I'm enormously excited about sharing information again about the upcoming Teachers for Global Classrooms applications. And not only because this State Department-sponsored program offers great professional development (online and in person) and travel to Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco (!) or Ukraine. Although that's certainly enough to excite any global teacher.
What really excites me, and thrills me, quite frankly, is that I recently heard from a North Carolina teacher who applied last year, was accepted, and, in her words, is now on "an amazing journey" that will take her abroad in summer, 2012.
This could be you, dear reader, dear teacher. Please apply by March 12. Go on your own amazing journey. It's your turn.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
International Opportunities
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| This could be you! |
BRING THE WORLD TO YOUR SCHOOL!
Explore these fully funded programs that are supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and implemented by American Councils for International Education!
CONNECT INTERNATIONALLY
The Educational Seminars Program provides short-term professional development opportunities to teachers and administrators from around the world, for 2-3 week reciprocal exchange programs and one-way professional development programs. Participating countries include Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, and Uruguay for reciprocal exchanges and Greece, India, and Italy for one-way programs.
All Educational Seminars provide airfare, training, travel health care, and living costs. For more information, please visit www.americancouncils.org/es or email edseminars@americancouncils.org.
Upcoming Program Application Deadlines: January 6 and March 30, 2012
HOST A GUEST TEACHER
The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) places EFL teachers from China and Egypt in U.S. K-12 host schools for an academic year where they teach Mandarin or Arabic language and culture. TCLP provides teachers’ salaries, healthcare, roundtrip airfare, training, professional development funds, and ongoing program support.
To increase the number of Americans teaching and learning these critical languages, selected host schools also receive access to grant opportunities to support language learning projects. For more information, please visit www.tclprogram.org or email tclp@americancouncils.org.
Program Application Deadline: January 9, 2012
STUDY LANGUAGE IN EGYPT AND CHINA
Intensive Summer Language Institutes (ISLI) provides fellowships for U.S. classroom teachers to spend six weeks overseas studying intermediate and advanced-level Arabic in Alexandria, Egypt, and Chinese in Changchun, China. Current K-12 teachers, community college instructors of Arabic and Mandarin Chinese, and students enrolled in education programs who intend to teach these languages can apply. Participants earn ten hours of graduate credit through Bryn Mawr College, and are provided with peer tutors and roundtrip airfare. All travel and study-related costs are fully covered. For more information, please visit www.americancouncils.org/isli or email isli@americancouncils.org.
Program Application Deadline: March 2, 2012
Friday, October 7, 2011
Nobel Peace Prize 2011
The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded jointly to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work".
Two African and one Middle Eastern women working for peace in challenging regions and times. Their backgrounds and roles are each different, but their goals are the same.
One of the best outcomes of the Nobel Peace Prize is the opportunity for all of us, students and teachers, to learn more about the most courageous people on earth. Right now, news agencies are scrambling to get together bios, video, links, writings on the new Peace Laureates.
Set your students to finding them! And for now, reflect on Leymah Gbowee's comment from her phone interview today. "Truly women have a place."
Nobel Prize for Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2011 is awarded to Tomas Tranströmer "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality".
And with that, let's go directly to those images. Two poems by Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer here
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2011
From the Nobel Foundation:
The 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Dan Shechtman "for the discovery of quasicrystals".
Quasicrystals. And--they are?
Something so strange that when new Laureate Shechtman first saw the structure through an electron microscope, he drew three question marks and muttered to himself "eyn chaya kazo" (Hebrew for "there can be no such creature").
In this YouTube video, Shechtman explains how his ten-fold symmetry discovery broke (and broke open) the laws of matter we'd assumed were universal. Go ahead--he's a great explainer! And you can forgive him for smiling as he talks about being ridiculed and expelled from a research group for talking about what he'd observed.
More information about quasicrystals here. And tantalizing connections between Shechtman's chemistry research and principles of art (including the Golden Ratio) here.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Nobel Prize in Physics 2011
(Drumroll) And the winners are--
"The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae" with one half to Saul Perlmutter and the other half jointly to Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess."
