Encouraging International Mindedness
A global perspective is vital for students as the world becomes more and more interconnected.
Technology can produce live feeds of world events and allow people from different countries to speak face-to-face from their homes. But fostering international mindedness requires a more comprehensive effort that Corbett Prep is making for its students.
Read more about three major initiatives that support Corbett Prep's commitment to international mindedness:
- International School Connection partnership
- International Baccalaureate Programme
- International Study Program
Corbett Prep strives to deliver a multicultural education, teaching students to think internationally to prepare for the future. Through student visits, the International Baccalaureate Programme and the newly revived International School Connection, Corbett Prep is opening up the world to its students.
A Model International School
Corbett Prep serves as the flagship school for the International School Connection (ISC), a network of educators who aim to advance global education. The organization had worked with Corbett Prep in the 1990s and early 2000s and returned to the school when it reorganized with new programs and services.
The ISC hopes to establish partnerships with more schools and provide administrators with the framework and support to transform their schools into global learning centers. Corbett Prep will host trainings and offer classroom observations. Teachers worked closely with ISC leaders this year to implement and offer feedback on Global Learning Benchmarks the ISC recommends schools integrate into their curriculum.
Corbett Prep offers a complex and well-rounded approach to academics, according to the ISC. Its staff provides “a daily context for learning about other cultures and ways of viewing the world today.”
International Baccalaureate
Corbett Prep offers the IB’s Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes, which add an international perspective to an inquiry-based approach to educating students.
IB provides an academic framework that, according to its mission statement, seeks to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring students who seek to help create a better and more peaceful world through understanding and respect.
Study Tours
International study tours give Corbett Prep students the chance to practice what they learn. Corbett Prep annually welcomes dozens of students from other countries to both school and CAMP IDS. Visiting students improve their English-speaking skills and learn more about the United States. Corbett Prep students hear firsthand about their guests’ lives, experiences and traditions in their native countries. Families volunteer to host children in their homes in a valuable cultural exchange.
Spain’s Colegios Ramón y Cajal (CRC) has become a sister school, sending students to Corbett Prep each fall and welcoming groups from Tampa to return in the spring for a study tour at its school in Madrid. Corbett Prep has also developed relationships with educational organizations in China to open its doors to Chinese students who visit for school or camp. This year, Corbett Prep added another international opportunity for Middle School students as teacher Harry Powers led a tour of Germany and arranged for students from one of the German schools they visited to come to CAMP IDS.