Holton-Arms School and San Silvestre School
Virtual Journey
Welcome!
We are so excited to be spending the next two weeks with all of you! During our time together, we engage in a deep exploration of our selves, each other, and how our perspectives regarding a global issues are formed. The context of this exploration will be the current pandemic, COVID-19. We will be working together through various activities and discussions to develop an understanding of how institutions in our countries are responding to the pandemic, and how individual citizens can hold these institutions accountable through action. We want to emphasize that the goals of the program are really to examine a global issue through communication, perspective sharing, and collaboration. Our focus is not on the destination, but rather the journey. So with that, we welcome you to this cohort and look forward to our time together!
Global Education Program Goals
Foster an interest in and understanding of diverse perspectives
Cultivate the knowledge and disposition necessary to interact and engage respectfully and effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences
Empower students to leverage their content knowledge to make sense of the world’s interconnectedness and take appropriate action for the promotion of sustainability, social justice, equality, and peace.
Virtual Journey Aims
Students will engage in:
Intercultural communication through peer-to-peer dialogue and engagement.
Perspective-taking, with a focus on how perspectives are shaped by local, national, and global context as well as by identity including class and race.
Exploration of complex global issues through the lens of one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Self-reflection in order to deepen an understanding of self, others, and the opportunity to take individual and collective action for positive change.
Virtual Journey Expectations
To earn credit for the Virtual Junior Journey Holton students must:
be available and engaged in journeys from August 9-20 on weekdays (Monday - Friday) with access to a consistent and reliable internet connection.
adhere to established group norms.
engage actively in all virtual meetings from 9-11 am and afternoon reflection from 4:30-5:30 pm.
actively engage with each other and with partner schools in asynchronous assignments such as posting on discussion boards, researching, watching/recording videos, interviewing, and reflecting through verbal/written assignments.
complete all activities by set deadlines.
work in collaboration with a group to complete peer-reviews and a culminating project from August 18-20.
Culminating Project
In this virtual exchange students will draw on what they have learned about:
UN Sustainable Development Goal 16
COVID-19 global pandemic
the cultural, political, and economic context of their country and their partner country
to complete a collaborative project from August 18-20 that explores one of these three questions.
How do we hold institutions accountable for being accessible, inclusive, and effective for all communities in the context of COVID-19?
What are the responsibilities of the individual in regard to issues of social justice as it relates to Covid-19 in my community?
What is my role as a citizen in understanding and responding to Covid-19?
Students will work in small groups to explore one of the essential questions, choosing from a variety of mediums to express and share their group considerations and perspective on the questions. Students will create some form of presentation that can be shared in a final exhibition for an authentic audience in a virtual space from August 19th-20th.
Program Facilitators
GROUP NORMS
Today, we will outline the program expectations and the overall plan and structure of the days ahead. We will also discuss some of your take-aways and thoughts from the pre-program orientation activities.
GROUP NORMS
Speak from the “I” perspective. Be authentic.
Take responsibility for the impact of your actions and words.
Challenge yourself and others with grace aimed at clarity.
Listen to understand, not to judge.
Disagreement is a learning opportunity.
Lean into discomfort.
Practice your capacity to honor multiple perspectives.
As we remain impassioned, also remain respectful and civil.
The conversation is on-going
READ ABOUT OUR STUDENTS' EXPERIENCE BY VISITING OUR PROGRAM BLOG!
As is typical for our Junior Journeys, we are asking students to blog about their experience. The blog serves several purposes; it allows participants to reflect more deeply and crystallize their own learning, and the posts also present an opportunity to share highlights of our experiences with the Holton community.
Over the 10 day course, we are asking each student to make a minimum of two blog posts. You may make individual post or collaborate and post with a partner.
The students are in charge of this blog and are editors on the Google Site. So please feel free to have fun with the creativity of design and ideas for posts.
The posts can be excerpts from your journals and based off the journal prompts, or you can explore and share other aspects of your learning about India and the United States.