Korean and Brazilian Students Debate over Renewable Energy

Noeun High School and Instituto de Educação respectively from Korea and Brazil, met virtually on Tuesday 22th November in order to discuss sustainable development and renewable energy. Mr. Jonghyuk Keun (Korea) and Ms. Michele Wilbert (Brazil), in collaboration with a Brazilian geography teacher displayed their commitment to make the class successful.

For one hour and a half, the Korean and Brazilian students enjoyed participating in debates about renewable energy, its different advantages and disadvantages. The students exchanged points of view, presented arguments and raised questions concerning diverse types of renewable energy such as hydraulic and nuclear energy. Other than scientific discussions, students had the opportunity of giving artistic performances that reveal some cultural aspects in their countries. As clearly seen on their faces, students were amazed by each other’s shows which opened their eyes to different lifestyles.

All for intercultural competence, this Live Class made students aware of many aspects of renewable energy that concern their countries. Undoubtedly, these kinds of learning experiences  will contribute to raising a generation that is conscious of environmental issues affecting our planet, and that is capable of discussing, analyzing and finding solutions for these challenging

The Winner Is ...

On November 15th, students from Hoover High School (US) and Daejeon Jeonmin High School (South Korea) engaged in a memorable World Speech Contest as part of their long-awaited live class. This virtual session was the closing ceremony of a semester-long exchange where these high school students shared their thoughts on current issues related to their countries and identified possible solutions.

During this one-hour contest, six teams presented speeches based on literature and articles examining topics ranging from witchcraft and comfort women to political scandals. The presentations were followed by question and answer sessions and culminated with the selection of the winning speech for each country. But, of course, such a ceremony would not have been complete without artistic performances! While on the US side, Taylor Swift and ukulele were honored, South Korean students decided, for their part, to share their passion for danso (a traditional musical instrument) as well as for K-Pop (Korean popular music).

Throughout this fall semester, all these future global leaders exemplified the essence of the IVECA program; a respectful exchange of knowledge and culture. This is why IVECA would like to give a big round of applause to all the participants of the World Speaker Award Competition!

Thank you for your contagious enthusiasm and your remarkable partnership!

And the winner is…global citizenship!

First Steps: Growing Together as Global Citizens

The IVECA Virtual Classroom is an online intercultural exchange platform where students around the world study topics ranging from science and technology, to social studies, languages, and the arts through an integrated curriculum with common learning objectives. One of the most exciting parts of the program is the “Live Class” where students meet “face to face” and communicate directly with their partners through IVECA’s online video platform. The interaction increases students motivation, help them think globally and develop their intercultural communicative competence.

On October 20th, Fletcher Elementary School (USA) and Ssangryu Elementary School (KOREA) held their first Live Class of the semester.  The session allowed the students to introduce themselves and begin getting to know one another as they prepare for their upcoming semester project. The students could not contain their excitement when seeing one another for the first time on screen. Ms. Underwood and Mr. Hong (lead teachers from each school) facilitated the Live Class discussion to enable the students to communicate effectively.

During the question and answer session, the students talked about a wide range of subjects with their partners, including culture, geographical characteristics, language, school schedules, lifestyles, and traditional food among others. Throughout the session, students shared what they have learned about differences and similarities between their respective cultures, socialized and celebrated their new global friendships.

We look forward to seeing these students continue to learn and grow together as the semester progresses.