First Workshop Experience in the School for Excellence

By Samira Anfi, Global Classroom Intern and French Global Guide

On Monday, October 19th, I led my first workshop as a French Global Guide at the School for Excellence in the Bronx.

I knew I wanted to talk about something unique about French culture or something students are not really aware about or don’t understand well about France. At the same time, I wanted show them that behind apparent cultural differences, some issues and cultural traits are often universal.
To do this, I had to talk about French reality as I have lived it - not simply about France as a travel destination, which is often far from millions of French citizens’ daily lives.

I decided to talk about France’s passion for football, which the students know better as “soccer” and the role of this sport in increasing awareness and solidarity of immigrated people and other French people.

After introducing myself, explaining that I am a visiting student from Sciences Po. in Paris, and telling about my family background, I presented them with background information about my country: its location and neighbors, the political system, the currency, and the demography. I also talked about French food— an important and famous side of the French culture— and I introduced them to some French cinema and famous musicians.

When I began discussing my topic, I felt that I had captured their attention. They were surprised by the phenomenon of soccer in France and in Europe in general, and they couldn’t believe that American football and baseball are not popular abroad.

They were even quieter when I began to talk about social problems of French people their age with foreign origin, like some of them have. I explained to them the difficulty for these youth to succeed at school and to find a job because of the discrimination they face. From there, I explained that soccer is more than a sport: it’s a tool to unify the society and to overcome the social, religious and/or racial differences by showing that the solidarity and the cooperation of everyone can lead to success and happiness.

To finish, I talked about the concepts of nationalism and patriotism in France as compared to the US and about the symbol of the flag. It was the occasion to talk to them about the death tolls of two world wars on the European territory; the wars (in France and Germany) happened because of the exacerbation of nationalisms. Then, we discussed the importance of the unification and pacification processes by the European Union.

This cultural and human exchange was a really great moment for the students and for me.
Before beginning to talk about my country, I asked them what comes to mind when I say “France.” The common answers were: “hats”, “snails”, “cigarettes”, “Paris,” but after this workshop I’m convinced that they went past these stereotypes and went deeper into the French culture. For my part, I learned in 60 minutes as much as two semesters of college courses, without any doubt! Thanks for this unforgettable experience!

At M.S. 390, Andorra Comes Alive Through Comics

By: Asma Jaffrey, Global Classroom Intern

“Andorra? A country? Really?” said a student in Mr. Swander’s 6^th grade class at MS 390 on October 23, 2009. Global Guide Natali Martins, a Fulbright student studying at Teachers College, replied “yes there is, can you guess where it’s located on the map?” Students feverishly attempted to locate Andorra on a digital map, but could not find it and began to name all the continents. Finally a student said “Europe!!!” and from here, Natali took the students on a journey to a far away nation without leaving the walls of room 601.

To begin, students explored ‘cultural identity’ through an interactive activity called Cultural Diversity & Cultural Understanding. Each student paired up with a partner and filled out a Venn diagram with characteristics they had in common and characteristics that were different among them (for instance gender, phenotype, languages, tastes, backgrounds, experiences, family, heritage, dreams, projects, religion, etc.) To their surprise, the students had many things in common with one another that they did not know - even after being in the classroom together for almost two months!

To provide students with a rich cultural background on Andorra, Natali discussed the geographic composition, population size and language diversity of her small country. Natali presented students with several beautiful pictures of Andorra in a thoughtful manner; she designed every power point slide with a question and provided students with a choice of three answers. Students had to choose the right answer in order to move onto the next slide. Students saw pictures of various parts of Andorra, which they compared to New York City and other cities around the world.

To conclude her presentation, Natali introduced the class to an important tradition in Andorra called Diada de San Jordi, which is very similar to the American tradition of Valentines Day. Natali narrated a folk story connected to Diada de San Jordi through comics and asked the students to create a folk story from their culture through comic as a creative homework assignment.

Japanese Workshop for the 'Principal for a Day' Event in Brooklyn!

By: Samira Anfi, Global Classroom Intern

Once again this October, Global Classroom had the great pleasure to participate to the ‘Principal for a Day’ event at P.S 241 in Brooklyn. For this special occasion, two Japanese graduate students at Teachers College Global Guides, Toshiko Takahashi and Makiko Yoshino, delivered workshops on the culture of their home country to three different classes of 5^th graders.

