Documentary Production and Canada - A Unique Workshop at MS 131 in Chinatown

By: YaLing Chao, Global Classroom Intern

On the last day of March, Canadian Global Guide Frederic Choiniere, who is studying International Affairs and Media at The New School, delivered a workshop on his home country, and experiences in documentary-making to an eighth grade class at MS 131. The workshop began with an interactive exercise led by Frederic and Global Classroom Intern, YaLing Chao. For this activity, the students gathered in a large circle and went through a series of clapping patterns which required communication and teamwork skills to complete; students were challenged to work together to “pass a clap” around the circle and in different directions. This activity required great concentration and produced not only an in-depth discussion about leadership and communication, but also many spirited laughs! Following the introduction, Frederic shared his insight on Canadian geography and politics. He also shared some information about Canada’s bilingual status and the diversity of its citizenry, about which the students were previously unaware.

To complement a small group documentary-making project on the Iraq War the students were finishing that week, Frederic shared with students some of the main principles of pre-production, production and post-production stages in video making. Drawing from his past work as a local TV producer in Canada, as well as his classwork in graduate school, Frederic asked students what they learned so far in their progress, how they prepared, what the biggest challenges were that they faced, and how they overcame such challenges in order to gain better insight of their work. Then, Frederic used video excerpts to illustrate key videomaking techniques, such as use of narration, dubbing, subtitles, sound effects and music, and how to edit interviews.

Frederic also showed students a short documentary film he created two semesters ago as an example of what media students produce in their classes. The eighth graders were impressed by the professionalism of Frederic’s work. For the final portion of the workshop, Frederic rotated around to each work station to review students’ progress and answer their questions about documentary composition. As the young students enjoyed watching Frederic’s video clips, Frederic was equally impressed with their own original videos!

In reflection, the teacher mentioned the expertise Frederic shared during presentation was valuable for enriching his own teaching about the video production process. Moreover, the advice and work examples Frederic shared with students offered meaningful inspiration and encouragement to think about their projects with refreshed creative energy.

From the Other Side - An Intern's Global Classroom Experience

By: Nachiket Udupa, Global Classroom Intern and Global Guide

I came to New York City in Fall 2008 to join a program in Education Leadership Studies, which is kind of like a combination of economics, policy and management of education. So when I came across the Global Guide training for One to World’s Global Classroom program, I jumped at it. Reading theory about the education is one thing, but actually seeing it firsthand is quite something else. I knew that Global Classroom would give me a chance to experience New York City public schools and give me a more practical insight of what I had otherwise only been reading in books. And what an experience it has been!

My work with the Global Classroom program has been an immense learning opportunity. First as a Global Guide in the Fall semester and later as an Intern in the Spring, I’ve taken part in many workshops in several different classrooms in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. This experience has given me the unique chance to meet different international students from across the world and understand what schools are like in their countries. There is also something new I can take away from each visit to a New York City classroom apart from the sheer joy of spending time with students.

What amazes me the most is how insightful students are, and interacting with them can be an absolute delight. Being in classrooms takes me back to my days in school. The insight and curiosity that students have has surprised me more than once. I have often tried discussing topics that one might typically think to be too advanced for them and have always been amazed at how perceptive the students are in New York City. In sharing different perspectives and imparting new knowledge, Global Classroom not only helps students grow to become global citizens but also makes me a better person.

I particularly remember one experience I had with a class of 5^th graders in Staten Island where I was talking to them about the unity in diversity in India. A ten year old girl asked me if India was fighting any wars. I replied to her that India and Pakistan had fought wars in the past. She then asked me why they were fighting. The innocence with which she asked the question and the look in her eyes made it hard for me to explain to her that the two countries were fighting over an artificial line that man had drawn dividing the two lands. I felt then that if all human beings could experience what I was experiencing at that moment, there would be no more wars.

