Humanities united – interdisciplinary approach to migrations

International School Savremena takes pride in organising its teaching in a truly different way, combining similar or completely different subjects to find the perfect formula to make lessons fun and memorable for its students, and helping them learn as much as possible.

This is how, on 15 March, geography teacher, Mr Vladimir Milošević, History teacher, Mr Darko Tmušić, and Global Perspectives teacher, Ms Tatjana Koluvija, came to the idea to combine their subjects and teach Year 10 students the topic of migrations, forced and unforced, employing all three sciences to get to the core of this phenomenon.

Prior to the lesson, the students had been given a special task that would encourage them to take active participation in lessons and be ready to discuss the topics that would be covered in class. Organised into teams, they had to do research and prepare group presentations on the topic Different historical and geographical perspectives of migrations around the world. Each team chose their own region and country to present – the USA, Europe, Mexico, Vietnam, Siberia, covering all parts of the world. To make the topic even more entertaining, the students were asked to vote and award points for the best presentation, teamwork, and team leader, which gave the lesson a competitive touch and encouraged the students to do their best.

Having learnt about different migrations from their classmates, Savremena’s students were able to analyse them and discuss the causes, consequences, advantages and disadvantages of the process, while applying critical thinking skills, crucial for the development of young knowledge-thirsty minds and thoroughly practised in Global Perspectives lessons.

Teaching skills rather than knowledge

Apart from showcasing excellent presentation and public speaking skills, this lesson made Savremena’s Year 10 geography and history students unite to show how much they know about their chosen humanity. Moreover, they have certainly learnt another important lesson that goes beyond pure knowledge – how to collaborate with their team, overcome potential challenges of group work, and contribute to their project’s outcome by actively participating and contributing to it with their own individual work.

The interdisciplinary geography, history and Global Perspectives lesson is yet another example of how creativity and collaboration among teachers can bring excellent results and an unforgettable experience for their students. Savremena’s students surely can’t wait to see what their teachers will surprise them with next!

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.