On November 27, laughter and cheers echoed virtually between the jubilant classrooms. The smiling faces of students from Zhenjiang Vocational College in China and Jeonmin High School in Korea were filled with joy, surprise, and fascination as they listened and learned from their international partners.
These students, who have spent the last three months communicating asynchronously through IVECA’s Virtual Classroom, finally had the chance to meet in real-time and share their research to a live, enraptured audience at IVECA’s first Fall 2018 Semester Live Class.
Students discussed and presented their research concerning overconsumption in their respective countries and how this local issue is related to the global efforts in reducing overconsumption as illuminated by the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
Although the problems discussed by both classrooms are manifest in unique ways in China and Korea, these intelligent and well-spoken students expressed also the interrelatedness of each issue and the need to find both local and global solutions. Each student left the semester as more self-aware, more understanding, and more capable individuals equipped with the intercultural skills necessary to solve these shared global issues.
Their Live Class concluding all their collaborative work was a tremendous success, with veteran students and teachers from previous years praising it the best Live Class they have ever participated in. One Korean student thanked his international classmates, saying “this was a very meaningful experience for me and my high school life … I could feel impressed deeply thanks to you.” Zhenjian Principal shared his hope that in fact was demonstrated through this Live Class:
“It is hoped that as teachers and students communicate and learn from each other, they make progress together and benefit the world.”