Global Classmates Plus

What is Global Classmates Plus?

Thanks to funding from the Mitsubishi Memorial Foundation for Educational Excellence, Global Classmates Plus (GCP) was first implemented in 2021. GCP is an enhanced version of Global Classmates that is available to select Global Classmates school pairs. For GCP, students go one step beyond introducing each other’s culture by researching common social issues, exchanging information and opinions, and developing solutions. In addition to the language skills and cross-cultural understanding fostered in the regular version of Global Classmates, the program aims to improve critical thinking skills, enable students to understand diverse perspectives, build their interest in, and willingness to contribute to, issues facing the international community, and develop their ability to work with others from different cultures.

Despite the undeniable learning benefits of online international exchange, integration of such programs into high school education worldwide has been gradual. At Kizuna Across Cultures (KAC), we are constantly considering ways to further enhance Global Classmates, a pioneering example of online international collaborative learning for high school students, with the belief that the continued evolution of Global Classmates will strengthen overall online exchange at the high school level. GCP is the result of this pursuit.

How it works

The first half of the program is similar to the regular Global Classmates, with students communicating about familiar topics such as daily life and culture as a warm-up. Then, during the second half of the program, the pairs work on GCP curriculum which involves multiple lessons dedicated to research and exchange on a single social issue.

GCP Curriculum

The most recent GCP curriculum is designed around two themes: 1) food problems and 2) diversity and inclusion.

Food Problems

Classes that select the food problems topic research food-related issues and initiatives in their state, prefecture, or city/town, as well as in their school. After working with their classmates to learn about the topic and form their own analysis of the issue, they then shared their findings and engaged in discussion with students at their partner school.

Diversity and Inclusion

Classes that selected the diversity and inclusion theme start by learning key terminology, considering how inclusive their favorite places around them are and suggesting what would make them more inclusive. Next, students deepen their understanding of how non-inclusive situations can manifest based on each other’s lived experiences. Finally, the students shared what actions they would like to take in the future to improve society as a whole.

The GCP Advantage

Testimonials

- Student from Wakasa High School (Fukui Prefecture)
  
  After watching the other school's presentation on food issues, I realized that the current status of food problems and government measures to deal with them are very different between Japan and the U.S., and that different countries approach the same problem in different ways. I also realized that I should learn about other countries because food problems affect not only my own country but also other countries. I was able to take in various viewpoints and learned the importance of viewing things from multiple perspectives. I was able to understand that different cultures have different ways of thinking, saying and doing things, and that what is normal for me is not normal for others.
- Student from Osaka Business Frontier High School (Osaka Metropolitan Area)
  
  During the lesson on Equity, when the rate of male employees taking childcare leave came up, I learned that problems such as power harassment occur in the U.S. just as they do in Japan. It made me wonder why similar problems occur even if the cultures are different. Although it was a challenge to discuss diversity and other issues together, I am satisfied with the experience of being able to share the joy of solving problems, reaching consensus across cultures, and hearing about real local information and problems from our exchange partners.
- Student from International School of Beaverton (Oregon State)
  
  Since I live in the US, this project has helped me realize that the problems and solutions observed in other countries can be observed here as well. Therefore, countries can either work together or try to implement similar solutions to problems that they share. I believe that working together to overcome problems is the quickest way to resolve problems or to create working and effective solutions.
- Student from Roswell High School (Georgia State)
  
  This project definitely opened my eyes and put into perspective how bad the food waste problem is, especially in America. Some of the memorable solutions we found were the Japanese soup train and the cheese cave. I think that as a whole (globally) we should all work together to solve these types of issues.

- Miyazaki Commercial High SchoolYasuyo Osako Sensei
  
  The students were able to learn things that they would never experience themselves by reading comments related to inclusion from partner classmates. I feel that they understood what the students around them were thinking for the first time and began to care for and talk to each other with more empathy. In addition, it used to take hours to write English sentences and make a video in the beginning of the program but by the end, most of the students were able to make the farewell video within one hour. We also had three live video exchanges and there were fewer and fewer silences and I was moved to see how the students tried their best to express themselves by just bouncing words off each other during the discussion.
- Roswell High School (Georgia)Seiko Onuki Sensei
  
  By taking on a big challenging topic, the students were able to feel that they are global citizens. I believe that the students developed such self-awareness and critical thinking as they discovered problems around them, conducted research, and exchanged opinions and ideas for solutions with students from the partner school. It was a difficult task, but I think they gained a sense of accomplishment and confidence. In the usual Global Classmates topics, students tend to focus on the differences in each other's lives, but in this year's GCP topic "Food Problems," I think many students realized that although they are from different countries, they are facing the same problems. I think that the discovery of solutions unique to each country and the exchange of opinions broadened their perspectives.