Teaching Children How to Think Internationally

I'm Carolyn Presutti with the VOA Special English Education Report, from voaspecialenglish.com | / voalearningenglish
The International Primary Curriculum is an idea that began in Britain eight years ago. Today this curriculum is taught in more than one thousand primary schools in fifty-eight countries, including the United States.Educator Martin Skelton co-wrote the International Primary Curriculum, or IPC. He says for children to learn and succeed, they need a program that permits them to learn individually. He says the idea with the curriculum is to help today's children become good citizens of the world and twenty-first century leaders. He says most of world problems are going to be solved internationally. No single country is going to solve the environment or terrorism. Mr. Skelton says the curriculum has activities built around the development of "international mindedness" starting from the age of five. The British American School of Los Angeles is one of a few American private schools that teach the International Primary Curriculum. Second grade teacher Alison Kerr says the main goal is to engage children in the learning process. This term, for example, her class is learning about people important in history. She says the children dressed like famous people. They had to research and bring ten written clues and the rest of the class had to guess who the people were.The British School in Boston held a fair for students and parents called Around the World in a Day. Emma Northey, head of primary learning at the school, says fifty-one nationalities were represented. She described one activity designed to teach about similarities among different cultures. She says the children were each given a passport. They knew that they were going around the world in a day. Ms. Northey said: "We told them 'You have to come back with two similarities that you had seen between the different cultures.' Even the three-year-olds came back to me saying 'Gosh, you know everybody writes. Some people write going down. Some people write from left to right, some from right to left.'"Another educator, Kate Foy of the British School in Washington, says the teacher's role is to enable students to discover for themselves. For VOA Special English, I'm Carolyn Presutti. Tell us if you have experience with the International Primary Curriculum and what you think of it. Share your comments at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.
(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 10March2011)

[@joeyboidz]

your sound is clearly and smoothly ....

[@severinoazevedo3716]

The teaching is the most important issue in a society, so any project to improve it is wonderful.

[@sombatsouphakhot1384]

I love this video so much. She speak very clearly. I completly understand all this video.

[@joseantoniot9312]

Is an excellent method to increase the vocabulary and to understand the American culture and the identity.The way to pronounce and express of Carolyn is clear and the rhytm of speak is appropiate to assimilate new expressions and words.

[@pafsilipoclub]

It's a really serious lesson to all of us regardless of the age. However all the videos from that programme are serious and useful. Thank you very much. Cheers form Mitilene.

[@onlineacademy2923]

thank you so much

[@HuyTran-yz9ft]

thanks program very much!!!

[@syedlatif525]

This program is very nice for learning

[@studywithme1144]

I love her voice so can anybody help me to find more video about her

[@MsHoa91]

thank you very much

[@mucdonghn]

The Curricula have been wrote but also there're lot of problems in Content through The Primary to Universities.

[@luisdias00]

Enable students to discover for themselfes is really a right way to teach........

[@NguyenLong-gp6zo]

This is learning English program, and of course is not for English-spoken.
so, is it necessary to speak fast?

[@nguyentham2706]

I learn a lot of word in this lesson

[@asnguen1547]

i learn a lot of words in this lesson

[@mvart4582]

I CAN FIND MANY INTERESTING IN VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH WHICH HELP ME LEARN MORE WORDS

[@truongkynam]

me too

[@attrayantpd]

because many peoples aren't good in english, it's the reason they have to talk so slowly for them.

[@creativityzero9407]

It's ,by all means, very interesting this curriculum method. Though, in my native country, i haven't seen something like that yet. Certainly, it would be better if taught in other countries. It's not a questionable truth that our today's problems will be solved by different nationalities.

[@purobochinche]

The idea its to learn, for example, I m Venezolano and I dont speak english well, if she to speak speed I dont understand...greeting

[@paisanjompetch4237]

Good media

[@sumuduhewamanage4002]

Sri Lanka resolved the LTTE terrorism individually in 2009.

[@thitieppham588]

thanks!:))

[@tithsuo5179]

❣️💕💞💯🥰🌈🎇

[@malysopheak]

I like IPC

[@hamsterdotorg]

WHY DOES SHE TALK SO SLOWLY. it's weird.
SHE'S NOT TALKING TO KIDS RIGHTT??