This past spring, Level Up Village was pleased to play a role in Greenwich High School’s Diversity Week events, which centered on the themes of Student Empowerment and Student Voices. The first event was a panel discussion on the topic Global Disruption to Education: Student… Read More »Amplifying Student Voices in Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and the U.S.
Our team in Kenya is happy to announce that classes are back in session in rural Kenya!
Level Up Village (LUV) has been partnering with Kenya Connect since 2015 to facilitate collaboration and connection between students in different countries. Kenya Connect is committed to providing local students with educational resources, including a Learning Resource Center (LRC) equipped with computers. The organization has been an outstanding partner to LUV, running hundreds of courses with us over the past few years.
Who wants to talk about funny memes related to toilet paper shortages?
Or compare how much time they spend on TikTok or playing Among Us? Or complain about trying to play sports while wearing a mask? Hundreds of middle school students from Colegio Champal in Villahermosa, Mexico, as well as the Tynwald School in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Scarsdale Middle School in Scarsdale, New York, had an amazing experience this month talking about all those things and more on LUV’s Global Disruption Live Meetup!
Who said we couldn’t travel during the pandemic?!
This past November, 49 classrooms representing over 500 preK-2nd grade students in the U.S. climbed aboard a Zoom webinar for a Level Up Village Virtual Field Trip to Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. Hosted by local teachers and students in each county, our friends in Africa showed us the activities they love to do, the games they like to play, their markets, neighborhoods, and schools.
Read More »Globalizing the Classroom with LUV: A Journey Through Africa
For the past five years, I’ve looked for ways to enrich my experience as a Math teacher at Dr. Pillai Global Academy (DPGA) in Mumbai, India. DPGA prides itself on being a “maximum opportunity” learning environment school, designed to impart education that empowers children to pursue a globally challenging career. The focus is on activity-oriented teaching and beyond-the-classroom methods. That’s why Level Up Village was perfect for us.
Relationships and shared personal connections are a huge part of making learning fun, real and something that we remember long after a school year has ended. They are also great for developing empathy, broadening the mind to the experiences of others and cultivating a global mindset. The challenge for schools developing in countries like China is: How can we help students cultivate this global mindset and experience when nearly all of their classmates are from the same country and culture? Bringing teachers from around the world can go long way, but there’s something extra special about kids being able to connect with other kids and share with someone from a far-away land on their own level.
Level Up Village is taking the idea of the pen pal to the next level.
Its mission, “to globalize the classroom and facilitate seamless collaboration between students from around the world via pioneering Global STEAM enrichment courses,” came to life in our Lower and Middle School divisions this year, as students in PreK, third grade, and eighth grade made connections across continents. Through videos, email, and virtual chatting, Level Up Village participants create a global classroom that utilizes technology to connect students around the globe in collaborative projects.
A pioneering provider of Global STEAM (STEM + arts) enrichment courses, Level Up Village (LUV) , was selected as one of the winners for the EdTech Digest Awards Program in the 21st Century Skills category. The program recognizes people in and around education for outstanding contributions in transforming education through technology.
By Susan Fushikoshi, Punahou Schoool, Honolulu, Hawaii
“Clean water- it’s so precious! It’s our basic Need. Where does it come from? What can we do to keep it clean? Do we have water problems in Hawaii? How can I help someone who also has problems with their water?” Punahou 2nd graders in Honolulu, Hawaii started this inquiry about water and discovered the world!
By Margo Tintle, Holton-Arms School
“Hi, my name is Alice; I am from Ghana.” The sweet, soft voice of our first global partner video appeared on the big screen in our classroom. Shivers went down my spine as cheers erupted from my girls. Suddenly, the project became real. After weeks of preparing, thinking about it and discussing it, we finally had contact. For me, it was as exciting as seeing the Apollo landing as a very young toddler…suddenly, the whole world expanded and grew closer at the same moment.