The Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS) in Colorado is a magnet school for grades 6-12 that has fully integrated global perspectives throughout the curriculum. Students are encouraged to engage with the rest of the world through project-based learning, technology, and travel abroad. By deeply diving into the core tenets of global competence (investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas, and take action), learning is made engaging and relevant, while preparing them for college, careers, and the global society they will graduate into. As DCIS teacher, Brady Efting says, “The world is getting smaller, if the kids don’t have the skills to maneuver and operate in the world, they’re going to get left behind.”
We have written before about the unique Passages program at DCIS, where students participate in a multi-year, project-based course that allows them to partake in self-directed learning and create a portfolio of work. Jenna, a DCIS student states, “Passages are the most academically rigorous thing we do here, I can quite easily say that!” Our new video series with the Teaching Channel now allows you to see it in action.
DCIS is a member of Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network, which is part of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Deeper Learning Community of Practice.