PBL Example: Ahmet Adem from Turkey Gains Global Citizenship Skills through PenPal School’s World Explorer Project

Did you know that 60% of secondary students feel that learning about other cultures is the most important skill to learn in school? As our world becomes more interconnected, it is important to teach students about global citizenship. Global citizenship is the idea that people from all around the world should work together make the world a better place. Effective global citizens are able to communicate across cultures, analyze different perspectives, learn about global issues, and ultimately take action.

In World Explorer, students have the opportunity to learn about cultures around the world, develop communication skills, and collaborate with peers to complete a final project that showcases their learning. Over 2,000 students are participating in this project right now! Today we are excited to showcase Ahmet Adem, an amazing PenPal Star from Turkey who participated in World Explorer. Throughout the project, Ahmet Adem developed as a global citizen by learning from and communicating with people around the world.

Ahmet Adem shares about his life in Turkey in this project based learning example:

Hi everyone🎙.My name is Adam. I am from Turkey 🇹🇷. Today I talk about my city. First I live in Sakarya city, Akyazı district. I think it's a very beautiful city. Because my city is green and not crowded. I am living in rural community. So here is very quite. No trafic, no noise. There are trees everywhere. We have a famous lake, its name Sapanca lake. People come there for holiday. My school environmet surrounded by mountain and trees. There is a little river behind my school.

Now I talk about my daily routines. First I get up at 7:25. Then I do breakfast.I eat egg , olive and cheese at breakfast. After breakfast I dress my school uniforms.I go to school by bus. The first lesson start 8:50. School finish at 4:15. After school I go to home by bus again... I do homework and daily revision. Then I go to sleep at 11'o clock. And my day is finished. How is your daily life ? 😀

Ahmet Adem’s class

Ahmet Adem does a great job of describing his city and daily routine by using lots of detail and even uses emojis to share his country’s flag! His descriptive writing paints a picture in our minds of what life is like in Turkey. We reached out to Ahmet Adem to learn more about his life and his experience with PenPal Schools:

PENPAL SCHOOLS: What has been your favorite thing about learning with PenPals?
Ahmet Adem: [My favorite thing has been] reading different peoples responses, learning about their cultures is very interesting and mind opening.

Tell us about the final project you decided to publish in the showcase! What did you choose to create, and why? How did you come up with that idea?
I decided to show my city, Sakarya. Because it is worth seeing. I used photos of my school garden.

Ahmet's school in Turkey

Ahmet's school garden in Turkey

What is the most interesting thing you learned from your PenPals?
I learned that students around the world are not very different than me. We have a lot in common. The most interesting thing: I meet a friend from Japan, she's living on 73rd floor, I think it's amazing. In my city buildings are 3-5 floors maximum.

What is your favorite subject in school and why?
My favorite subject is English. Because I love learning new languages. I think it connects to the world.

What do you like to do after school or for fun? Are you in any clubs or activities?
After school I hang out with friends, then go home. I am in social charity club. And I love singing.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I want to go [to] Paris, France. Because it is very beautiful country. I want to see Eiffel Tower.

How did you feel when you found out you were going to be featured as a PenPal Star?
I felt very happy and surprised. It motivated me.

Congratulations, Ahmet Adem! We’re glad that this experience has motivated you to keep learning. Thank you for sharing about your community and being a great PenPal Star!

Do you want your students to have the same experiences as Ahmet Adem? Help them become strong global citizens while teaching important academic content. Join our World Explorer project to share your students’ culture and help them develop global citizenship in a fun, engaging way. ​

Sign Up for World Explorer

Want to hear more about World Explorer from other PenPal Stars? Learn about their experiences here:
PBL Example: Marija Loves Exploring the World with PenPals!
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Meet our PenPal of the Week from Iraq
Meet our PenPal of the Week from Bulgaria