13 Jan 2016
““Cambridge Global Perspectives was an engaging course that encouraged us to consider how various perspectives shape social conditions and our mind-sets,” says Megha Nanaki Parwani (pictured), the June 2015 Cambridge ‘Top in the World’ award winner for Global Perspectives and student at United World College South East Asia (East campus) Singapore.
We talked to Megha recently about her experiences of studying Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives. She said: “What I enjoyed most about the course was how it allowed us to apply the thinking skills we develop in school beyond the academic sphere and directly to the world around us. It equipped us to break down and evaluate several significant global issues at a crucial time in our lives: when we, as young adults, are defining where we stand and what we stand for.
“My major takeaway from the course is that asserting a perspective is easy, but tracing its origins, understanding its formation against other perspectives and evaluating its implications is not. It is these further considerations that enable us to make meaningful change.
“The course honed a kind of comprehensive analytical ability that I anticipate will be important in university education. On a more personal level, exposure to various ideologies during the course helped me develop informed empathies, greater open-mindedness and self-awareness that will be useful in and beyond an academic setting.”
When we asked about her future plans, Megha said: “I am interested in international relations, economics and journalism. I would like to pursue a degree and career in one or more of these areas.”
UWCSEA (East Campus) is a new campus and has been registered with Cambridge since opening. “This is our fourth cohort of students,” said Head teacher of Cambridge Global Perspectives, Ms Louisa Radford.
We asked Louisa to explain what it’s like to teach Global Perspectives: “Students are expected to question what they learn, to look at situations from a multitude of perspectives and understand the importance of balance in their writing. Students in Grade 11 frequently comment on how glad they were to have done the Global Perspectives course, as it was the only subject where they had experience of these skills.
“Global Perspectives also develops students’ researching and referencing skills. We can teach students how to ensure that they credit their sources using a recognised referencing system.
“Finally, and perhaps most importantly given our context, the course is closely aligned with our mission and bridges the gap between this and our academic program. Students see the relevance of their classroom-based learning to the service element of our curriculum, and it empowers them to understand how the UWCSEA holistic approach is addressing the mission of the school. Several students have said how this course was the time when they saw in practical terms how they could instigate change in a reasoned, well-founded and sustainable way.”
When asked what she thought of Megha’s success, Louisa replied: “Megha is an exceptional student both in and out of the classroom. She is an inspiration for both her teachers and her peers and we are extremely proud of her success.”
Learn more about Cambridge Global Perspectives.