2nd Week of classes at Gymnase Jean Sturm

Monday:

·         Careers and Culture 8^th and 9^th Grade- 15 Students (2 full class combined and only 15!!! J)- My mentor teacher gives Pop Quizzes on Mondays to get everyone back into the school mode. Students went over the quizzes, and they even pass their quizzes to a partner and the whole class grades and discusses.

o   The students are going to have to present a talent next week, so I presented mine to the class (I can do a cool snapping trick where one hand does one movement and the other hand another.)

o   You could tell it was Monday because the students were a little more off task and had a lot of side conversations. My usually lenient mentor teacher had to tell them to calm down and ask if things were appropriate a few times.

·         Sociology: 10^th Graders- To start class off there were some technology problems. The connection between the projector and computer wasn’t working. The students read an online book out loud as a class so we had to get someone to come in and fix the computers so that way we could have class.

o   Students were throwing out suggestions like ”Let’s play Apples to Apples, Watch a movie” and kept trying to stall class. (Mondays are wild days here ;p and by wild I mean a good day in a normal WV classroom.

o   Students all write in cursive and with calligraphy ink pens. They take extremely careful and organized notes, pulling our rulers to make sure lines are straight.

o   As students are reading we help out with pronunciation, and everyone sits in the front row so the screen can be zoomed in for everyone to see it.

o   Watched a video clip from the movie STRIPES to show examples of desocialization and socialization.

·         World History- 8^th Grade- Watched the Vanessa Williams “Who do you think you are?” about finding out about her family tree. They got a kick out of how many times she said wow and over acted.

Tuesday:

·         World History 8^th Graders- Students went over revolt and resistance movements in Slavery. They also use a British source that is similar to what they will be finding on their future huge test. Went over pronunciation and reading more than content.

o   They didn’t know about the word maroon, and needed help with the difference between saying south and Southern.

o   They still colored in pictures in their articles when they are bored.

o   They even analyzed a metaphoric quote!!! J

o   They are constantly encouraged to watch movies and have discussions about topics with their parents.

o   8^th and 11^th graders need the most help with reading English.

o   Got to discuss WV and the civil war and why we split from Virginia!! J

·         World History 9^th Graders- Since they are finishing up the WWII unit, my mentor teacher asked them to come up with ideas of future topics (Modern dictators was one) STUDENT choice AGAIN!! They continued reading about Mussolini and Concentration Camps

o   Found out about the Strasbourg region during WWII. The men in this area were forced to fight with Germany and kill their fellow French citizens. Germans had a strong base here that Americans had to break down the outer wall of the city in order to liberate the French people here.

·         Individual Development (PSYC) 11^th graders- Students had a fun day of watching the John Nash and Paranoid schizophrenia documentary.

Wednesday: NO SCHOOL J

Thursday:

·         Sociology 10 graders- Students reviewed for the exam they are having this upcoming Monday. The first did a quick vocab review worksheet and then we play a game!

o   Baseball Review Game: The 2 Teams (Smurfs and Jelly Bellies) had to set a batting order, certain questions were worth bases! 1 base (true or false questions), 2(multiple choice questions) or 3 base (open ended explanations) options.

o   Some Grammar mistakes: Wright instead of rights (combined write and rights) and Thought instead of Taught.

o   All students have to have assignments turned in around the same time because where the class is so small there isn’t room to fall behind or change things for one student.

o   Students are GRADE GRABBERS HERE! They are all for their points.

o   They also didn’t know how to draw a baseball diamond :p John had to take over.

·         Exploring Internationalism- 11^th Graders: The 11^th graders had a huge discussion about what courses should be offered next year for them. They were all for having more classes designed to teaching them how to pass the Bachelorette exam.

·         They continued to watch their FRANK talks (TED Talks inspired ) and critiquing themselves and their peers. Peers provided great feedback and didn’t only say this is good!

Friday: (NO school for John, Corinthia, and me we were heading to Munich, Germany!) 

1st week of Classes at Gymnase Jean Sturm

Monday:  On Monday with my new mentor teacher! Our lovely coordinator, Julia, is from Germany so this was her first time going to the high school, so we toured the city for a bit looking for the building. I also got to go to the Elementary school that feeds into the high school I am working in. The Elementary was very big. The students get a 2 hour lunch break, where many students go home, and two 15 minute recesses. The Elementary students are already studying wars, comparing rebellions, and reading Romeo and Juliet in 3^rd and 4^th grade!!!

