Global Classrooms is a program based on a partnership between students and teachers from
public bilingual secondary schools in 2016, operated by the Madrid regional
government and the British Council, Fulbright Commission, and the US Embassy in
Madrid. Isabel García-Velasco, Social Sciences teacher; José Miguel Martín, English teacher and Molly Perlmutter,
language assistant, have been working with 3rd ESO bilingual students since
October. This year our school has participated with other 72 high schools in Global Classrooms.
Molly has written this brief report about the conference that took place on
21st January at CRIF Las Acacias in Madrid.
Global
Classrooms is a Comunidad de Madrid sponsored
educational program, which gives 3rd ESO students the opportunity to simulate
the United Nations over a four-day conference. This year, the topic
assigned to IES Sapere Aude was “Debt relief and loan forgiveness in the
International Monetary Fund.” In preparation for the conference, the
entire 3rd ESO bilingual class learned about the global economic system, issues
facing the International Monetary Fund, such as conditionality and voting
reform, and the specific rules and procedures of debate for a model United
Nations conference.
We had a preliminary conference at Sapere Aude. Then, ten
selected students went and proudly represented the school in Madrid. There,
students debated the IMF and wrote original resolutions for possible solutions
to the problems facing the IMF with other 3rd ESO kids from all over the Comunidad.
The most gratifying aspect of my Global Classrooms experience was watching the students grow in
their ability to speak publicly. They went from being hesitant to give short
presentations in front of their class to confidently speaking to a room of over
fifty strangers in English. I am incredibly proud of all the hard work
the Sapere Aude students put into addressing an extremely challenging topic and
their overall performance in the debate!
