Ava-Gaye Blackford found SIMA Classroom:

• Significantly improves teaching efficiency and productivity“Making the teaching and learning process more meaningful and connect learning to real world situations.”
• Significantly improves teacher knowledge and skills“Sima Classroom has helped me to become more acquainted with real world/ global issues. The videos that my students and I have viewed on Sima Classroom (A Way Forward, Fledgling, Girls in Control, Hope, Inner Me etc.) has helped to improve Intercultural understanding, respective for difference, global competence, social emotional learning and promote empathy among my students. I have seen students displaying more compassion towards each other. They are also more appreciative of their culture knowing that their is gender equality especially in attending school. It is simply amazing giving the students the ability to be able to see what is really happening outside the walls of the classroom out there in the real world. They are so surprised to see some of the things that transpire in the world. This experience has been an eye-opener for students. Students also became eager to find solutions to global issues and also volunteer to support in any way they can in and and around their community. Sima Classroom has exposed students to relevant, meaningful activities that both engage students emotionally and connect with the real world. This helps to build relevance by showing how theory can be applied in practice, establishing relevance to local cases and relating material to everyday applications. On SIMA Classroom we have watched short documentaries and VR experiences that bring global human rights issues and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to life. This platform has helped students with their project based activities when they had to present on various Sustainable Development Goals. We use these videos as conversation prompts and respond to the videos by engaging in discussions. As an educator I have also introduced other global educators to this platform to use when teaching the SDGS or on other global collaboration projects. This platform help students to build tolerance, understanding of global issues and bring real-life, compelling stories from around the world into classrooms. I include Innovative project based activities. Giving students opportunities to set their own goals and monitor their progress. Give student opportunities to move around, work with others and make choices about their learning. They make predictions and conduct experiments. I help students identify their own interests, goals and values. Then provide students with the opportunity to explore the world through Sima Classroom and experiences that spark curiosity, kindness and empathy, using activities designed to foster meaningful connections among students from around the world. My students are fascinated about learning about the world around them and communicating with their peers. ISima Classroom has helped my students to make connections with the real world and learn about the global challenges we face relating to poverty, inequality, climate, prosperity, peace and justice as we make connections with others around the world. My students and I are grateful to have been able to learn from and connect to people around the world regarding global issues relating to the SDGs and global issues. I have incorporated the Lesson plans on Sima classroom into my regular curriculum to make learning more relevant.”