**The bilingual program allows students to take many classes taught in English. The students will sometimes take their regular French history or literature class and then they will take a similar class in English. She tries to match up the History lessons with the French teachers so that the students can understand the content and focus more on reading/writing/speaking English.

Tuesday:

·         World History 8^th Grade- (10 Students) The students went over Slavery , mainly slavery in America, but they also looked into the slave trade and the American Civil War. The students can read very well; you can however notice the range of speaking abilities, many students have been taking English classes since Elementary school, or they have English spoken at home and in the 8^th grade those influences really play apart in how often and fluently they speak. Many speak with British Accents because that is the pronunciation that is taught in European schools.

o   They had some problems with the meaning of the word trifling and pronounced Peter as (pet- her)

o   The students are assigned homework, but only small amounts and our teacher is very lenient when it comes to grades because she knows their French courses are harder and more demanding than hers.

·         World History 9^th Grade- (6 Students)- Students were assigned a country to focus on for a WWII research paper. (France, England, USA, Japan, Germany) The students have prior knowledge about the content because of their French History Classes. One of the students was born in Brazil and has previously lived in Spain and America. So she was working on being fluent in Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. The students all take turns reading out loud from articles provided by a British school publication. These articles are geared to be like the articles on the Baccalaureate test that they will be taking.  

o   A few of my students were quoting a ASDF YouTube video and I was really excited to be able to talk to them about something outside of school!

·         Individual Development (PSYCOLOGY) 11^th Grade- (11 Students)- The older students don’t ask us as many questions and spend a lot more time whispering in French to each other during class. My mentor teacher handed back their book reviews. Every trimester they are supposed to read a book and do a huge report on it. The students looked at their errors and asked questions. They did really well and my teacher is impressed with them. The papers and all assignments only go up to the maximum of 20 pts. Not 100 or more like the US. (Grade inflation cure??)

o   The class is called Individual Development because the country of France gets thrown off by the word Psychology because they immediately only think about Freud.

·         Sociology- 10^th Grade- (8 students)- These students were working on a research project so they were researching articles on the internet. These students answered our questions and they were really helpful and liked talking to John and me.

o   There were 2 Canadian girls in this class. The first semester 2 French girls went and studied abroad and when they came back they brought the Canadian girls that they were living with, It is a really nice exchange program so at least the Canadian girls knew someone when they came over.

·         Language Arts and Literature 9^th grade (same students as earlier in the day)- They are reading ANIMAL FARM!!!! J YAY! They listened to a George Orwell podcast (died in 1950 tuberculosis. Then the students took over the class and looked up descriptions of all the main animal/characters in the story. One wrote the students comments about the character on the board and then looked up more information to tell the class.

o   The students here are extremely organized. They write in their agendas without being told to and without the risk of them being checked. They know when all assignments are due and are very on top of things.

Wednesday: NO SCHOOL (ONLY OPTIONAL MORNING CLASSES FOR SOME)

Thursday:

·         Sociology- 10^th Graders- The students looked into Peer vs. Parental influence on a human’s development and the mass media influences on teens. They did a lot of vocab, reading, and speaking developments. Reading all of the documents out loud and discussing as they went. Watched a YouTube video on the Bobo doll Bandura experiment

o   The girls took a lot of notes but the 2 boys didn’t

·         Exploring Internationalisms 11^th graders- My teacher really understands when students have lots of projects, tests, or assignments. The due dates for all of the English assignments are discussed and agreed on. Students watched their presentations that they did in class. So they presented and were filmed and then watched the videos again. They engaged in self critiques that my teacher took notes on for their grades, and then

the other students offered suggestions, compliments or critiques.

o   The older students have thicker accents but speak English very well. They are the guinea pigs of the Franklin Programs and are the first set of 11^th graders and soon to be 12^th graders.

Friday:

·         Exploring Internationalism 10^th Grade- Student continued looking up their topics of research. The computers take forever to turn on; so the students spent most of the class chatting and waiting to get started.

o   One group of students is doing a placed based assignment because they are looking for locations in Strasbourg to put a skate park. (lots of kids ride skateboards here)

·         English/ Language Arts 9^th Graders- Students had a small quiz. They read the story out loud and discussed as they went.

o   When she handed their essays back the students actually looked at their errors, not just their grade! This is huge for me because one of the reasons I did Student-teacher writing conferences was because many students don’t look at or know how to fix their errors.

o   My teacher also gives them multiple options for their future essay topics. The students love it because in their normal classes they don’t have a lot of choices.

