Through this project, SIS students are connected with a rural boarding school in Uganda. They exchange experiences of being students in very different parts of the world. What’s daily life like there compared to here? What challenges do they face, such as weather conditions that make learning harder? And what similarities do we share?
As the enrichment coordinator explained that, “Students from SIS get to experience what a student in Uganda experiences, and likewise. It’s a chance to make friends, ask questions, and appreciate our own learning environment by seeing theirs.”
The program is part of a larger research project, supported by the Honda Research Institute in Japan and guided by researchers from UCL and Michigan Technological University. The data collected from these exchanges is being used to build a social robot named Haru. Designed to mimic human behavior, Haru’s role is to teach global citizenship and cultural awareness. Once fully developed, Haru will visit SIS which will give our students a chance to interact with it.
A grade 10 student involved in the enrichment said, “So far we’ve only had one meeting, but it was fun. It’s like a whole intercultural exchange. We compared how grades work and what a normal school day looks like. In Uganda, they sometimes go until 9 or 10 p.m., which is crazy compared to us. The whole point is to exchange ideas and teach the robot how to help teachers and students.”
Another student added, “The Global Classroom is fun because of the members. A lot of my friends joined, and the activities are things you don’t really do in other enrichments. It’s a new experience.”
Even for those who signed up without much expectation, the project has been a pleasant surprise. As one participant admitted, “It was my last option, but it turned out to be perfect. You get to meet people from a different place and see that even though their challenges are different, they’re still happy to learn about us. And we learn from them, too.”
Unfortunately, due to high demand, the enrichment is already full this year. But the enrichment coordinator said that it might return next year. Until then, the Global Classroom continues to explore cultural relations and building the social robot Haru.
