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International Student and Scholar Support

  • Photo of a international student telling story at local school

Teachers

International Student Services facilitates internationalization across the campus and community through the Thinking Globally program. Thinking Globally enables international students and scholars to broaden the global perspective of both their peers and younger K-12 students through the sharing of their cultures. Thinking Globally student ambassadors go through a training program that assures their flexibility and preparedness in the classroom. Introducing a disparate perspective to your classroom can intrigue and motivate your students to seek understanding. If you want your students to Think Globally, contact us today!

Scheduling a Thinking Globally Presentation

We look forward to visiting your U101 Class!  The first step is to reserve a time for a Thinking Globally presentation using the University 101 Presentation Scheduler. Then, the Thinking Globally coordinator will contact you with further questions about your preferred content for the class, including small group discussions and mini-lecture presentations. You'll also receive a reminder email with details about where the presentation will be located. 

On the day of the presentation, a facilitator from International Students Services will introduce the student ambassador(s) and offer some information on getting involved in cross-cultural experiences at UofSC and around the world. The interactive classroom experience is led by the student ambassador(s), each with a unique presentation, covering topics like: 

Food, Pop Culture, Music, Politics, Language, Education, Hobbies, Living Styles, Family Life, Fashion, Perceptions, and Sports .And the list goes on!

Ambassadors offer time for Q&A and follow-up discussion on the topics they presented, at the end of the class time. Please contact thinkingglobally@sc.edu with any questions. 

Thinking Globally Ambassadors visit schools throughout the Columbia community in order to facilitate cultural presentations. Here at ISS, we have found that developing students into global citizens requires their exposure to first-hand perspectives from other cultures. Thinking Globally has a structured classroom plan that you can utilize with little planning on your part. 

The easist way to request a visit is to complete the online request form. 

For further questions, contact the Thinking Globally Coordinator, by emailing thinkingglobally@sc.edu or calling 803-777-7461. You can also contact Thinking Globally program manager, Julie Medlin, at medlin3@mailbox.sc.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Flexibility to match your needs

Oftentimes, Thinking Globally Ambassadors and an ISS representative will work with a single teacher and come to one or more of her classes throughout the day. However there are other options. The examples below have been utilized for special events such as Foreign Language Week and an international conference at a local high school.

Multiple Classroom Visits Example

 

Tuesday, February 17

(A Day)

ROOM/TEACHER

AMBASSADORS

Block 3

11:45-1:05

 

 

Group 1   19 students

H 205 Ms. ---

1. Cedric (Hong Kong)

2. Aaron (Australia)

3. Naveed (Pakistan)

Group 2   20 students

H 206 Ms. ---

Group 3   21 students

H 207 Mr. ---

Overall Idea: Each ambassador spends about 20 minutes in each classroom and then rotates to the next group. Each class was able to have 3 different presentations during their block 3 in the example demonstrated above. We can coordinate with you to figure out how long you would like the presentations to be and the number of classrooms you would like for us to visit.

 

Auditorium Presentation Example

Wednesday, March 4

 

AUDITORIUM

 

AMBASSADORS

8:30AM- 9:30AM

 

 

 Group 1   

1. Alvaro (Spain)

2. Tien (Vietnam)

3. Ruby (China)

 

Group 2   

Group 3  

9:45AM - 10:45AM

 

Group 4   

Group 5

Group 6

Overall Idea: In previous auditorium visits we have briefly discussed the value of learning another language or experiencing a new culture. Each ambassador spends about 15-20 minutes presenting to the group. We can coordinate with you to figure out how long you would like the presentations to be and the number of ambassadors you would like to present.

 

If we have the country or language represented in the ambassador group, we will work with you to meet your classroom needs. If you aren't sure of what you need, we can move forward with the general presentation format, which is sure to entertain and enlighten your students. Ambassadors strive to balance their presentations between educational and fun. Most presentations include:
  • History/ Tradition (including holidays, family life, famous landmarks, etc.)
  • Pop Culture (including popular musicians, tv shows, fashion, perceptions of the U.S., etc.)
  • Lifestyles (including food, dress, common perspectives, etc.)
  • Education
  • Government/Politics
  • Language
  • Photos and Videos

 

 

 

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