Creating Global Bridges Through Korean Treasures

Teacher presents the project purpose, explaining that students will explore Korean cultural treasures and work with international classmates to design solutions for preserving and sharing these traditions globally.

Students watch a 5-minute video showcasing examples of Korean cultural treasures (traditional crafts, celebrations, food, historical sites) and discuss what makes these treasures special and worth protecting.

Teacher explains the Design Thinking process using a visual roadmap showing all 9 phases, from empathizing with communities to presenting final solutions.

Students discuss in pairs what Korean cultural treasures they already know about and share one example with the class, building excitement for the exploration ahead.

Students create a digital or visual 'cultural passport' using Canva or Google Slides that introduces themselves, their interests, and one Korean cultural treasure they know (e.g., Korean food, traditional clothing, celebrations).

Each student includes a personal photo, their name, age, hobbies, and a drawing or image of their chosen Korean treasure with a brief explanation of why it matters to them.

The class posts all cultural passports on the Class2Class Project Board, making them visible to the international partner class.

Students explore and read their international peers' passports, noticing similarities and differences in the treasures chosen and the reasons they value them.

Each student posts a welcoming comment on at least two peers' passports from the partner class, asking a question about their chosen treasure or sharing something they have in common.

Students conduct interviews with family members, community elders, or local cultural experts about Korean traditions, crafts, celebrations, or historical sites, using a prepared question guide provided by the teacher.

Students observe and document examples of Korean cultural heritage in their immediate environment, taking photos, sketching details, or collecting samples (e.g., visiting a Korean restaurant, cultural center, or family home).

Each student records findings in an observation journal, creating entries that describe what they learned, why the treasure matters to the person they interviewed, and how it connects to their community.

Working in small groups, students organize their findings into categories such as food, art, celebrations, language, and historical sites to understand what makes these treasures meaningful across different contexts.

Groups create a visual mind map or poster on the Class2Class Project Board showing their local discoveries, using photos, sketches, and quotes from interviews to bring their findings to life.

Teacher facilitates a class discussion where students share their most surprising discovery and explain why certain treasures matter deeply to their community.

Each class shares their local findings about Korean cultural treasures through a moderated forum on the Class2Class Project Board, posting photos, observation notes, and key insights from interviews.

Students read their international peers' discoveries and identify patterns, differences, and unique perspectives on the same cultural treasures (e.g., how Korean food traditions are valued differently in different countries).

Each student posts at least two thoughtful questions on the Project Board asking why certain treasures matter in different contexts and how cultural preservation varies by community.

Students use the Group Chat feature to have brief asynchronous conversations with their international partners about their findings, building empathy and understanding of diverse viewpoints.

Teacher guides a whole-class discussion where students reflect on what they learned about how Korean cultural treasures are understood and valued differently around the world.

Working in small groups, students synthesize their empathy research into key insights using a collaborative Google Doc, identifying patterns such as 'young people don't know about Korean traditions' or 'cultural treasures are at risk of being forgotten.'

Teams identify the core challenge: How can Korean cultural treasures be better preserved, shared, or celebrated in ways that engage young people globally?

Each group formulates 3-5 'How might we?' questions that reframe the challenge as an opportunity (e.g., 'How might we create a fun way for young people around the world to learn about Korean food traditions?' or 'How might we use technology to preserve endangered Korean crafts?').

Teams create a visual cause diagram using Canva showing why this challenge matters, including who is affected, what's at stake, and how solving it could create impact.

Each class shares their problem statement and cause diagram with the partner class via the Project Board, then teams use the Group Chat to collaborate and agree on a shared focus that combines both classes' insights.

Teacher facilitates a discussion where students explain their chosen problem in their own words and discuss why it's important to solve it together across cultures.

Students participate in a 'Brainstorm Blitz' using rapid ideation techniques (classic brainstorming, SCAMPER method, sketching), where the goal is quantity over quality to unlock creative thinking.

Working in pairs or small groups, students generate at least 20 ideas for solutions that could help preserve or share Korean cultural treasures with a global audience, writing each idea on a sticky note or in a shared Google Doc.

Ideas span diverse formats such as digital platforms (apps, websites, social media campaigns), educational games, community events, art projects, awareness campaigns, or interactive experiences.

Teams sketch or describe each idea briefly with a simple visual or one-sentence explanation, then cluster similar ideas together to identify common themes.

Groups evaluate their ideas using an impact-viability matrix, plotting each idea on a chart showing potential impact versus ease of implementation to identify the most promising concepts.

Teacher guides teams to select their top 5 ideas and prepare short descriptions explaining what each solution is and who it would help.

Each class shares their top 5 ideas with the partner class via a recorded video presentation, Google Slides, or detailed posts on the Project Board, explaining the problem each solution addresses and why it matters.

Students watch their international peers' ideas and add comments using 'Yes, and...' thinking, building on each other's concepts by suggesting improvements or creative additions that strengthen the original idea.

Teams discuss how cultural contexts shape solutions, considering questions like 'Would this work in both our countries?' and 'What would we need to change to make this idea work in different communities?'

Working together asynchronously through the Project Board and Group Chat, both classes select 2-3 finalist ideas that combine local knowledge with international perspectives and show the greatest potential for impact.

