A Study on Globally-Connected Learning Based on Smart Education: Focused on American and Korean Elementary School Students

摘要

The purpose of the Globally-Connected STEM Classroom project is to create an online environment where students from across the globe can collaborate to learn more about themselves and each other. The aim of this exploratory project is to develop, validate, and disseminate a theoretical model of a STEM-integrated learning environment, the Globally-Connected STEM Classroom (GCC-STEM). The GCC-STEM includes a unique pedagogical model to cultivate students' respectful, reflective, collaborative, and creative (R2C2) minds while students apply STEM-integrated knowledge to solve global issues related to sustainable development, through collaborative reasoning, data-driven arguments, and collective decisions. R2C2 minds are an essential part of the new STEM literacy required for 21st-century citizenry. R2C2 minds, STEM-integrated problem solving, sustainable development issues, and international collaborative learning are carefully selected ingredients of the GCC-STEM that will enhance students' real-world problem solving. Through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, and surveys with the participants, the effectiveness and the feasibility of the GCC-STEM will be evaluated. Also, the possible solutions and necessary remedies to overcome the barriers and challenges for both the current implementation and the broader use of the GCC-STEM will be investigated.