Soh Bee-Lay and Soon Yee-Ping did a study in 1991 on a group of students from different parts of the world and introduced them to a “global classroom”. These groups, one from Quebec and one from Singapore, used fax machines, word processors, computers and email to communicate back and forth while reading books chosen by the two different schools. At first the students communicated through email and had a chance to get to know each other, for example, their hobbies, interests, favorite movies, etc. The studies showed that soon the students began to talk about their own perceptions of issues surrounding their own culture or worldly issues such as pollution, the ozone, etc.
While the students interacted for a trial period of three months, the teachers sought to then combine the two school’s curriculum. Two literature texts were selected, (one by each school) in hopes that by integrating these two stories it would help bridge the classrooms together in hoped of uniting two completely different cultures to student’s personal experiences and backgrounds, while also utilizing the computers to interactively learn. The students from Singapore chose “Little Ironies” by Catherine Lim, and the students from Quebec chose a story titled Luke Baldwin’s Vow by Morley Callaghan. These stories were chosen because they raised “the universal questions that cultures all over the world explore in their folklore and literature- the moral and social issues about the significant differences that exist between one part of the world and another” (288). The students first read each of the selections, and there would be discussions within the schools. Using different types of software the students selected formats that helped them express their own reactions to the texts. They formulated assignments for the other students and sent them by email. When the other students received the information they lead discussions and circulated the information back and forth.
Although this article is from 20 years ago, it was and still is an inspired plan for students. It is amazing, (and it 2010 easier) to take two completely different cultures from around the world and bringing them together though the internet and other technology. It is infinitely easier for students to communicate, whether it is through Facebook, or Skype, blogs, or other communication devices. I really responded to this article and I thought it would be a great and challenging idea to bring to my own classroom. There will be students in every classroom who abhor the thought of reading assignments for homework because sadly not many student love reading the way others do. It is likely very irritating to have students come into class without doing the reading. However most every student knows how to do things on a computer that many couldn’t even believe was possible twenty years ago, and by linking those two things, English and technology, there are many possibilities to get students interested in doing the reading and enjoying writing a paper, or easily finishing their homework instead of dreading English class the next day
So we introduce the internet, with its wide array of communication throughout the world and a solution is conceivable. Now instead of students discussing amongst themselves the themes in a Shakespeare sonnet day in and day out, they could argue with students from Italy, Spain, Japan, France, or anywhere in the world. The article mentioned some examples that the students did, including (which caught my eye) making up plays. Now the students could do the same thing. They could record their own versions of a sonnet, make up actions to go with it, and we would email the video to our “pen pals” and the students from abroad could analyze and discuss what they had seen. We could even have live discussions over Skype with the two schools. The opportunities for this kind of interaction are endless now. The students could co-design blogs, or websites that are devoted to learning different texts depending on the subject, whether it be classic novels, contemporary novels, the sky would be the limit.
The article and I agree when it said that this kind of global classroom would hopefully help students learn to assess their own work and the work of others and help to improve the writing abilities of the students so it is clear and effective to defend their own ideas. Also we would be able to bring two different cultures together and show just how little the differences may be, all in one small classroom.
Article:
Yee-Ping, Soon, and Soh Bee-Lay. "English by E-mail: Creating a Global Classroom via the Medium of Computer Technology." ELT Journal Volume 45/4 Oct. 1991: 287-92.
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