Teams document the collaborative selection process in a brief reflection, showing how cross-cultural input from international partners strengthened their ideas and led to better solutions.

Students build tangible, low-to-mid fidelity prototypes of their selected solutions using appropriate materials such as paper, cardboard, craft supplies, or digital tools, emphasizing quick learning over perfection.

Prototype examples include a paper mockup of a digital app interface for sharing Korean recipes, a physical craft display model, a storyboard for an educational video, a prototype awareness poster, or an interactive game board.

Teams document their prototypes with clear photos from multiple angles and create a brief explanation video (2-3 minutes) showing what the solution is, how it works, who it helps, and why it matters.

Students post their prototype photos and videos on the Class2Class Project Board, making them visible to the international partner class for feedback and discussion.

Teacher facilitates a class 'prototype gallery walk' where students examine each team's prototype, ask clarifying questions, and offer initial observations about what works well and what could be improved.

Each class presents their prototypes to the partner class via recorded video demonstration or live presentation (asynchronous or synchronous, depending on scheduling), explaining the design choices and how the solution addresses the shared challenge.

International peers provide structured feedback using a simple form posted on the Project Board, answering questions such as: What works well? What's unclear? Would this solution work in your context? Why or why not? What would you change?

Teams review feedback from international partners and identify patterns in responses, noting which aspects resonated across cultures and which parts might need adaptation for different contexts.

Students test their prototypes with real users in their local community, including classmates, families, teachers, and community members, conducting brief interviews or administering feedback surveys.

During user testing, students ask questions such as: Did this solution help you understand Korean culture better? Would you use or recommend it? What worked well? What could improve?

Teams observe and document user reactions, take detailed notes, collect written feedback, and synthesize findings into themes, identifying the top 2-3 improvements needed based on both international and local feedback.

Teams hold a collaborative meeting to review all feedback collected from international peers and local users, discussing what worked well, what was confusing, and what surprised them.

Students create a simple improvement plan using a Google Doc or shared chart, listing each piece of feedback and deciding which improvements are most important to make before the final version.

Teams discuss how cultural differences might require adaptations, considering questions like 'Would this solution need to be different for audiences in other countries?' and 'How can we make this more inclusive?'

Teacher guides teams to prioritize improvements based on impact and feasibility, helping them focus on changes that will have the biggest positive effect on their solution's success.

Teams build improved versions of their prototypes (version 2.0) based on the feedback they collected, making changes to address user concerns and international partner suggestions.

Students document what changed in their prototype and explain why each change was made, creating a simple before-and-after comparison using photos or sketches.

Teams create a brief 'Iteration Story' video or Google Slides presentation showing the feedback they received, the changes they made, and how the improvements make the solution better for their global audience.

Each class shares their refined solutions with the partner class via the Project Board, explaining how international collaboration and user testing shaped the improvements and strengthened the final design.

Students organize a local 'Innovation Showcase' event where they present their final solutions to the school community, including families, teachers, and other students, displaying prototypes and campaign materials.

Each team delivers a 3-5 minute pitch explaining the problem they identified, their design process, the solution they created, testing results, and the potential impact of their work.

Teams answer questions from the audience, demonstrate how their prototypes work, and distribute campaign materials or information about their solutions to interested community members.

Simultaneously, both classes participate in a joint virtual celebration where they present their solutions to each other via video call or recorded presentations, exchanging appreciation messages and celebrating their collaborative achievement.

Students co-create a compilation video showing the complete design journey from problem discovery through final solution, including interviews with team members, footage of prototypes, and testimonials from users who tested the solutions.

Teacher facilitates a closing ceremony where students recognize each other's contributions, celebrate the international friendships built, and reflect on how their solutions could create real-world impact in preserving and sharing Korean cultural treasures globally.

Students participate in a guided reflection discussion using prompts such as: What did we learn about solving real-world problems? How did our solution evolve from first idea to final version? What was most challenging? What would we do differently?

Each student completes a self-assessment rubric evaluating their own collaboration skills, critical thinking, creativity, and intercultural communication during the project.

Teams conduct peer feedback sessions where each member shares one strength and one growth area for every teammate, using specific examples from the project work.

Students write individual reflections answering: How could our solution create real impact? What surprised you about working with international partners? What will you remember most about this project?

Teacher facilitates a whole-class discussion where students share key learnings about Design Thinking, the importance of user feedback, and how diverse perspectives strengthen solutions.

Both classes create a shared digital reflection mural on the Class2Class Project Board where students post key takeaways about design thinking and international collaboration using text, drawings, or short videos.

Students write brief reflections addressing: How did working with global friends change our understanding of Korean culture? What surprised us about solving problems together across cultures? How could our solutions be scaled or adapted for bigger impact?

Each student posts a thank you message to their international partners on the Project Board, highlighting specific moments of collaboration or insights they gained from their global friends.

Classes exchange closing remarks and create a final group message celebrating the cross-cultural relationships built and the insights gained about collaborative problem-solving across borders.

Teacher shares a compilation of all student reflections with both classes, documenting the learning journey and the meaningful connections formed through this international Design Thinking project.