Global Classroom
The Global Classroom is an international education project, founded by staff at the Anderson High School in the UK. Its aims are to open young peoples’ eyes to the world by enabling participants from a partnership of schools to learn from each other, to discuss, debate, evaluate, and share learning beyond national boundaries. The Global Classroom has a history of organizing conferences, exchanges, research projects and IT-enabled world-wide learning. Schools from the UK, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, South Africa, Japan, Australia and the USA are all currently involved in aspects of Global Classroom work.
The Global Classroom Conference
Each year, schools from the Global Classroom travel to one of the partner schools for an annual conference involving activities, debates, and discussion focused around the promotion of cultural exchange and international learning. The 2005 conference took place in Cape Town, South Africa, where, on the opening two days, the delegates travelled to Robben Island (the former prison of Nelson Mandela during the years of apartheid) and experienced a taste of what life was like for political prisoners in South Africa.
Global Classroom Conference in Cape Town 2005
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the explosion of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. For this reason the 2006 conference theme was ‘Peace’ and involved a trip to the peace palace in Hiroshima, and the performance of a dramatic performance prepared in advance by each of the schools.
Find out more information on the Global Classroom website.
GC Enterprise & Development Project
The Enterprise Education project emerged from an effort to give students the opportunity to acquire knowledge and firsthand experience of (a) the world of business and business planning and (b) the issues and problems of the people in the developing world.
The objectives of the project are twofold: first, to contribute to partner businesses’ efforts (in this case, firms based in the Shetland Islands, UK) to establish the possibilities of overseas investment, and in so doing introduce students to business planning. It is envisaged that at the end of the first year, the firm will decide on a suitable investment strategy for overseas investment based upon the work of the participating team of students.
The second objective is to provide students with firsthand experience of the developing world by embarking on a long-term initiative in the second year of the project situated in a developing country.
The team of international students consists of eight high-school students in their last year of secondary schooling, headed by the Team Coordinator, a graduate in economics. In addition, these students will be drawing on informal support teams in their home countries. Supporting teams consist of fellow students with interest in the project as well as professionals able to advise them on issues related to the project. Ultimately, however, it is the team members who will be responsible for the successful development of the project, drafting of reports and the delivery of the project goals.
Further information can be found on the GC Enterprise & Development project website
The Learning School
Learning School is now in its seventh year as an international schools-based research project, running for ten months each year. During this time, the research group travels across the world, conducting research in each of the schools involved. The researchers are all current or recently graduated students from one of the partner schools, and are guided in their research by a number of university graduate coordinators and supporting academics.
The aim of the Learning School project is to empower schools and their students by undertaking an examination of the process of learning. It is hoped that through this examination by “critical friends,” the schools will be better able to identify the learning processes of their students, the strengths and weaknesses of their practice and see where to improve. The project aims to contribute to school improvement and development through the positive and active involvement of students in discussion about their learning practices. The research gathered is another step in understanding the complex processes of how we learn. Previous Learning School projects have studied topics that include student motivation, ethos, and lifelong learning. Full details of past Learning School research, and downloads of previous reports are available at the learning school website.
The Learning School project differs from conventional research in that the researchers are all current students or recent school leavers. This gives the research a unique perspective; students interviewed by the Learning School feel less inhibited giving answers to someone of a comparable age and background than they would to external, professional researchers.
In addition to the reports and presentations produced by the research group for each school, the experience of each of the participating students is also of great importance. Spending 10 months travelling with a team of international co-workers, who soon become close friends, is an experience often described by Learning School participants as profound. In a time where international conflict is becoming more common than international collaboration, the spirit of the Learning School project has never been more important.
For further information on this initiative, please contact us