IEARN LOCAL HISTORY
PROJECT AS A TOOL TO
DEVELOP THE 21ST
CENTURY SKILLS AND
ENHANCE CROSS
CULTURAL DIALOGUE
Nice to meet you
Rimma Zhukova – English teacher, Russia , IEARN Local History project
facilitator
Patty Wu – Computer software teacher, Taiwan , IEARN Local History project
member for 3 years
Hiba Kheirbeik– youth worker, Syria , IEARN Syria local history
project facilitator
LOCAL HISTORY-
it’s a history of the
place where we live
Family heritage
School
Local
communities
Famous sites of
local communities
Famous people Neighbourhood
Quotes
- If you want to understand today, you
have to search yesterday. - Pearl Buck
- If we forget our history, we lose the tight
contact with ancient roots.- Tomas
Jefferson
- The challenge of history is to recover the
past and introduce it to the present. -
David Thelen
The Local History Project is a teacher-
directed collaborative students project in
which students research the history of their
communities in social and cultural aspects
and share their findings with their global
peers.
The goal of the project
- To teach the students to care about the place they
live, appreciate historical and cultural environment,
to care and respect older generations, to understand
and appreciate a historical heritage of the past and the
present.
- To enhance awareness of the significance of local
history to students’ present lives.
- To develop research skills.
- To form and develop academic skills, thinking,
reasoning, teamwork skills and to enhance cross
cultural dialogue.
- To form and develop key foreign language
competences and skills.
- To develop ICT skills
The Local History Project
Timetable : September – June,15
Age/level of project participants: 7-18
Project/classroom activities: e-mail exchange; forum discussion; snail mail; diaries and essay writing, drawing pictures and collecting photos; videoconferences via Skype.
Outcomes/products: creating school sites; publishing booklets; making PowerPoint presentations , blogs and videos.
Project language(s): English, Russian
IEARN Local History project activities
1. Help to develop and enhance
foreign language competencies and
proficiency.
2. Help to develop 21st century
knowledge and skills.
3. Help to enhance global
awareness and cross cultural
dialogue.
4. Are important tools to keep
students motivated and interested in
learning core subjects .
5. Are important tools to teach
students to be understanding and
tolerant to their global peers.
.
• USA
• Taiwan
• Romania
• Syria
• Iran
• Tajikistan
• Belarus
• Surinam
• Nepal
Local History Project participants
• Pakistan
• Korea
• Ukraine
• Canada
• Uzbekistan
• Japan
• Azerbaijan
Local History in Deguang, Taiwan
Patty Wu (Tainan city)
computer software teacher
From 2011-2013
2011 (1) I co-work with a history teacher.
(2) method:web quest
(2)Students report to Rimma
(Facilitator) by skype meeting with e-
book
2012 Report to Facilitator with e-books
Skype and report to Rimma
What did the history teacher do?
• Students were divided to Team work
• Cooperate with my history teacher. She helped me
three things
– 1. Divided students to 9 group
– 2. Help students to find a topic about their life
and in the history textbook
– 3. Help to make sure that students’ group topic
are different
– 4. Make sure every member in the group have
his/her own branch topic
– 5. Give me back the plan of every group
Students’ group topic (11 Groups)
• We have 11 title about Taiwan's culture.
1. Expolrations of multiculturalism
2. The main religions in Taiwan
3. Confucianism
4. The influence of various cultures on Taiwan
5. The evolution of the examination system
6. Bopomofo and Chinese characters
7. Our nation father, flag, civil war
8. The political difference between Taiwan and
Russia (or Japan)
9. Architecture by different culture in Taiwan
10. Buddhism in China
11. New culture and new trend of though-new
culture movement
Make a e-book of every group
• Collect all members ppt image.
• Every student gave two-four slides.
• ICT tools : Zipot ebook software
Report to Facilitator Link 1m20s ebook ebook
2012 Exchange penpal with Japan
Group penpal communicate with pdf letter
and Skype meeting
Exchange introduction of group, school, city
between Mr. Haruo (Kyoto, Japan)
2012 Exchange penpal with Japan
2012 Exchange introduction of group, school,
city between Mr. Haruo (Kyoto, Japan) and
Patty (Tainan ,Taiwan) . Skype to each
other. There are 8 groups matched to each
other.
After 3-4 letters reply, we skype to each other
• From Japan
From Taiwan
From Taiwan
Video of skype between Japan and Taiwan
87% students love to communicate to foreign
students
81% students will take care what they express
62% students feel excited to communicate
with foreign students
75% students want to join in iEARN agian
Local History Project in Syria
The Syrian experience in local history project was
three projects:
From Lattakia with Love: a project that aims
to shed the light to different historical locations
in the city of Lattakia
Ugarit: a research made by students about the
ancient city of Ugarit the cradle of alphabet
Syrian Mythology: a research in the Syrian
Mythology and culture
Local history project help the Syrian Youth :
- To open their eyes widely to the history of
their country and introduced them to other
cultures.
- To enhance over culture dialogue.
- To develop researching skills.
- To develop their English language skills.
- To develop 21st century and ICT skills.
Local history project as a tool to enhance 21st
century skills
Creativity and critical
thinking
Collaboration and
communication
Local history project as a tool to build active
global citizens
Entrepreneurs innovators
Collaborative projects The positive change we want to see
Learning with the world…
Project website: http://collaborate.iearn.org/space-2/group-104
Rimma Zhukova : [email protected]
collaborate.iearn.org