It is awesome that John and I get to see History, Psychology, Sociology and Literature/ Language Arts classes during this trip! It is the perfect mix for our English and History Education majors. 

My Students

8th- 10 Students (3 boys, 7 girls) 2 black students, 8 caucasian

9th- 6 Students (3 boys, 3 girls) 5 caucasian, 1 hispanic/ European

10th- 8 Students (2 boys, 6 girls) (2 canadian students) All caucasian

11th- 11 Students (6 boys, 5 girls) 10 caucasian, 1 student of Asian descent.

The Baccalaureate Test

The Baccalaureate Test

In France all students have to take the Baccalaureate test in order to attend any kind of secondary education institute. The test is in all French and has Math, Literature, Writing, History, and Science. (I guess it could be compared to our SAT and ACT). The main difference is if students do not pass this test they cannot retake it. They either have to repeat their WHOLE twelfth grade year or decided to go in to labor type jobs. There are no credit recovery classes or the idea of a 12^th grader taking 11^th and 12^th grade History. It is either you pass your whole year of classes or none at all.

France truly teaches to the test. All of their high school and middle school classes are taught straight towards helping students pass this test. This idea was introduced by Napoleon in 1808 and has been around since then, without this test and passage of the test you cannot go to a technical, community college, or university.

There are 3 genres of the tests and each test has science, economy and literature sections.

General

Technological

Professional

The general and technological test are the main ones for students wishing to go to a University, and the Professional test is made for students wanting to go into trade jobs such as electricity or plumbing. Students have to score at least a 10/20 on this test to pass; because of this the highest grade that you can get on an assignment in France is a 20.

In 8^th Grade there is a smaller exam that isn’t that hard to pass that shows if students will go on to high school or repeat a year of middle school.

In 10^th grade there is a Practice test for the French Exam

In 11^th there is a practice test for the other exams such as Math, History, or the test in another language (English for my students).

12^th grade year is the real baccalaureate test.

The school that I am attending has a 100% pass rate on its Baccalaureate exams.

I was very fascinated by this concept and it is so important to my students to actually pass and they will actually complain if a teacher misses too much because they are so worried about passing the exam. France does exactly what we are trying to get away from which is teaching to the test. But this test is for the students and their future so they try a lot harder than on the tests such as WESTTEST. 

The Franklin Bilingual Program

The Franklin Program

Gymnase Jane Sturm is also a prestigious bilingual school. Students have the option of taking French only courses, German and French courses, or English and French courses. The Franklin program is the name of the Bilingual English and French program that allows students to be fluent in English as well as take all of the classes they will need to pass their huge exam at the end of their senior year. The Franklin program has many goals and standards that they follow to educate their students to the best of their abilities. The idea of learning how to speak English opens up the door to internationalism, and possible acceptance to universities in America, England, and Australia. The program promotes collaboration, interdisciplinary studies, small classes, communication, individual development, and the capacity to solve complex problems. The idea of learning a different language allows them to explore the same topics that they have been learning about before but from a different perspective. The small classes are spoken entirely in English (though there is some whispering and side conversations in French)

Students in the bilingual Franklin program alternate between French and English classes throughout their 10 hours of school a day. This program begins in sixth grade and lasts till their senior year of high school. (though currently the program is still in it’s guinea pig stage because the oldest students in the program are only in 11^th grade. The students take their full French course work , but instead of other electives the students take English classes. The 6^th and 7^th graders end up taking more hours of course work then other students, but this lessens as they go in the program so that they can still take any electives that they may want to. The English classes and the number of hours a week the students attend the class are as follows:

6^th and 7^th Grade

• ·         Language Arts and Literature- 3(hrs)
• ·         World History -2
• ·         Theatre- 3
• ·         Creative Problem Solving- 2
• ·         Applied Media Arts- 1

8^th and 9^th Grade

• ·         Language Arts and Literature- 3
• ·         World History- 2
• ·         Theatre- 2
• ·         Creative Problem Solving- 2
• ·         Themes in Career and Culture- 1

10^th Grade

• ·         Exploring Internationalism- 2
• ·         Sociology -3

11^th Grade

• ·         Exploring Internationalism II- 2
• ·         Individual Human Development (psychology)- 3
• ·         Preparation for Bachelorette Exam- 1

 (12th Grade is a work in progress, the oldest students in the program are in 11th grade.)  

*Though the students are also taking literature and world history in French the students enjoy seeing the material again, because it is easier to talk about things in English when they know the subject material and and it allows them to see the American and English viewpoints instead of just the French side of things

.