Ariel and Will Durant once said, “Education is the transmission of civilizations.” Classrooms are a microcosm of the society they are set in and, personally, I think the best way to get to know a city or a culture is to visit its schools. I am not a fan of sight-seeing and believe more in getting to know the people and traditions of the place that I am visiting. My experiences in public school classrooms have taught me a lot more about America and New York City than visiting any landmark would have.

The Importance of Peaceful Protest: The Berlin Wall

On April 2, Global Guide Ingolf Boettcher of Germany presented his workshop at the Bronx Leadership Academy on peaceful protests and the fall of the Berlin Wall. A native of former East Germany, Ingolf was able to lend his own personal experience to the workshop.

After introducing the class to Germany’s popular sports and music, Ingolf delved into the country’s 20th century history, particularly its division during the Cold War. He explained how after World War II, the Russians remained in Germany, occupying East Germany and East Berlin. Thus East Germany became another satellite state of the Soviet Union. He talked about how the wall that divided Berlin became a symbol of the Cold War and the division between the Soviet Union and the West.

Ingolf was able to share stories from his own experiences to illustrate for students what life was like growing up in East Berlin in the 1980’s. He explained how, for example, it was illegal to watch television programs from the west even though their televisions picked up such shows. Also, travel restrictions prohibited Ingolf from visiting family members in West Germany, although West Germans were allowed to visit East Germany. Additionally, the East German police encouraged people to spy on their neighbors and report any illegal or suspicious activities to the police.

Ingolf explained how peaceful protests by enough Germans kept pressure on East German authorities to end the division of the country. He linked this non-violent resistance to instances of peaceful protest in the U.S. such as the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in the Montgomery bus boycotts. Ingolf pointed out how in both cases, non-violent means resulted in far-reaching societal changes. In Germany, the wall came down in 1989 and contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union.

Ingolf had an excellent activity prepared to help students connect the topic of peaceful protests to their own lives. In small groups he had students come up with their own ideas for peaceful protests to change something in their community or society. Students designed posters for their own movements and brainstormed ideas on how to achieve their goals through peaceful means. Each group then presented their cause to the rest of the class.

Global Careers and Education Workshop on Museum Studies

As part of the Global Careers and Education program, new Global Guide Pilar Pertusa held an excellent workshop at Newcomers High School in Queens. A Fulbright grantee from Spain, Pilar studies Museum Studies at New York University, and Global Classroom was thrilled to have her hold a workshop on her field of study.

After an introduction to Spain and an overview of her personal academic journey in Spain, Ireland and now the U.S., Pilar explained what the field of Museum Studies entails. She began by asking the students what purposes museums serve. Students responded that museums are able to portray aspects of other cultures to people and that they can also document historical time periods.

Pilar went on to talk about what type of career her program was training her for. She asked students to use their linguistic skills and try to give her a definition of what a curator does, based on the root of the word. Students pointed out that it is related to the word “to cure” and meant "to take care of". Pilar explained that not only do curators care for artwork, but they are also responsible for connecting artists and artwork to the general public.

In order to go into more depth regarding the role that curators play, Pilar started a discussion on the possible sources of artists’ inspiration. Students’ ideas included the people around them and major events such as revolutions. Pilar talked about how artists are inspired by the world around them, including the influences of politics and history. For curators, this means that they must be well-versed in several disciplines in order to successfully interpret artwork for the public. A curator must be familiar with concepts such as the historical time period of the artwork, anthropological influences, and the political climate because these all shape an artist's work.

Pilar gave the students a great activity which allowed them to use what they had learned about curators’ work. She split the class into four groups, gave them each several paintings and asked them to curate an exhibit complete with a title and objective. Depending on how successful they were, Pilar would decide whether they would receive funding for their hypothetical exhibits.

Two groups presented their exhibit ideas to the class. The first group’s exhibit was entitled “Revolution and Consequences” and was directed at a teenage audience. This exhibit sought to help people think critically about history by portraying revolutions from other perspectives. The second group’s exhibit, “Punishment and Abuse”, was intended for journalists, artists and historians, and it showed how forms of punishment have evolved over time. Thanks to their excellent work, both groups received funding for their exhibits!