Anybody else thinking of the scene from Annie Hall when a young Woody Allen mutters morosely that the universe is expanding, and his distraught mother yells, "What is it your business? Brooklyn is not expanding!"
Well, it turns out it's expanding at an even faster rate than we once thought. Listen to a phone interview in which Adam G. Riess remembers the moment he realized what his data was revealing. (And he gives a classy hat tip to fellow Laureate Einstein. "Maybe he should be getting the Nobel Prize again!")
The stars--distant supernovae and otherwise--have stories well worth the exploration. Read more about Laureates' stellar explorations here.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Nobel Prize Week
This is it--Fashion Week for Nobel geeks (and I'm proud to be one of them). This is the week when the entire world press decides to give us primo subject matter for globalizing the curriculum. That's why I wait for it impatiently every year. From the Nobel Foundation:
The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was divided, one half jointly to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann "for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity" and the other half to Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity".
Sadly, Ralph M. Steinman, died just a few days ago. The Nobel Foundation, however, has determined to award the prize posthumously.
In addition to honoring some of the most productive and creative people in the world (and that's quite enough on its own), the Nobel Foundation makes available excellent resources for teaching our students, and ourselves about the Laureates' work. So you can learn more about immune responses here.
This is teaching science with a global focus. Teaching the world, indeed.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Free Workshop on Iraq
Score one for integrating the arts and social studies.
My colleague at UNC, history professor Sarah Shields, had the brilliant idea of a workshop for North Carolina teachers that would introduce what we seldom see in textbooks and on the news--the art, music, and literature of Iraq.
Yes, art, music, and literature. And, yes, Iraq. We're so used to thinking about Iraq in terms of war, we've forgotten its rich traditional (and contemporary) culture. And we can't teach what we've forgotten, or didn't know about in the first place.
So Professor Shields proposed inviting artists, two Iraqi and one Kurdish, to Chapel Hill, to present and discuss their art with North Carolina teachers. The Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, the UNC History Department, and the UNC Honors Program stepped up to provide the necessary funding. The workshop is scheduled for November 12th. More information here.
Just last week we began to publicize the event among our state's teachers. And the response?
Overwhelming. More than half the available spaces are claimed already by teachers eager to learn more about Iraqi culture and art.
If you're a North Carolina teacher interested in enriching your teaching of the Middle East, contact me now. I'll save a seat for you!
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| Watercolor and Black Ink by Lukman Ahmad |
My colleague at UNC, history professor Sarah Shields, had the brilliant idea of a workshop for North Carolina teachers that would introduce what we seldom see in textbooks and on the news--the art, music, and literature of Iraq.
Yes, art, music, and literature. And, yes, Iraq. We're so used to thinking about Iraq in terms of war, we've forgotten its rich traditional (and contemporary) culture. And we can't teach what we've forgotten, or didn't know about in the first place.
So Professor Shields proposed inviting artists, two Iraqi and one Kurdish, to Chapel Hill, to present and discuss their art with North Carolina teachers. The Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, the UNC History Department, and the UNC Honors Program stepped up to provide the necessary funding. The workshop is scheduled for November 12th. More information here.
Just last week we began to publicize the event among our state's teachers. And the response?
Overwhelming. More than half the available spaces are claimed already by teachers eager to learn more about Iraqi culture and art.
If you're a North Carolina teacher interested in enriching your teaching of the Middle East, contact me now. I'll save a seat for you!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Funding for Field Trips
Look into this funding for field trips for yourself and/or forward to a colleague now. Deadline is October 3, 2011.
Target Corporation is accepting applications from education professionals for the Target Field Trip Grants program to bring K-12 students in the United States to museums, historical sites, and cultural organizations.
Since launching the program in 2007, Target has awarded $9.76 million in grants -- providing 1.2 million students in all fifty states with the opportunity to enhance their studies in the arts, math, science, and social studies. Grants are intended to fund visits to art, science, and cultural museums; community service or civic projects; career enrichment opportunities; and other events or activities away from the school facility.
