This spring the East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University will hold a National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) Teaching about Asia seminar in St. Paul, Minnesota. The purpose of the program is to provide a solid foundation for teaching about East Asia.
Funded by the Freeman Foundation, the NCTA seminar is a no-cost professional development program for educators who are interested in learning about East Asian history and cultures. This 11-week/33-hour seminar provides a broad overview of the history and cultures of China, Japan, and Korea and gives participants the opportunity to discuss classroom applications and resources.
The class instructor will be P. Richard Bohr, Ph.D., a Professor of History and Founding Director of Asian Studies at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. The classes will be held Wednesdays, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. from January 5 through March 16, 2011. All classed will be held at Como Park Senior High School, in Room 1402.
Dr. Bohr said the NCTA was established 13 years ago by the Freeman Foundation to promote the study of East Asia at the 6-12 grade level throughout America. He has taught the annual Minnesota seminar since 2006.
“The Freemans were concerned that the next generations of American students would be unprepared for global citizenship and the increasing competition with countries like China, Japan, and South Korea in the international economy unless they began understanding East Asian languages and cultures before entering college, where they can begin to develop working relationships with Asians across the spectrum of professions in the newly-dawned ‘Asian Century’,” said Bohr. “An estimated one million students have been impacted by this national program in more than thirty states where the spring NCTA seminars aim at preparing 6-12 grade teachers to integrate Asian Studies into their classrooms.”
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive textbook materials and resources on East Asia and a certificate of participation. There is an optional three graduate credit purchase from Indiana University.
There will be a $300 grant made to the participants school for the purchase of East Asian resources along with a $500 personal stipend.
Bohr said that the teachers who emerge from the NCTA seminars have a very influential role in sparking student interest in East Asia and making them aware of the personal opportunities and professional challenges which will increasingly come their way from the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
First priority is given to middle-and high-school teachers that are in the strongest position to teach East Asia in their classes, however, elementary educators may also apply. The highest priority is given to teachers of world geography, world history, world cultures, religion, economics, and language arts/literature.
Media specialists, art teachers, world language teachers, guidance counselors, and Gifted and Talented teachers who are in a position to promote the sustained presence of Asia are also eligible to participate. In-service educators must be employed half-time or more in a K-12 public or private school to be eligible.
“Teaching the Minnesota seminar is very enriching for me,” Bohr added. “I have become a better college teacher after learning about the challenges which teachers in the lower grades confront in trying to educate their students about Asia.
“As a consequence of knowing what happens all along the way in student Asia literacy, I am much better able to help my students prepare for the Asia careers after they graduate from my university,” he added. “In my college classes, I draw upon my thirty years of promoting U.S.-East Asia relations in non-profit, government, and educational institutions. No task in American education is more urgent than creating future “Asia Hands” to keep the United States competitive in the global economy and to help our young people become effective global citizens.”
The online application form is available at
http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/seminar/documents/2011ApplicationForm.pdf. The application deadline is December 8, 2010 or until the seminar is full. For more details, see http://www.iu.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/seminar/index.shtml.
Unique program teaches Asia to teachers
This spring the East Asian Studies Center at Indiana University will hold a National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) Teaching about Asia seminar in St. Paul, Minnesota. The purpose of the program is to provide a solid foundation for teaching about East Asia.
Funded by the Freeman Foundation, the NCTA seminar is a no-cost professional development program for educators who are interested in learning about East Asian history and cultures. This 11-week/33-hour seminar provides a broad overview of the history and cultures of China, Japan, and Korea and gives participants the opportunity to discuss classroom applications and resources.
The class instructor will be P. Richard Bohr, Ph.D., a Professor of History and Founding Director of Asian Studies at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. The classes will be held Wednesdays, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. from January 5 through March 16, 2011. All classed will be held at Como Park Senior High School, in Room 1402.
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive textbook materials and resources on East Asia and a certificate of participation. There is an optional three graduate credit purchase from Indiana University.
There will be a $300 grant made to the participants school for the purchase of East Asian resources along with a $500 personal stipend.
First priority is given to middle-and high-school teachers that are in the strongest position to teach East Asia in their classes, however, elementary educators may also apply. The highest priority is given to teachers of world geography, world history, world cultures, religion, economics, and language arts/literature.
Media specialists, art teachers, world language teachers, guidance counselors, and Gifted and Talented teachers who are in a position to promote the sustained presence of Asia are also eligible to participate. In-service educators must be employed half-time or more in a K-12 public or private school to be eligible.
The online application form is available at
http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/seminar/documents/2011ApplicationForm.pdf. The application deadline is December 8, 2010 or until the seminar is full. For more details, see http://www.iu.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/seminar/index.shtml.