After introducing themselves to the class and locating Japan on a colorful map, they led a hands-on activity around traditional Japanese paper folding, origami. Toshiko explained the signicance of this art as a symbol of peace and good luck, and the students’ eyes shined when she told them that a Japanese popular belief says that if they make one thousand paper cranes, their dreams will come true!

Since folding a crane is not easy to do and required concentration, it was a challenge for students, but they were great in helping each other.

Makiko made also a big impression on to the students by wearing a colorful kimono, the Japanese traditional dress. Makiko explained that her kimono would be considered a formal design in Japan, worn for a special occaision. Many of the accessories she wore belonged to her grandmother.

All of the students had a great time learning about Japan and the significance of origami. They were excited to take home their paper cranes. Makiko and Toshiko suggested the students give the cranes to “someone they love.”

Fall 2009 Global Classroom Training

By: Samira Anfi, Global Classroom Intern

On Saturday, October 3, Global Classroom held its first large training for new Global Guides of the new school year. The Fall 2009 Global Guide training brought together 46 students and scholars from more than 28 different countries and 21 colleges and universities in and around New York City. Because of the new Guides’ wonderful enthusiasm and lively participation, the training was a great success.

The training began with a broad overview of the education system in New York City, and in the United States more generally. Asma, Global Classroom Intern, explained the importance of NYC public school students receiving a global education. Then, the Global Guides listened to an in-depth explanation of how to create their own workshop for different grade levels and some tools and tips to keep a workshop interactive.

After lunch, two veteran Global Guides transformed the training space into a classroom, and led two example workshops for the new Guides to observe. Playing the part of middle and high school students, the new Guides simulated a realistic classroom atmosphere, complete with giggling, many questions, and even some sarcastic answers.

The first workshop was led by Nachi Udupa, a former Global Classroom Intern and student at Teachers College from India, focused on modern concepts of terrorism and the role of non-violent action for achieving peace.. Nachi also discussed globalization and invoked the messages of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. Next, Stella Chan, a Chinese Global Guide, presented a workshop about Mao and Revolutionary Art. She showed the new Guides how to make a workshop interactive by having them participate in some groupwork. This activity got them thinking creatively, as they designed and presented their own advertisements or propaganda posters!

During a final brainstorming session, the new Global Guides had the chance to share their opinions about these two workshops and gave a constructive feedback to our two presenters. A group picture brought our amazing day to a close!

To our new Global Guides, your enthusiasm and passion is contagious—this is going to be a great year for Global Classroom and we are very excited to see you all in the classroom soon!

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!

Senegalese Drumming and Dancing at P.S. 19 on Staten Island

On Friday February 27th, 4th and 5th grade students in the YMCA after school program at P.S. 19 on Staten Island enjoyed a fun afternoon of Senegalese drumming and dancing. Global Guide Papa Faty presented a workshop on Senegalese arts and crafts and featured a drum and dance lesson as well. Papa began by discussing what arts and crafts means to the students. They talked about what they enjoy drawing and painting such as animals, people and sports. Papa then explained how people in Senegal have approached similar topics in their arts and crafts.

Papa showed several Senegalese paintings depicting scenes of the traditional activities of everyday life such as classrooms, group prayers at mosques and the national sport of wrestling. He also talked about popular craftworks in Senegal such as drum-building. He explained how people hollow out pieces of ebony wood and stretch leather over the top, fastening it with ropes to create a drum. Papa had such a djembe drum with him and showed the students what the final product looks like. He demonstrated the different methods of hitting the drum in order to achieve varying sounds and let the students try it out for themselves.

Papa explained how historically, people used the djembe as a means of communication. People were able to make announcements and transmit messages using different rhythms on the drum. Today, its primary use is as an integral part of Senegal’s national music, known as “mbalakh”.

The highlight of the workshop was when Papa organized a dance circle and showed everyone a Senegalese dance. Meanwhile the students passed around the djembe, trying to play the rhythms Papa had shown them. Afterwards it was the students’ turn to dance, and as Papa provided the music on the drum, they did their best to recreate the dance. The dance circle was a big hit and students had a great time trying the Senegalese drumming and dancing. Overall, Papa’s presentation was exciting, interactive and it gave the students firsthand experience with Senegalese traditions.

Spring 2009 Global Guide Training

Congratulations to all our new Global Guides who completed the Spring 2009 Global Guide Training!

