Classroom use

Here are some ideas to help you and your students make the most of this programme in your classroom.
  • Integrate internet-based resources with other materials and classroom activities, making the most of the free video and poster, hands-on experiences like cooking food or carrying water, and visiting speakers where available so students learn the same concepts in many different ways.

  • Work in small groups when using the internet so that students can discuss their choices and justify them to each other, thus deepening their learning.

  • Capitalise on the communication potential of the internet by encouraging students to ask questions and send their greetings and work to the Cambodian children. These aspects may take time and organisation, but they bring the programme to life for the students, and add purpose to their studies.

  • Give students a clear purpose for their exploration. For example:
    1. Use a focus question (eg "If you were a development worker in a Cambodian village, what three things would you do first to help the people?" or "What do you think were the main reasons the Khmer Rouge came to power?" or "What should the world do now to ensure Cambodia stays peaceful?").

    2. Work in groups, jigsaw-style, with each student researching a different aspect of the topic.

    3. Build up a class display with each child contributing a labelled picture on a different aspect of life for the people being studied.

    4. Give students a "treasure hunt" list with items that require some processing of the information on the site (eg find the saddest story, a picture showing hope, three facts you could use in a fundraising brochure, two aspects of life that are similar to yours etc).

  • Make the most of interactivity by allowing students to work on these goals in their own way, for example by choosing the order in which they explore and by finding information themselves.

  • Make the programme even more real by linking it with the 40 Hour Famine, so students can do something practical to help the people they are learning about.

Making the most of your computer access
  • If you have access to the internet from multiple computers eg a computer lab, you are unusually fortunate. You will probably find it best to have students work in pairs or small groups to research answers to questions, use the communication sections of the site, or prepare a Power Point presentation.

  • If you have one computer with internet access, roster pairs or small groups while the rest of the class do other activities.

  • If you have a classroom computer but no access to the internet, download the site (or parts of it) onto a disc and put it on the computer to use as above.

  • If you have no classroom computer, print out relevant pages at home and use these alongside the other parts of the programme. For questions and discussion messages, you could have students write their questions, then either fax them, or type them on at home.

  • Whatever your access, make good use of the audio conferences, printed resources, video and unit activities.

Classroom Use
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