International Culture Education

This semester I start teaching third grade international Culture Education(ICE). Totally clues.


For one, I know very little where they are cognitively. Every year, the maturity of kids seem differ in some way. It’s easy to chat with them about daily routines, friends and school work. But how to really extend their knowing to a bigger context without having the sense of delivering bookish knowledge. It’s hard.


Secondly, I have completely no idea what are the big ideas behind the stories or texts I prepared for the kids at this point. It feels that we are just chitchatting in the class about recent news. But where am I taking them? Or do I even need to take them anywhere? Perhaps the purpose is to give them a different adult perspective on current issues.


On a note discussing with my fellow colleagues, their views struck a chord. We are teaching public school children. A lot of them may have never experienced having a decent conversation about the world or the country they live in with adults. This is a great opportunity for them to experience such and perhaps hearing various viewpoints from people other than their family. I am not sure whether it’s a public school thing or not. I could have gone to a private school when I was little, I remember my parents were busy and we hardly had time to have such discussion as well. So I guess just discussing may be good enough at this age.


Compared with IT, PE and English class, where the objectives are sound and clear, ICE at school seems fluid. I know the kids have to achieve a certain goal and obtain certain skill sets. But what are they? Children at this age do not yet have enough world experience to discuss National matters. (?) I am totally blind here.


It’s week 8. I am still learning. We have completed interesting topics, such as the Fukushima nuclear plant water release and the Asian Game. Space competition is our current topic. Kids are very responsive and amazingly talkative. They are inquisitive and creative with solutions. I wish I could have time in class to address to their questions individually. Discussions are fun. I am not sure whether I am on the right track but I hope they at least learned some facts and at had fun.