Townsend,+Anita

Anita Townsend is an independent Educational Consultant with ACT Consulting Solutions. She has over 30 years experience working in schools and school systems both as a teacher and an educational administrator. Anita has been involved for many years in implementing school wide approaches to Global Collaborative Learning and supporting schools in the delivery of teaching approaches that will engage the 21st century learner. As country coordinator for the Global Teenager Project, she supports schools to create global connections supporting collaborative learning and problem solving around issues relevant to today’s youth.

The Global Teenager Project (GTP) is a dynamic online resource which provides students with the opportunity to research curriculum-connected topics using Learning Circles and Web 2.0 Tools. The Learning Circle is a methodology designed and researched by Dr. Margaret Riel of Pepperdine University in California. There are two Learning Circles in a year, Commencing in September and again in February, lasting for ten weeks each. These are created by connecting groups of 8 to 12 classes from all over the world online in a Wiki environment. Participating teachers select a theme which connects to their curriculum from the circle topics listed on the GTP website. These topics enable cross curricular study and are those which impact the lives of most students around the world such as the millennium development goals. The learning circle stages enable students to create inquiry-based questions, test hypothesis and collect knowledge from a variety of sources. As questions are posed in the learning circle, answered, and researched, students connect with their peers around the world to discover the local reaction and impact of a topic within different cultures, climates, and geography. Consequently, students gain a whole new perspective about the chosen topic from the information they have gained from their global peers . Teachers are able to choose appropriate curriculum topics for students to explore what it means to be globally aware and to be a Global Citizen creating 21 century learning experience. Visit the website at [|www.globalteenager.org] and contact anita@globalteenager.org for more information.

=Schuster, Jasmin= In her spare time you can find Jasmin practicing yoga, mountain biking, whipping up a new creation in the kitchen or travelling the globe. //“The Global Teenager Project was a excellent addition to my geography program this past year. Not only did the project foster collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills, but students were engaged with the project throughout the entirety of it, from start to finish. My students were very excited to be researching and participating this project.// ||  || //See article in TEACH Magazine Pg 19.// //“//
 * Jasmin Schuster has been teaching for the past four years; three years in Canada and one in the UK. As someone with a passion for education and empowering young people to become active and informed citizens, the Global Teenager Project was a natural fit into her geography program this past year. Jasmin has a Bachelor Science in Environmental Science from the University of Guelph, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa, additional teaching qualifications in Special Education, ESL and Guidance and Career Education and will be working towards her M. Education starting this fall.