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
