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Fostering International Mindedness in Learning Support - The Pen Pal Project

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Fostering International Mindedness in Learning Support - The Pen Pal Project

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5th Grade IB ‘Pen Pal’ Project Plan -Vanita Telgote

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I would like to implement two strategies at my school. One would be considered “new” and the other “improved”.

“New”-            I would like to partner with an International School. This would allow us to build friendships, do projects, interact, and learn together. One project I want to implement is the “Math workbook”. With this the students created various math problems, make a book, and send it to the Partner Class for them to solve. In return the partner class would do the same. This allowed the students the opportunity to see and compare the different techniques. This interaction is authentic and applies the real-life application perspective.

“Improved”     I would like to incorporate “Language Day.” Currently, I keep a running list of common phrases in three languages (English, Spanish, and Mandarin). The improvement would include me adding song and dance and showcasing it on a particular day. There will be various displays of cultures with their food, language, dress, books, instruments, etc.

To incorporate these strategies, I would have to work with my department, team, parents, and students. Strategically working together can help build a community of trust, growth, accessibility, and knowledge.

I would create short term snippets/goals, that lead up to the long-term goal.

The objective is to ensure that the experience is student-driven, student-centered, and fun. If the students can elaborate on their learning after the event, I would deem it a success. However, analyzation would take place in preparation for next year. Hopefully it will be even better.

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Implementing International-Mindedness in My Math Classes.

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Implementing International-Mindedness in My Math Classes.

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Implementing International-Mindedness in My Math Classes.

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After reviewing several strategies suggested to Toni to encourage international-mindedness in her school, I based this strategic plan on the suggestions that stood out to me and on strategies I will also begin implementing in my classroom.

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Embedding International Mindedness - classroom ideas

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Embedding International Mindedness - classroom ideas

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Embedding International-Mindedness in My English Classes

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Embedding International-Mindedness in My English Classes

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How to Implement International Mindedness within my Classroom

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How to Implement International Mindedness within my Classroom

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Implementing international mindedness in my class

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Implementing international mindedness in my class

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Strategies to help Toni to encourage international-mindedness in her school.

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Strategies to help Toni to encourage international-mindedness in her school.

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I can really relate to your situation – it can be challenging to broaden students' perspectives when they're in a less diverse setting. I just completed a UOI on Migration, the central idea was Migration can be a response to challenges and opportunities. The children explored the following Lines of Inquiry :

Reasons people migrate (Form)

How things change when people migrate (Change)

Rights and responsibilities when people migrate (Causation)

This UOI was a way for everyone to feel celebrated and included. For the students in the class who had not migrated, they were encouraged to look at their family tree and explore any migration that had happened in the past. This really interested the children.

It may be an idea to organise virtual exchanges with classes from other countries. Get in touch with another school and ask if they would be interested in meeting via Zoom or becoming pen pals.
I have worked in many schools abroad and I loved the idea of setting up pen pal relations with other schools abroad. I worked in Italy and organised that the students would communicate with my students from my previous school. It really opened their minds to meeting people with different perspectives.

Even just hearing from peers in different parts of the world can spark curiousity. You could also introduce literature or media from different cultures, perhaps exploring stories that highlight global issues or different ways of life. Integrating current international events into your lessons is another way to encourage students to consider perspectives outside their own. I’d also suggest giving students opportunities for cultural immersion projects, where they research a country or region, its traditions, and its social issues, and share what they’ve learned with the class. Finally, creating a safe space for discussions – whether through structured debates or reflective journaling – could help students build confidence in expressing their own ideas while considering others. It’s all about slowly opening their minds to the world beyond their community, and they might surprise you with how much they’re willing to engage!

You could use exit tickets with clear guided questioning to help the children self assess and see if the UOI was effective. You could also ask the children what could they do to continue this learning to make it life long, what could they do by themselves to help them with this topic?