The Franklin program is mostly geared towards having the students read and write instead of focusing on exposing them to brand new information. The students need to practice their English skills so that they can be proficient speakers. Travel opportunities are supported and the students truly get to express their thoughts through discussions, and writings to help fuel their English language abilities. They even read individual novels the first two  trimesters and do a book project on them, so by the time they graduate they would have read 14 novels in English!

This program is amazing and allows the students to have fun and relax because their isn't as much homework or pressure in these classes which are more discussion, than lectured based. 

My French High School:

Gymnase Jean Sturm is a school unlike any other; it is not only a high school, but also a middle school, and elementary school. The administration, staff, and students go from the elementary to the high school and work together to build a strong and prestigious community. In America we typically have a separate elementary school, and even though they do feed into the local high school, the elementary school and the high school do not work together and intermingle to provide a straight supportive path for their students.

The school has been a prestigious part of the city of Strasbourg for 471 years! That’s 200 years longer than America has been a country! The school is private parents pay top dollar and students have to be evaluated and interviewed before they are admitted to the school. The school started out as a Protestant school, and even though there is the separation of church and state in France, Strasbourg is unique. The Province that Strasbourg is located in has switched between German and French rule so around the time the separation of church and state was installed France allowed this province to do what they wished because they wanted them to stay with France because of the trade that came from the area.

Behavior is not a problem in this school because students are supported by their teachers, parents, and communities to the extreme here. If teachers think a student isn't trying as hard or not performing on the school’s high levels of excellence they can hold a conference with the student and if improvement isn’t made they can be kicked out. For the students who are falling behind there is a mentor program, where each teacher is assigned a student and they meet with them one on one once a week. The teachers only have that one student so they can devote their full attention to helping the student achieve academic excellence.

Every year near the end of the trimester (their school year is broken up into trimesters) the teachers get together to talk about each class. This means that all of the 9^th grade teachers get together and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the class that they need to work on to make sure that they succeed.  At these meetings are two parent and two student representatives of the class. These representatives come with questions or concerns that they would like to have answered and addressed.

Here is a list of more of the differences I have came across whilst observing at the high school:  J

• ·         These students go to school from 8 A.M- 6 P.M. and still do sports and hang out with friends, on top of all of their homework. (there is no class time set aside for students to type out their papers, or work on homework)
• 
  
• ·         No free lunch program. There is a business that works with the school and the students can go buy food from them, or they have an hour to go off campus to eat. (the school is dead center in the city with many restaurants around)
• 
  
• ·         There is no form of school transportation, only the city/public transportations systems. (bikes, busses, trams, cars)
• 
  
• ·         There are no students with disabilities or differentiated instruction.
• 
  
• ·         There are no substitute teachers, so if a high school teacher isn't there then the students don't have class and can wonder around the city until their next class begins.
• 
  
• ·         There are small classes, at most 18 in the core French classes. (no more than 11 in the bilingual classes)
• 
  
• ·         Teachers jump around from class to class (like college teachers) so there is no real decorations or posters, other than those made by the students.
• 
  
• ·         Students are very respectable and organized. They stand by their desks until the teacher allows them to sit down, and ALL of them write down assignments without being instructed to, so they know when the due date is.
• 
  
• ·         Students will actually COMPLAIN IF THEY HAVE CLASS CANCELED TO MUCH. They are extremely worried and geared towards learning so that they can all pass their final exam at the end of their senior year.
• 
  
• ·         Prayer and Religious Holidays are celebrated in the school even though it technically isn't a Protestant church anymore. 
• 
  
• 
  

The Journey to Strasbourg

Our journey to Strasbourg started in Pittsburgh, PA, and we had plenty of time to kill before the flight took place so we caught the last few minutes of the WVU men’s basketball game. Going through the screening checkpoint wasn’t actually that bad; it went quite fast and we had our bags checked, and body scanned in no time. We then flew without delays to Chicago, IL and it was here that we had some problems. Our flight to Frankfurt, Germany was delayed by an hour and a half. This became a problem because we had a scheduled shuttle that we missed, so we ended up having to pay 89€ for another shuttle to Strasbourg. We also had to rearrange our meeting with Julia, our coordinator, because she would have to pick us up two hours later than expected.  Once we were on the flight though, I watched Frozen, Lone Ranger, and The Delivery Man. One of the coolest things about the flights over seas is the little map that shows you where you are and counts down the time until you arrive.

Julia and another coordinator, Daniella, picked us up with smiles on their faces and were very sweet with dealing with our jetlagged selves. They helped carry our bags to the car and even up the three flights of stairs (with no elevators) at the BEAUTIFUL, antique, and CLASSIC Chateau de Pourtales.