Over five thousand grants of up to $700 will be awarded in January 2012. Grants are available to applicants from the U.S. for trips to be taken between January 1, 2012, and the end of the 2011-12 academic year (May/June 2012). Funds may be used to cover field trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, food, resource materials, and supplies.
Education professionals who are at least 18 years old and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private, or charter school in the U.S. that maintains 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status are eligible to apply. Educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff at these institutions must be willing to plan and execute a field trip that will provide a demonstrable learning experience for students.
The Target Field Trip Grants program is managed and administered entirely by Scholarship America.
Visit the Target Web site for complete program guidelines and access to the application form.
Target Corporation is accepting applications from education professionals for the Target Field Trip Grants program to bring K-12 students in the United States to museums, historical sites, and cultural organizations.
Since launching the program in 2007, Target has awarded $9.76 million in grants -- providing 1.2 million students in all fifty states with the opportunity to enhance their studies in the arts, math, science, and social studies. Grants are intended to fund visits to art, science, and cultural museums; community service or civic projects; career enrichment opportunities; and other events or activities away from the school facility.
Over five thousand grants of up to $700 will be awarded in January 2012. Grants are available to applicants from the U.S. for trips to be taken between January 1, 2012, and the end of the 2011-12 academic year (May/June 2012). Funds may be used to cover field trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, food, resource materials, and supplies.
Education professionals who are at least 18 years old and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private, or charter school in the U.S. that maintains 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status are eligible to apply. Educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff at these institutions must be willing to plan and execute a field trip that will provide a demonstrable learning experience for students.
The Target Field Trip Grants program is managed and administered entirely by Scholarship America.
Visit the Target Web site for complete program guidelines and access to the application form.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Teaching Ramadan
If you're in session (and some of you are already), take some time to mention that we're in the middle of the month of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and prayer.
Very helpful background information about Ramadan here.
And share these beautiful photos of Ramadan celebrated around the world.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Free Webinar on Teaching 9/11
Delighted to share news of this terrific program from our colleagues at Harvard. I'm registering right now!
Webinar: Responding to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 in the Classroom
The Outreach Center of Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies is offering a free webinar for teachers featuring educator-created resources and lesson plans for teaching 9/11 in 5th through 12th grade classrooms. Read more about the webinar here.
The one-hour webinar is scheduled for August 25th and will begin at 7 pm EDT. Presentations and discussions will take place entirely online, in an elluminate virtual classroom. This platform runs through Java, and does not require any downloading of additional software.
Register for this webinar here. Once registered, you will be given a URL for the virtual classroom location.
Webinar: Responding to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 in the Classroom
The Outreach Center of Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies is offering a free webinar for teachers featuring educator-created resources and lesson plans for teaching 9/11 in 5th through 12th grade classrooms. Read more about the webinar here.
The one-hour webinar is scheduled for August 25th and will begin at 7 pm EDT. Presentations and discussions will take place entirely online, in an elluminate virtual classroom. This platform runs through Java, and does not require any downloading of additional software.
Register for this webinar here. Once registered, you will be given a URL for the virtual classroom location.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Grants for Social Studies Teachers
If you're a North Carolina teacher, you can get a grant of up to $1,000 to support innovative teaching in social studies.
Deadline is December 31, 2011. Check out the details and application here (scroll down).
Make time to do this. I'll bet you have a great idea simmering . . . .
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Meeting K-12 and CC Folks
One of those days when you (okay, I) say, "nothing's better than outreach!"
Had a great opportunity to talk with fifty-five North Carolina K-12 and community college educators, in the brethren-hood of my fellow outreach folks at UNC, Duke, and NC State. Love to see teachers' expressions when you hand them stuff for the classroom and say there's more if you want it. And love even more the response when you say, "we'd really like to hear what you'd value most from us."
It'll be a busy summer. I can't wait to get started!
