Thinking Globally: Alton High students part of a pilot program for global awareness

GODFREY – Eight students in Todd Fortschneider’s Honors U.S. History class volunteered their time to research international perspectives without the promise of credit.

The students were part of the Illinois Global Scholar pilot program. The pilot encourages students to embark on globally-focused course work to better understand the financial, social and political aspects of other nations and cultures. Fortschneider said 40 percent of the Illinois workforce exports products to global markets, so future workers in the state would require a knowledge of other cultures.

“I like it,” Fortschneider said. “Kids have to come up with their own theses and ways to solve problems.”

Fortschneider’s volunteer students worked to solve the problem of voter turnout in the United States, especially among young voters. In order to get a more global understanding, each of the eight volunteers interviewed someone from a different country regarding how voting works in their nations. Representatives from Spain, Great Britain and Germany spoke with Alton High School students regarding their nation’s voting patterns.

Continue reading on RiverBend.com