Global Classroom held its Spring 2009 Global Guide Training on Saturday February 7th at the Educational Housing Services’ Upper East Side residence. About 40 students and scholars from almost 30 different countries attended the event, hailing from 13 different institutions in and around New York City. It was inspiring to see their enthusiasm and motivation to become part of Global Classroom as new Global Guides.

After introductions, Lauren gave everyone an overview of Global Classroom’s work and explained how we design and coordinate the workshops in schools. She discussed Global Classroom’s mission to provide public school students from grades K-12 with the opportunity to meet and interact with people from other parts of the world. Through Global Classroom workshops, New York City students gain exposure to other cultures, ideas, and peoples they may not otherwise be able to experience first-hand.

Next, GC intern Ted introduced students to the education system in the United States, describing its organization and the topics students cover at different grade levels. Ted also covered the education system here in New York City, including its after-school programs.

Liza then reviewed classroom management strategies and how to create an effective workshop. She talked about how New York City classrooms may be different from ones they are accustomed to in their respective home countries. She also explained some tactics Global Guides can use while preparing and holding their workshops in order to connect with students and keep them interested.

After lunch, trainees had the opportunity to experience two Global Classroom workshops first-hand, as two of our veteran Global Guides presented their own workshops. First, Ivory Nunez of the Dominican Republic presented on Palos drumming. Ivory described the cultural influences that exist in the Dominican Republic and influence its music. He explained the role that Palo drums play in the Dominican Republic and gave everyone an interactive demonstration of what the drum looks and sounds like.

Next, Nachi Udupa of India gave his presentation on the use of non-violence resistance to create positive social change. Nachi briefly explained India’s history and talked about authority and the role of power in conflict. Using India as an example, he explained the use of non-violence in resistance to oppression and aggression. Nachi also addressed terrorism, putting it in the context of globalization and posing the question of how it differs from other forms of violence and conflict. Finishing his workshop Nachi prompted a discussion of if and how non-violence can be used to combat terrorism in today’s world.

Trainees took on the roles of school students during the two workshops, and later engaged in a discussion of what they found most effective and useful in each. In groups, they then brainstormed ideas for hypothetical workshops of their own using tips from Liza and what they saw from Ivory and Nachi’s workshops.

Again, we would like to express our gratitude to Ivory and Nachi for their very constructive help during the session!

To our new Global Guides, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and participation, we really appreciate it! We are looking forward to another successful Global Classroom semester!

The Global Classroom Staff

Non-Violent Revolution Workshop at ACORN School for Social Justice

On Friday January 9th, One to World visited the ACORN School for Social Justice in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Global Guide Shushanik Khachaturian, a Media Studies student presented to two classes of 10th graders on “The Color Revolutions of Eastern Europe”. The presentation was the third in a series of Global Classroom workshops on non-violence recently held at ACORN. Shushanik’s presentation focused on the non-violent, political revolutions in Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and reinforced what students had been learning about peaceful protest as well as the Soviet Union.




A native of the Ukraine, Shushanik began by explaining the political and geographical makeup of the Soviet Union as well as its ideological tenets, also focusing on how the central government indoctrinated young people with the communist ideology through the use of education and youth organizations. As she explained, when countries such as the Ukraine and Armenia gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union, they did not necessarily become democratic right away. Shushanik explained how peaceful demonstrations in these countries protested against alleged voter fraud, demanding recounts and fair elections. Students were prompted to imagine Americans’ reactions if something similar were to happen in this country. Would Americans take to the streets en masse if they suspected election fraud??





Shushanik also stressed the importance of colors to the different revolutions such as the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, the attempted Apricot Revolution in Armenia, and the Rose Revolution in Georgia. These colors and images served as unifying images for people who were supporting democratic reforms. Students had recently covered non-violence in another workshop and they were able to infer some necessary components of a peaceful revolution such as a unifying visible color or icon and a clear motive with all supporters committed to non-violence. Additionally, the presentation added more depth to students’ perceptions of Communism and the Soviet Union by delving further into the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse in specific countries.




To find more information on revolutions in post-Soviet Eastern Europe:

Ukrainian Orange Revolution: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4061253.stm

Georgian Rose Revolution: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4532539.stm

Kyrgyz Tulip Revolution:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/kyrgyzstan/1486447/Kyrgyzstan-president-flees-Tulip-Revolution.html