Had a great opportunity to talk with fifty-five North Carolina K-12 and community college educators, in the brethren-hood of my fellow outreach folks at UNC, Duke, and NC State. Love to see teachers' expressions when you hand them stuff for the classroom and say there's more if you want it. And love even more the response when you say, "we'd really like to hear what you'd value most from us."
It'll be a busy summer. I can't wait to get started!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Teacher Trip to Morocco
Another exciting grant opportunity for June. This one could take you to Morocco.
"The Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) Program provides a professional development opportunity for middle and high school teachers from the United States to participate in a program aimed at globalizing US classrooms.
TGC is a program of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by IREX.
Activities include:
• An online course designed specifically for US teachers aiming to globalize their classrooms;
• Two Global Education Symposiums in Washington, DC (pre and post travel); and
• An international fellowship through a two week country visit upon successful completion of the online course.
Travel under this program will be to one of the following countries: Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, or Ukraine."
What can I say? An online course, pre- and post-travel global education symposium, and, did you see, you get to go to Morocco for two weeks?
You've got to find out about this. Read more here. Deadline is June 15.
"The Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) Program provides a professional development opportunity for middle and high school teachers from the United States to participate in a program aimed at globalizing US classrooms.
TGC is a program of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by IREX.
Activities include:
• An online course designed specifically for US teachers aiming to globalize their classrooms;
• Two Global Education Symposiums in Washington, DC (pre and post travel); and
• An international fellowship through a two week country visit upon successful completion of the online course.
Travel under this program will be to one of the following countries: Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, or Ukraine."
What can I say? An online course, pre- and post-travel global education symposium, and, did you see, you get to go to Morocco for two weeks?
You've got to find out about this. Read more here. Deadline is June 15.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Grant to Teach Turkey
Curriculum Development Grants of The American Turkish Society, initiated in the spring of 2010, offer funds to elementary and secondary school teachers nationwide to develop innovative curricula, projects and other classroom activities about Turkey. Our aim with this grant program is to increase knowledge about Turkey among teachers and students and stimulate interest in teaching and learning about Turkey.
Grants will cover the costs of research, materials, speakers, and other costs incurred by the school or the teacher. The amount of grants will range from $250 to $2,500, depending on the scope of the project, availability of total funds, and the number of projects selected through a competitive process. Preference will be given to schools that do not currently have Turkey-related programs in place. The American Turkish Society encourages all applicants to identify additional sources of funding where possible.
Once selected, the grantees will be free to develop their proposed projects without editorial input from The Society. However, they will participate in follow-up activities for evaluation purposes and will be asked to share any teaching plans, materials and activities with The American Turkish Society for future dissemination.
Application process for Fall 2011 Semester:
Application deadline (extended!): June 3, 2011
Notification: July 15, 2011
Please submit proposals including:
1) A 2-page summary with project description, including tools, materials, and methods to be used; objectives and anticipated impact; and the teacher's relevant qualifications.
2) Project budget with detailed breakdown of costs and grant amount requested
3) CV of teacher
4) Letter of support from school
Interested parties may send proposals to The American Turkish Society at info@americanturkishsociety.org or 3 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Middle East Outreach
I'm still for teaching the world on a shoestring, for sure. But now I'm the Outreach Director for the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, so resources and support will have a distinctively Middle Eastern flavor. I'll be adding to resources on our site in the coming weeks.
And a good time for it! We're all glued to events in Egypt and Tunisia and Bahrain and beyond.
Have you been teaching the crucial role of Facebook, Twitter, and informal broadcasting in Egypt? If so, you may be interested in this recent video from Cairo. It's a response to international support (also conveyed by social media) in beautiful images and many different languages. Enjoy!
And a good time for it! We're all glued to events in Egypt and Tunisia and Bahrain and beyond.
Have you been teaching the crucial role of Facebook, Twitter, and informal broadcasting in Egypt? If so, you may be interested in this recent video from Cairo. It's a response to international support (also conveyed by social media) in beautiful images and many different languages. Enjoy!
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