Touchpoints

Creating a Global Village

During Touchpoints, Meritas students from around the world meet through videoconference sessions and wikis. Students exchange international perspectives on a global problem under consideration that year. They research the problem and then use their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to offer solutions.

The purpose of Meritas’ Touchpoints program is threefold:

To ensure that Meritas students work collaboratively to develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.
To give Meritas students a profound understanding of the global challenges facing human beings and a sense of their own involvement in meeting these challenges.
To provide Meritas students and teachers with an opportunity to know and learn from one another and to feel part of a global village.

History

Touchpoints began in 2007-08 in Grades 2-8. In summer 2007, a group of teachers from each Meritas school met in Las Vegas to plan the curriculum. That year every Meritas school installed videoconferencing facilities, a green theme was adopted, and grade-level video conferences involving two-three schools simultaneously were scheduled.

During summer 2008 a team of two teachers from each Meritas school met in Monterrey, México, under the leadership of Hortensia Prieto. This team defined a new global problem for each grade, 2-8.

San Roberto Instituto

Touchpoints