Using Toys to a Create a Global Connection

ABSTRACT

Global connections are an important part of the elementary classroom as they help students develop empathy through interactions while allowing them to apply classroom learning to the outside world. Partnering with a classroom in another country was a goal of Pace because through interactions and sharing of information, she hoped to create curiosity while helping her students build a global mindset in which they see how the concepts they are learning in class can be applied in different settings. Within a given classroom, students come with a variety of experiences they can build upon. For example, in her classroom she has students who have traveled around the US and some who have never left their city. By providing a collaborative experience, all of her students would have the chance to go beyond the four walls of their classroom and experience a new culture. As a teacher, she was excited to exchange ideas and learn from her co-teacher in another country.