Know My World

  

  Dear teachers, we need our children to chat with their peers from other countries, exchange information, get to know our common world and solve the problems of the world hand in hand regardless of the course you are teaching. I invite you to contact Know My World organisation, too. Let's not forget. We only have one world.

  Think of an education center, which was founded by about 15 teachers and administrators. It is Know My World, click it here or copy ( https://knowmyworld.org )

 

  They match the teachers and students in the world with teachers and students in another country to discuss the global and common issues through digital education platforms to spread cultural awareness through social-emotional learning. They are coaching and mentoring in both countries.

 

  I met this organisation six years ago. I met Alicia Rescingo from Edmodo. By the way, Edmodo is a great educational site, click it here. (Many thanks to Mr Nic Borg, Mrs Crystal Hutter, and Mr. Jeff O'HaraCystal. ) We talked via Skype. However, in those years, the classes I was teaching, and the technological facilities were weak and limited. In 2018, the school administration asked to open clubs in foreign languages. Different clubs were opened. I wanted to open a different club and my students to exchange both educational and cultural information with students from other countries. Alica and her organisation came to my mind. I made my application, and it was accepted. I have pursued a program with the joint decision of two different countries for 6-8 weeks. I believe that my work with two countries has been beneficial both for me and the teachers and students on the other side. In fact, the teachers and their development are essential here. I focused on my club students and worked on their personal and group activities and cultural development. The selected teachers in this program are asked to evaluate themselves on five topics of beginner and advanced level at the end of the program. These are co-constructed planning, time management, cultural understanding, technology, and extraction of learning.

 

  Dear teachers, if you want to cooperate with this international organisation, Know My World, I would like to share my suggestions as 13 items.

 

1. If you miss a program, you will be able to apply again on the internet after 4-5 months as the programs will be performed 2-3 times a year.

2. You fill out a form and submit a video of maximum 3 minutes. (In the video, you, your school and your students will talk)

3. Your application will be evaluated, and you are accepted by e-mail most of the time. If you answer 'yes' to this e-mail, you will be deemed to have accepted the program.

4. You will receive another e-mail a few days after your confirmation. They will send you a question and answer form, trying to identify issues that you might find difficult in achieving your goals, wishes, and desires to get to know you better and to match you with the teachers from another country. This form is filled out and sent via Google.

5. After the survey form, they sometimes want you to fill out a form to learn about your school administration, your human relations, and community behaviours. (I think this is very useful. Because they are trying to find the right teacher for you by analysing your working behaviours with your colleagues at lower and upper levels.)

6. Big day, your coordinator wants you to write the days you are available, and he/she talks to you through a visual communication tool such as SKYPE. Please ask whatever you want to know during this call. In this video call, you will learn which country you will match with.

7. The coordinator sets out a meeting day with your matching teacher according to the common days of you and your teacher. You meet your teacher, with whom you will work for 7-8 weeks, under control of your coordinator. Your coordinator takes various notes while chatting on the program. He/she asks common questions to you. I would recommend you to speak clearly and openly about all the things, including official holidays in your city or country. I recommend that you use EDMODO (click it here)in the training activities you will do with the matching school. At the end of the chat, what you will do in 7-8 weeks is determined. On that day or the day after, your coordinator will send you an e-mail.

During that week, you will receive an e-mail requesting you to evaluate yourself and this exchange program at the end of this program using 500-600 words. 

8. The program progresses week by week. You may receive e-mails from your coordinator in order to complete the application or to complete your deficiencies. 

9. On 4th or 5th week, you can have a live video conference (in the middle of the program). (I strictly recommend this; the children get clearer information, it is very simple because they have had the opportunity to chat with people who they have been communicating with for weeks. In the coming weeks, they become more willing to work.)

10. When you get close to the last weeks of the program, your coordinator directs you to do a survey to fill in the students from you and the other teacher.

11. Your children and the school and teacher they work with will have a final video conference at the time of admission.

12. After the children, two teachers will be asked to fill in a questionnaire to check and answer their questions.

13. After submitting your own questionnaire responses and 500-600 words, they send you your participation certificate by e-mail. I'd like to congratulate all of you already.

 My school is in Ankara, the capital of my country. My school, Nesibe Aydın (click here please) is one of the few schools in which I have worked with very successful teachers. They really strive to provide their students with a very good education. It is a school which prepares students to both LGS, High School Transition Exam, and the Higher Education Institutions exam.

 

  At the beginning of the 2018-2019 educational term, I wanted to establish a club consisting of the name of this organisation, because I was very impressed by Know My World study programs. A total of 32 students from the 8th grade were admitted to the club. Although my club was not a sports club, the students enrolled in my club from the portal. Typically, sports clubs receive this many applications.

 

  I put the United Nations' sustainable development goals at the head of my club's activities. I let each of my students examine these targets. We have learned about the problems of the world, discussed the ways of solution. In fact, we have learned about the sustainable goals of the United Nations on Know My World's website. (here is the site) In the meantime, I have divided my students into two clubs to draw logos and pennants. 2 pennants came out with the participation of my club students. We have decided to use both of our banners with the majority of votes. Then we immediately decided to set up our club's website. (click it here please) I have delivered the web page of my club to two students who are willing and experienced in this field. Every other student added information and pictures to our web page.

  In short, almost every student took a task. I had contacts with Tema Vakfı, Tübitak, and Kuzey Doğa Association (click it here) and I organised training meetings for our club. Kuzey Doğa Association informed about Turkey's vegetation and wild animals. It was beneficial for us to know our country and get information from live sources. We did our first eight weeks of training with Algeria in correspondence with Edmodo. I divided the students into seven groups among themselves. The students of the science branch tried to search for standard solutions for sustainable energy by making models of magnificent waste materials and sharing their projects with the students of the country.

 

  The second country was Vermont from the US. (Click it here please) The students chatted with each other about the movie characters in the joint movie, after being introduced, illustrated and introduced with the video. Then they shared local news from their city and made written comments. At the end of the seventh week, the students had a pleasant 45-minute conversation.

 

   I've become a teacher who often preferred to look at the glass side. Every week, I worked at my club for 2 hours with 32 students, and I tried to continue with 28 hours of a school program. If this task is given to me again, I would prefer to stay with only one class. I have understood that I should have 21 students instead of 32, 12 hours per week instead of 2-hour intensive club activity. For advanced courses, one should definitely choose one of the United Nations sustainable goals, and I think some of our textbooks can be shared across schools. Because children should be able to discuss the local, national or international issues they have learned during that week/weeks with the children of the other country. They can discuss the books they read in our own curriculum. Therefore, many common issues will be shared. When there are changes in joint planning, teachers should seek solutions among themselves and enrich the joint program instead of the coordinator. 

 

  I am grateful to Mrs Arıkan, the head of the department for her support to me while continuing my club activities. Again, I would like to extend my appreciation to Know My World's valued staff, Mrs Rescigno, Mrs Stefani and Mr Haskell. In a new year of education, I would like to promise to work better and once again I would like to match with another country. 

Wish you luck

Erkin YILDIRIM