 The Chateau started being built during the 1750’s by Guerault, a constructor for the King of France. He wanted a nice quiet place to be able to get away from the hussle and bussle of city life. The Chateau was then sold to a French Baron whose countess wife expanded the building. With the fame of the Barona and Countess the Chateau was visited by Dukes, Chancellors, Barons, and even King George III. In an area that was constantly being taken over by Germany and then switching back to France, this estate provided a sanctuary for French artists and preserved the French culture of the time. The house has seen its share of troubles though. It was transformed into a hospital during the French-German war of 1870, and was taken over by Germans in WWI and WWII and received massive damage from bullets and mistreatments. Finally the Chataeu was bought by Dr. Walter Leibrecht in 1972 and renovated to its former glory. Dr. Leibrecht turned that Chateau into a house for study-abroad students attending the local college; A place where brilliant minds met just as they did during the Countess’s time.

I am rooming with Corinthia and John is across the hall. We get breakfast provided for us by the hotel every day, and there is also a kitchen for us to cook in so we bought some groceries with snacks for our school lunches and pasta to cook for dinner.

Traveling always exhausts me and my ankles swell way too much for someone my age, but I am so happy and thrilled to be in Strasbourg. J

I am so excited!

Bonjour!

Over the past few weeks my excitement has been growing for my trip to France! Not only do I get 4 weekends in a foreign country, but I also get every Wednesday off from student-teaching as well! :) We are planning on hanging around Strasbourg the first weekend, perhaps crossing into Germany a bit (you can literally walk into Germany!!) While here we will have to visit the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, the famous tourist site of the city.

                       

Then the Dean of the College of Education and Human resources, Lynne Schrum, is coming to see us and taking us on a boat tour around the city! She is also buying us dinner and treating us to a wonderful evening to really get to see the city!

We will be staying at The Chateau! That’s right a beautiful castle!!! J

I will be student-teaching in a bilingual High school just a short bus ride away from where we are staying. I am so excited to see how the school system works and how the students interact (with the teacher, school, and other students!!!!) This is truly a dream because I am seriously considering teaching abroad one day and this will be my look inside to see if it is something I would really like to do!

We are also planning on spending a weekend in Germany (most likely Munich). Here we will have the opportunity to see Dachau which will be a true emotional journey for us.

Our last weekend will be spent in Paris!!!!!!! J Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Louvre, Disney Land of Paris!!! J So many places to go and sites to see!!! J

I am so excited and blessed to be able to go on this trip! <3 

Schedule :)

Itinerary WVU Education March14.pdf

Overall Goals and a Literature Review! :)

       I am filled with anticipation and excitement for my study abroad trip to Strasbourg, France. The idea of combining traveling and teaching makes me beyond happy because I have been considering teaching abroad. Strasbourg, France is a beautiful place (according to all of the pictures I have looked up about it) and a genuine opportunity to observe and teach in a high school abroad. I have many goals and ideas for learning activities to accomplish in France to help me further my education and to help me become a better teacher! 
My first goal is to observe and document the similarities and differences between a WV high school and a French high school. I think it is important for educators to not only know what is going on in the county around them but also the world! With the individualized state testing, the students and faculty are not as familiar with where other countries are ranked. It would be exciting to see what the students are learning compared to what I was teaching my students during my internship. I want to observe classroom routines, social interactions between the students, lesson planning, technology usage, and the teacher-student relationship. The learning activities that I will use to accomplish this goal are observations, interviews, and note-taking. I’m not talking about just recording what is going on in the lesson, but how the students are interacting, asking if they are engaged, and the asking my mentor teacher about the planning that went creating the lesson. 
Another goal that I have for studying abroad is to be immersed in a new culture that I really know nothing about. Throughout middle school, high school, and college I have studied Spanish; I have even studied abroad in Spain. I want to sight-see and explore and look at the numerous influences that this amazing town will have where it is so close to a variety of countries. I will be going on many weekend trips to help me achieve this goal. I believe that this will help me be able to connect to my ESL learners when I have them in my classroom. American immerses kids in grade level curriculum, so I want to be immersed to know what it is like! 
The last of my three main goals is to look at the school beyond the classroom. I truly want to see how the school works, know their mission for their students, see how they treat teachers, and see if they engage in professional learning communities. As a life-long learner and lover of reflection I want to see how other teachers and the administration feel about these characteristics to help me understand if I would be truly happy teaching abroad. I will engage in this by using observations and interviews as well. I want to talk to the principal (headmaster?) and discuss with other teachers outside of the classroom! Researching the school and schooling in France and Europe will also help me achieve this goal. 
I plan to assess myself through my online blog. I will be taking notes and observations during the school days and hopefully blogging about my notes and experiences about four times a week. With each post I wish to dig deeper into my goals, expose new inquiries, and answer the questions that I am already curious about. I plan on sharing my blog with the teachers at my home PDS of Morgantown High School so that they can see the routines, strategies, and level that students in another country are engaging in. I will also be doing a presentation on fun teaching techniques and what I learned while being a teacher abroad to the teachers of MHS and the students of the Benedum Collaborative. I have also been in contact with the French teacher at MHS in hopes to come in and talk to her classroom about what students their own age in a different country are like. 
I am so excited for this opportunity, and can't wait to get started! 

