Here, changing the world is not just a slogan. The school advocates that students should not only be college candidates, but also be people who change the rules of the game. Students enter the world and learn about world culture, history, environment and social economy. Through in-depth interaction with different cultures, students can go beyond observation and simple participation and try their best to make changes and make their lives better.
THINK Global School (hereinafter referred to as "THINK School"), an American innovative high school, painted such a learning picture for everyone in its official website. Just like its slogan-"There is no boundary in the classroom, and there is no constraint in learning", the school combines study with travel, and organizes students to go to four countries for immersion study every year during their three-year study in high school. In the academic year of 20 18-20 19, the travel destinations arranged by Sishu include South Africa, India, Japan and Spain.
Thinking about classrooms in global schools
Therefore, this is a school without entity. The way of learning is completely different from traditional education, because its way of attending classes is "playing". Suppose you want to know about the Colosseum in ancient Rome and give you a history textbook to recite the knowledge points, you may be sleepy soon. So the school simply takes you to see the real Colosseum, travels around the world with children, goes on field trips, participates in community activities, and integrates into the local culture. In this way, for every knowledge point, students can see and listen with their own eyes, plus different forms of teaching, students must be impressed.
The reason why this high school is "unconventional" is that its founder Joan McPeak is a maverick. McPike is a photographer. She often travels around the world with her husband and son. She found that children will have endless questions and comments during the trip, which also showed them the benefits of traveling to open the minds of teenagers.
My son has been playing with his parents since he was a child. By the time he was 0/4 years old, his passport had been stamped with stamps from more than 70 countries. But soon, his son was faced with the problem of going to high school. McPeak tried in vain to find a school that can meet his son's needs and has a unique educational concept. Finally, McPeak and her husband simply set up their own school-a school dedicated to world travel, personalized learning and positive change.
Founder Joan McPeak
20 10 September, THINK School started its first semester in Sweden, and * * 15 students from1country came here to study. As the world's first independent non-profit travel high school, THINK School has designed a unique Changemaker course, which is dedicated to cultivating curious, compassionate, knowledgeable and capable global citizens.
A maverick school,
How can there be no self-developed courses?
Howard gardner, a professor of developmental psychology at Harvard University, once said, "I want my children to know the world, not only because it is fascinating, but also because of their curiosity. I hope they can understand it in order to make it a better place. " Obviously, this is also the original intention of THINK School. When constructing the curriculum system, the school found the International Diploma Course (IB) which is quite consistent with its concept.
IB course was formed in 1968, and has always been known for its high quality and high standard of teaching. Its mission is to create a better world through education. IB course listed the requirements of diploma course (DP) in official website, including DP core course and six disciplines.
Among them, the core curriculum includes three elements, namely:
Theoretical knowledge requires students to reflect on what they have learned;
Expanding the thesis, which is an independent research, requires students to complete a 4000-word thesis;
"Creativity, activities and services", students need to complete projects related to these three concepts.
These six subjects are: language and literature study, language study, individual and society, science, mathematics and art.
In 20 12, THINK School was officially certified by IB institution and became a school qualified to teach IB courses. THINK school allows students to study the required courses in IB courses online and offline, and then students have to take the corresponding standardized exams. After offering IB courses for nearly five years, THINK School believes that such standardized examinations still cannot completely break through the rigid structure of traditional education, so they are gradually changing their curriculum system.
Thinking about classroom activities in global schools
Breanna Reynolds, a teacher at THINK School, said that in the future, students will not prove their mastery of knowledge through exams at the end of their studies, but will solve a global problem through a vertex, that is, a speech report or internship, and propose a gradual and sustainable solution. Of course, for students who finally apply for the college entrance examination, the teacher will coach them to take the SAT, ACT or AP exam.
After abolishing the established curriculum, THINK School redesigned its own curriculum-that is, the innovator curriculum. This course is based on interdisciplinary research and project-based learning. When students visit each country, they will design, research and present 2-3 independent academic projects. Innovator course involves the development of three key areas, that is, students master important concepts, become smart global citizens, and be able to implement truly lasting changes.
Killing children's diversity is a crime.