The purpose of the Globalization Club is to prepare students for a changing world; politically, economically, and socially. So far, the Globalization Club, under the direction of Mr. Jason Gelman, chair of the Social Studies Department, and social studies teacher, Mrs. Kristen Frances-Goldstein, has held sessions on topics including smartphones, social media, the Syrian refugee crisis, the terrorist group ISIS, and women’s rights. Each week, students are given the opportunity to research topics and present their findings to their peers, and this week, it was my turn.
After being assigned to read articles and trying to educate myself on matters of women’s rights across the world, Mr. Gelman approached me, asking if I felt ready to present to others what I had learned. Ecstatic to share knowledge on a topic I am passionate about, I didn’t even need to think twice before agreeing.
After meeting with him and Mrs. Frances-Goldstein, we determined that I had accumulated so much information and there was so much that I intended to discuss that it would be most productive to break it down into two separate sessions. Each segment of the presentation drew a crowd of students (there wasn’t a single empty seat either time!), all eager to engage in discussion and learn about the topic that I was presenting: women’s rights and feminism on a global scale.
Part one of my lesson seemed to attract a significant amount of students, many of whom were active in asking questions and advancing their own learning. Part two elicited more of a fiery debate than a casual discussion, altering the vibe slightly from what it had been the first time I had presented. Both times, though, instead of just teaching information, I chose to present bits of information by using visual stimuli (such as photos, graphs, handouts, and videos), as well as by asking thought-provoking questions. These questions allowed me to get a conversation going with my peers, allowing everyone to see this topic through a new set of eyes and by relating it back to aspects of their own lives, such as through the lens of their Jewish faith. Each peer who participated answered questions in an equally thought-provoking manner, asking well thought out questions that enabled me to relay important statistics and to seamlessly segue to different sub-topics.
Through this project, Mr. Gelman provide me with the opportunity to not only educate others on matters that I deem of the utmost importance, but also granted me the chance to learn even more about subjects on which I am extremely passionate. I plan to continue reading more about feminist news and the fight to increase women’s rights all around the world. I would like to thank Mr. Gelman and Mrs. Frances-Goldstein for giving me the reins to their club and the opportunity to teach my fellow students. I hope to see other students become involved in the Globalization Club in the same way, and I can’t wait to participate in the sessions of other club members.