Literature Review

Coryell, J. E. (2011). The Foreign City as Classroom: Adult Learning in Study Abroad. Adult Learning, 22(3), 4-11
This research study discusses why studying abroad is a great way to develop and intercultural sensitivity and awareness. Studying abroad in America has increased by 150% in only the last ten years, and of those students studying abroad most of them are upper level junior, seniors, or grad students. This study specifically researches “What is the nature of learning interactions (the socially-constructed and relations) within a short-term study abroad community of practice?” Coryell (2011, p.4-5) Observations, Student journaling, and interactions with the programs activity were the assessments. The findings stated that most learning was done with the professors and other learners at the institution; though the cross-cultural interactions with natives helped the students understand culture diversity. The act of self-reflection was the major factor in the calculations of this data. 

King, R., Findlay, A., Ahrens, J., & Dunne, M. (2011). Reproducing advantage: the perspective of English school leavers on studying abroad. Globalisation, Societies & Education, 9(2), 161-181. doi:10.1080/14767724.2011.577307
This study researched the type of people who were interested in studying abroad in England. They looked at the proportion of higher education students who showed interest, why they want to study abroad, and characteristics about the schooling and abroad experience that they would be receiving. Some statistics were that only about 3% of students study abroad, while 10% really want to but do not apply. Many people in England go to places that also speak English instead of other European countries. Though studying abroad does improve a student’s interculturalism and graduate level competitiveness many students, there is a dividing factor that the elite become more elite because they can afford it and have previously experienced abroad in another fashion. 

Kutner, L. (2010). Study-Abroad Programs as Information Producers: An Expanding Role for Support of Our Students Studying Abroad. Journal Of Library Administration, 50(7/8), 767-778. doi:10.1080/01930826.2010.488962
This research paper goes into the needs of people who study abroad, as a specific user group, are supported by librarians. It also explores how those who do not go to commercial places but go with service-learning/ project-based learning in nontraditional locations can find support. Research was looked at expanding traditional collaborative relationships, the possibility exists for librarians to work alongside study-abroad programs to ensure that valuable work done within host communities is left accessible to the local community as well as to future students and scholars. The findings suggest that buy supporting libraries and the research that goes into databases; we can explore study abroad opportunities and history through them. Global libraries can connect people at home and abroad through research and development. 

MARTINEZ, L. (2011). The Study Abroad Advantage. Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, 28(21), 25
This article talks about how students need to be in contact with customs outside of the U.S. because of globalized market and to help them be prepared for the job field of so many new markets. It also states that 80.5% of the students who studied abroad were white and that minority students should not overlook this experience and miss out on a crucial job market. No matter what you study abroad, the act of studying abroad shows initiative and has increased your understanding of the world. Studying abroad can also be an act of rejuvenation because it is a break from the monotonous school work load.  Learning about diversity through conversations is just as fundamental as sitting through a lecture. This article stresses that there needs to be better access to financial aid, study abroad opportunities, and a discussion to help the school gauge where most students want to go especially for the minority students. 

Mastroianni, A. J., & Kelly, D. L. (2013). Undergraduate Study Abroad Experiences: Changing Attitudes Towards Cultural Diversity and Careers. Insights To A Changing World Journal, 2013(4), 1-11
This research study focused on three hypothesis: individuals who study abroad before college will most likely study abroad again in college, individuals who study abroad in college are most likely to seek out career opportunities in a culturally diverse work environment, and individuals who study abroad prior to graduating college have a higher openness to experience factor with respect to careers, travel, and/or relocation. This was calculated by 286 surveys by students with a variety of backgrounds. The authors continue to do research.