Participate in International Projects with your Students
Taking part in an international project is a fantastic experience for students and teachers because they allow us to connect with an authentic audience. By the way, if you want to get down to the nuts and bolts of PBL, check out Project Based: Learning Stages, Tips, and Examples.
An authentic audience gives learners a special motivation to step it up. When students know that what they have to say or do has a real purpose, the whole learning experience becomes significant and relevant.
What’s more, connecting with students from other parts of the world helps them to see how people think differently about ideas across many cultures. Learners can also see the world through different lenses and build appreciation and understanding among people of diverse backgrounds.
Examples of International Projects
- Postcard Exchange: Students will exchange postcards and write postcard messages using simple sentences. Then, they will draw or paste pictures of their city. I carried out this project with my Third Children students (A1) and they loved the experience of writing and getting postcards from all over the world.
- International Cuisine: In this project, students will learn about food, collect different recipes from around the world and create a Blog to teach others about Cultures through food.
- United Nations Simulation: This project is a simulation of the United Nations bodies in an ONLINE setting where students get in groups to represent a country with the mission to bring understanding between nations and find peaceful solutions to global problems. To carry out this project, students must investigate about global issues to later debate and participate on Zoom with students from other countries making use of diplomacy and dialogue as key tools.
- Schools around the World: Students will investigate schools and their country’s education system. After that, they will make Prezi presentations, and write reflections based on what they learned. Then, they will connect with another class from a different part of the world and compare their schools.
Ready to put these ideas into Action? Connecting with others will boost your students’ motivation, and joy! If you are part of my email list, you will get updates and invitations to participate in some of the international projects I have in mind!
Cheers!
Paula.
