Global classroom expands horizons
Global scholar students read the classic “Wuthering Heights” along with AP Literature teacher Stephanie Sharpe. The group was in the moors of Hawarth, England, where Emily Bronte set the majority of the novel.
Technological advancements have made education opportunities available all across the globe. In order to take full advantage of this teachers have started to bring learning outside the classroom and into the international realm.
“I am so tired of students think- ing that learning is only within a little box,” Stephanie Sharpe, En- glish teacher who took a group to England, said.
According to 21centuryschools. com, learning extends beyond the four walls of a classroom. In order for students to truly grasp what they are being taught they have to go out in the world and experience it.
By taking students to the places of the origin of the material they are studying, teachers are able to reinforce the material.
“It’s a way of enlarging your horizons, anytime anyone has a chance to see things that are different from what they are used to makes them a richer person,” Denise Ankudovich, French teacher who took her class to France, said.
Through travel, students have the ability to see things first hand but also put into practice skills that they have acquired into use, according to the Huffington Post newspaper.
“The experience with speaking the language, to be able to see what they were studying in the classroom, that it is real,” Igxie Rivera, Spanish teacher, said.
According to Northwestern. edu, the faculty recognizes that through these trips students are able to study subject matter, not only in more depth but also through a different cultural perspective.
“Learning the backstory and how the environment affects what goes on socially, and how that affects what people speak out about, makes the reading more impactful,” Rachel Goding, senior who took a trip to England, said.
Learning in the international classroom gives students the opportunity to visually understand complex concepts.
“Certain concepts cannot be explained, but seen, juxtaposition, you see it in architecture from the 1600’s next to a modern building,” Shay Caywarth, English teacher who went with a group of students to England, said.
Learning outside the classroom is imperative, according to Van- derbilt.edu. By taking students out of the classroom and taking them to the places they are study- ing, teachers cultivate a lasting and fuller understanding of the material.
