Pupils from schools in more than 30 countries will take part in the first 24-hour global online lesson on Tuesday (20 October) to launch a unique programme that aims to offer students a chance to develop a greater understanding of world issues.
At least 80 schools from around the world will take part in the 24-hour global lesson to launch the new Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives course, including classes from the UK, the USA, New Zealand, Peru, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Canada, Spain, Norway, France, Jordan, China, Cambodia, Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and the UAE.
When school starts, students will log on to a special website and join debates with other students from around the world on discussion boards, post news articles and photos on issues affecting their country, and design a T-shirt for Global Perspectives Day. The lesson will then continue in the next country to come online in a 24-hour relay.
Students in more than 10 schools across India will participate in Global Perspectives Day. They include AMITY Global Schools in Gurgaon and Pushp Vihar; DPS International, Saket New Delhi; Vidya Sanskar International School, Faridabad; and KiiT International School, Bhubaneswar. Ian Chambers, CIE Regional Manager South Asia, said: ‘Global Perspectives Day offers students in India a chance to work alongside Cambridge students in other parts of the world. This new IGCSE really stimulates students, because it encourages them to think outside of their own experiences and play an active role in the classroom.’
Columba College in Dunedin, New Zealand will kick off the day. The lesson will end at Churchill College, Col. San Pablo Tepetlapa, Mexico, at about 11pm GMT.
A special e-newspaper containing the articles published by students will commemorate the day and the class that creates the winning T-shirt design will have their shirt made.
Students and teachers can choose five global topics to explore from 16 key themes including Belief Systems, Disease and Health, Trade and Aid, Tradition, Culture and Language, Climate Change, Conflict and Peace, and Water.
Kevin Stannard, CIE Director, International Curriculum Development, said: “It is a fantastic opportunity to connect with students around the world in a way that has never been done by an assessment board.
“Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives students will develop a greater understanding of the world around them and be encouraged to share and compare experiences, observations, ideas and feelings on a wide range of topics.
“They develop skills of enquiry, collaboration, reflection, evaluation and problem solving, and apply them to real-world issues.”
About Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives
The new Cambridge IGCSE is a ground-breaking course developed by University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). Students research issues from personal, local and global perspectives and evaluate possible courses of action. It helps them develop skills of enquiry, collaboration, evaluation and problem solving, and apply them to real-world themes.
Global Perspectives is cross-curricular, stretching across traditional subject boundaries. It taps into the way today's students enjoy learning - including group work, seminars, projects, and working with other students around the world.
Through the course students will learn how to do both independent study and collaborative project work, and demonstrate research into at least five global issues. The emphasis is on demonstrating thinking on a topic, encouraging students to begin the type of study that is required at university or within a project in the workplace.
There is freedom for teachers and students to develop the content themselves with suggestions from Cambridge. Study aids can include newspapers, TV programmes, film, guest speakers and NGO websites, making the course exciting, varied and using the instant and timely resources that are available on the internet in this age of 24/7 news. Students are assessed for Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives on a portfolio of individual work, a group project and a written paper.
Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives is now available for teaching, following a two-year pilot programme.
About CIE
University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) is the world’s largest provider of international qualifications for 14-19 year olds. CIE offers a broad range of qualifications created for an international audience, including Cambridge IGCSE and International A/AS Level. CIE qualifications are globally recognised and taken in over 150 countries, with hundreds of registered Cambridge International Centres in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Cambridge International AS/A Levels are accepted by all UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and the London School of Economics, and leading US universities, including Harvard, Princeton and Yale.
CIE is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group, a non-teaching, not-for-profit organisation and part of the University of Cambridge.
Learn more! www.cie.org.uk
