from Korea shared their ideas to reduce the loss of competitiveness experienced by some of their national industries. Likewise, Guatemalan students explained how the globalization of Spanish jeopardizes the existence of native languages in Central America. They emphasized the role which schools should play in keeping Mayan languages alive. Among other suggestions, they proposed to increase the number of teaching hours allocated to native languages.

Of course, the students did not only highlight the negative aspects of globalization but also pointed out the numerous benefits of this trend, including their IVECA experience itself as a positive outcome of globalization. After all, it wasn’t only students involved in this cross-cultural partnership, but two whole “villages”. From the English and Social Studies teachers who guided the students to parents who live-streamed their performance, in the end, it is two school communities who went beyond cultural and geographical boundaries to make the most of this worldwide network called the “global village”!

Youth: Leaders of Today, Changing the World of Tomorrow!

Guest reporter: Subhajit Saha

On 15 June, Hanil High School students in Korea and Global Youth Leaders including the UN DPI Youth Representatives and NY-based NGO youth leaders convened at the annual IVECA – Global Youth Virtual Roundtable to discuss the Roles of Youth in Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Throughout the session, the participants discussed a variety of overarching questions regarding the roundtable theme, from “What are the SDGs?,” to “What would you do to contribute to achieving the SDGs?”

The second segment was commenced with words of inspiration from former United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, “Be proud to be young. You are not the leaders of tomorrow, you are the leaders of today.” The statement can be attested to the work of Hanil IVECA Club students and Global Youth Leaders, who are contributing to Agenda 2030.

Hanil High School students are contributing to civil society efforts through grassroots initiatives at their school and community. Taewoo Kim of Hanil IVECA Club is currently working on SDG 4: Quality Education by designing programs that aim to send African children to school, who may otherwise not be able to do so due to poverty. Hyunjun Shim is supporting SDG 15: Life Below Water by raising awareness of marine life issues through campaigns at his school. Junghun Park, a firm gender equality activist, is working on achieving SDG 5: Gender Equality by promoting the sharing of domestic chores that are typically performed by women. Jiwon Baek supports SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation by informing his peers about the lack of access to clean water faces by millions in the developing water.

Global Youth Leaders are performing similar work alongside their Hanil High School counterparts in Korea, in an effort to achieve the 17 SDGs by 2030. Jadayah Spencer, Chair of UN DPI Youth Representatives’ Steering Committee is working with several NGOs to end negative stereotypes about Africa and the Black community by training Black and Latino youth to become the next generation of visionary leaders. She is also involved in teaching youth how to advocate, in addition to designing solutions for problems faced by their community. Secretary of the Steering Committee, Subhajit Saha, brings to light the issues faced by young Bangladeshi orphans through social media campaigns and outreach initiatives at the United Nations and in the private sector. Furthermore, he promotes the alignment of Education for Global Citizenship and the Together Campaign to promote respect, safety and dignity for all. His colleague of the UN DPI Youth Representatives, Aishwarya Narasimhadevara is dedicated to women’s empowerment in medicine. In addition to leading a movement pertaining to improving access to water in Zimbabwe, she is currently working with Javita Nauth, whose organization constructs a school with eco-friendly and earthquake resistant material in villages of Nepal. Javita also conducted the first young women and mental health thematic session of the Youth Forum at the 61st UN CSW session. James Corbett, through his own initiative, Project Refit, is developing a web-based communication platform that assists military members to tell their stories through YouTube videos, podcasts, blog posts, and social media.

Hanil High School Students and Global Youth Leaders completed the roundtable session with Q&A. During this time, participants discussed the possible danger of technology in hindering sustainability, in addition to the role of youth in the betterment of society at a time of tension amongst world leaders. All participants left the session with a sense of inspiration and hope, in a commitment to improving the world we live in.

A Hanil student commented, “IVECA changed my dream. I wanted to be a doctor only to make a big money, but now I want to be a doctor who helps African refugees and dedicated to treating infectious diseases through the UN or WHO.”

James, one of the youth panelists shared his reflection, “[the Global Youth Virtual Roundtable] truly had impacted me in a positive way… it was evident the experience had a positive impact on them [Korean high school students], as well. I truly believe this effort should be reached into high schools around the world.”

Jadayah, moderator of the roundtable said, “Learning from the IVECA students in Korea, gave me insight. The students posed important questions, and our discussion about overcoming obstacles towards progress was candid and eye-opening. It gave me hope, and confirmed for me that youth around the world carry the spirit of collaboration, and the hope for achieving the goals that benefit us all. It was inspiring, and I look forward to bringing in more youth from New York City to engage in these conversations.”

Host & Sponsor: IVECA International Virtual Schooling Co-sponsor: Legion of Good Will – USA