UCLA/Palos Verdes Peninsula USD: East Asia and New Media in My Classroom
Fall-Winter 2005-2006

Application Deadline: November 4, 2005

Interested in adding more about East Asia to your curriculum? Wish you had taken East Asia-related courses in history, literature, politics, and geography in college? Eager to learn about effective teaching strategies and materials? Willing to invest some time this spring getting up to speed?

Home to a third of the world's people, some of the oldest and most complex civilizations, and several of the largest and most dynamic economies, East Asia has long interested Americans. A partnership between the UCLA Asia Institute, Palos Verdes Unified School District (PVPUSD), and the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia will equip secondary school teachers to help students learn about East Asia while developing vital analytical and communication skills.

The partnership is offering a 40-hour seminar this summer. Priority in enrollment will be given to world history and language arts teachers, though others may apply. These seminars will be held at a PVPUSD site.

The schedule is currently being finalized, but will include several Monday evenings (3 hours per session) and three Saturdays between November and early March. PVPUSD is providing participating teachers with an hourly stipend in addition to the stipend provided by the Asia Institute/NCTA.

Focusing on helping teachers address the California history, social studies, and language arts standards, we will offer presentations on the history and culture of the region, as well as discuss how East Asian case studies can be used to explore a variety of issues.

Participating teachers will also learn how to use the internet to conduct research and to present information to their students and how to design lessons and units that require students to use the internet to gather information, to collaborate with others to evaluate and synthesize this data, and to share their conclusions. By the end of the program, participating teachers will have developed lesson websites and East Asia-focused and web-based units to use with their students.

Among the technology skills we address are:

How to critically evaluate websites
Using discussion boards to facilitate collaboration and strengthen writing skills
Using email lists for announcements and as an interactive tool
Rapidly converting lecture outlines, reading and discussion questions, charts, and other materials into pages for student/parent web access

Freeman Foundation/National Consortium for Teaching about Asia support make it possible to provide participants and their schools with the following:

$500 stipend for each participant for satisfactory seminar participation and completion of requirements
$200 in East Asian reference and teaching materials for each participant
$300 school library grant (per participant) for acquisition of East Asia-focused materials
we expect to also offer (for a modest fee) UCLA Extension credit

Seminar presenters are experts on Asia and master teachers

Presenters are drawn from a remarkable pool of faculty and include teachers such as David Schaberg, author of the 2003 Association for Asian Studies-designated "best book on pre-modern China," Lynda Bell, professor of history and former director of the UC program in Beijing, Sam Yamashita, four time winner of Pomona College's distinguished professor award, Yang Ye, chair of UC Riverside's comparative literature program, Fred Notehelfer, author of the Encyclopedia Britannica's article on Modern Japan, and Lynne Miyake, specialist on women's literature and one of the most creative teachers anywhere.

The 40 hours are covered over the course of several weeks. Approximately 32 hours are focused on content and curriculum presentations, with the remaining 8 given over to developing new media skills and participants' own web units. Participants will have until January 30 to develop their curriculum units. These units and the library materials they have selected for their schools will be shared at a follow-up meeting in the winter.

We anticipate that teachers who successfully complete the seminar and its requirements will be able to participate in a partially subsidized study tour to China. PVPUSD, local firms, and other community members are working to make this possible.

Seminar requirements

First, you must have both the opportunity to bring East Asia into your classroom and a firm commitment to do so. Your current and anticipated teaching assignments must afford you the chance to teach about East Asia. Second, you need the endorsement of your principal. Third, you must be prepared to complete reading assignments and curriculum work outside of the 40 seminar hours. Teachers busy completing their credentials or engaged in heavy coursework, may find the program too demanding. Click here to see the seminar assignment.

To Apply

The seminar application deadline is November 4, 2005. You are required to complete an online registration form, submit a brief curriculum vita (detailing your educational background and work experience), and provide a letter from your principal or other supervisor confirming your teaching assignment and endorsing your participation. Click here to apply.

To see what previous seminars have done, please visit the Asia in the K-12 Curriculum section of the Asia Institute website (www.asia.ucla.edu).

Questions?

If you have questions, please write to Clayton Dube, UCLA Asia Institute Outreach Director, at cdube@international.ucla.edu or call him at (310) 825-0007. The seminar is limited to 25 teachers, so if you are interested, don't hesitate. Apply now.

UCLA/Palos Verdes Peninsula USD: East Asia and New Media in My Classroom Fall-Winter 2005-2006