The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference in San Diego November 30-December 2 featured many sessions on Asia. TEA staff spearheaded several of the sessions, including Beijing Welcomes the World: Teaching about the Issues and Impacts of the 2008 Summer Olympics and Crossing Cultures and Bridging Curricula through Children's Literature.

Approximately 20 Asia-related sessions were offered at the conference. As part of the International Film Festival that coincided with the conference, the Korean movie Festival directed by Im Kown Taek was shown, with an accompanying lecture by Mark A. Peterson, Head of the Korean Section of the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages at Brigham Young University.

Educators are invited to join the NCSS Asia Community group for $3. Its members are interested in promoting and advancing K-16 teaching and learning about Asia.  The Community serves as a vehicle by which members can communicate, interact, and share ideas, research, and common concerns pertaining to teaching and learning about Asia. The Asia Community has a new website where NCSS members can discuss current topics and share information about instructional resources and professional development opportunities: http://communities.ncss.org/communities/asia. To join the Asia community, contact Catherine Ishida.

NCTA Celebrates 10 Years of Success: 1998-2008

The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, a multiyear initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in American schools, will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary.

In 1997, responding to a challenge from the Freeman Foundation to make education about East Asia a permanent part of the curriculum, five Asian outreach specialists proposed a national grassroots approach to foster the teaching and study of East Asia in middle and secondary courses of world history, world cultures, and world geography. The proposal was accepted with five national coordinating sites located in the states of Colorado, Indiana, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington.  The first NCTA seminars were held in 1998.  During that seminal year, NCTA held a total of 27 seminars in 16 states, reaching 477 teachers.

From its inception, participants in NCTA seminars have received 30 hours of quality instruction on East Asian history and cultures from leading experts in the field, professional stipends, course materials, curriculum materials for their schools, and course credit or recertification credit (available in most sites).  

In its third year, the five national coordinating sites added two partner sites and began taking teachers who had completed the seminars on study tours to East Asia.  By the end of its sixth year, NCTA was enrolling more than 1000 teachers per year in its seminars.   Presently, NCTA is working from 33 sites offering more than 70 seminars yearly across the nation.  Participants include teachers of world geography, world history, world cultures, religion, economics, and language arts/literature. Media specialists, art teachers, world language teachers, gifted and talented teachers, and others have also taken advantage of the exceptional opportunities NCTA offers.

Summer 2008 will mark the completion of a decade of work and achievements.  NCTA will have impacted more than 9,000 teachers who, in turn, will have taught more than 3 million students in 46 states. 

Become part of the NCTA success story in your state!
Visit http://www.NCTAsia.org.

See the NCTA Seminars section of this Enews for upcoming NCTA workshops under the aegis of the University of Colorado.

Jan. 19: Texts and Contexts: Japan through Children's Literature workshop for K-6 educators. Explore hands-on teacher-developed activities for integrating Japan into your elementary curriculum through exemplary children's literature. Discuss resources for Japan exchange programs for your classroom and school. Learn about Japanese educational practices and elementary-school life. Presenters include alumni of the 2006 and 2007 Texts and Contexts elementary study tours to Japan. Participants will receive lessons from colleagues who have visited the places and spaces described in authentic literature. Registration deadline is January 11.

NEW DATE! Jan. 26: The Center for Asian Studies presents Spice, Rice, and Daily Life, a hands-on K-12 teacher workshop, third in the Asian Arts in the Classroom series. Attendees will 1) receive information on modern-day Vietnam from economic, historical, political, cultural, and humanistic perspectives; 2) experience a hands-on Thai cooking demonstration and discuss how elements of the cuisine illuminate cultural norms; 3) eat a traditional Thai meal and receive curriculum from SPICE. Registration forms are due by January 18. Questions? Contact Courtney Zenner.

Asian Art Association at the Denver Art Museum:

Feb. 20, 2008:  Dong Son Bronzes Lecture. Reception 5:30.  Lecture 6-7 pm at Hamilton Building, Sharp Auditorium. Dr. Chan Kieu will present Dong Son Bronzes, details to be determined. For more information, email hquist@denverartmuseum.org or visit http://www.denverartmuseum.org/asianart.

New Opportunities

March 1-2, 2008: China's Encounter with the West: A History Institute for Teachers, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Those accepted will attend free and have travel, meals, and lodging paid. China's rapid economic development made possible in part by institutions and policies it implemented based on its two-century encounter with the West has led to its emergence as a great power. The PRC's interaction with the West – and the U.S. especially – has become and will remain a central concern of international relations. Foreign Policy Research Institute's Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education is therefore pleased to cooperate with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Asia Program in sponsoring a weekend-long history institute that will provide teachers cutting-edge scholarship on the origins and current state of China's encounter with the West. To apply by January 15, please email your resume and a short statement describing your current teaching or professional assignments, your reasons for wanting to attend, and how your students or school district will benefit from your participation to: lux@fpri.org.

July 13-19, 2008: Indiana University's East Asian Studies Center’s 2008 Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School workshop application and information about the workshop, schedules, reading lists, and lesson plans from previous years’ workshops are now available online. The workshop, to take place in Bloomington, Indiana, is generously funded by the Freeman Foundation. This weeklong workshop provides a broad overview of East Asian literature to high school English and world literature teachers. Participants are responsible for a $60 registration fee (if accepted), two meals a day during the workshop, and travel to and from Bloomington. All other costs will be covered.

July 21-30, 2008: Summer Institute for Secondary Teachers: China’s Transformations on the Eve of the Olympics at University of Colorado at Boulder. All eyes are on China as it prepares for the 2008 Olympics. At such a critical time, it is important for American students and teachers to understand the dynamic issues that define China today. Summer institute participants will analyze China’s recent economic, political, and social changes, including such issues as political changes and individual freedom issues; environmental challenges of rapid modernization; the growing divides between rich and poor, urban and rural in China today; as well as insights into world media coverage of China and the Olympics. All major participant costs of the institute are covered through a grant by the Freeman Foundation. Applications are available here and must be received by March 7. For more information, e-mail Jon.Zeljo@colorado.edu.

Feb. 29 (deadline): U.S.-China Teachers Exchange Program
through the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is now seeking applications for an exchange program for teachers in American and Chinese schools. This is an unusual opportunity for schools and districts wishing to begin or to strengthen Chinese language and culture programs and for teachers wishing to live and teach in China. Those interested in the exchange should send a letter to the Teachers Exchange Program, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1901, New York, NY  10010, for more information and an application package. 

April 17-19, 2008: The National Chinese Language Conference will take place at Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. The Conference is co-organized by Asia Society and The College Board, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), STARTALK, the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Oregon K-16 Flagship, Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA), Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS), National Council of State Supervisors for Foreign Languages (NCSSFL), Heritage Language Communities, and more.

Reminders of Formerly Mentioned Opportunities

January (applications available): NCTA Study Tour: Visualizing Japan: History, Contemporary Culture, and the Arts. Tentative dates: June 26-July 16, 2008. Planned cities include Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Kamakura. Participants will visit schools, meet with specialists and artists, experience homestays, and talk with atomic bomb survivors. Eligible applicants will have successfully completed a CU-Boulder or partner site NCTA seminar and all requirements by March 1, 2008. Applications are available at http://www.colorado.edu/CAS/TEA.

July 7-11, 2008: The Fifth Annual Seminar on Korean History and Culture and the Korean American Experience for K-12 Educators in Los Angeles. This five-day seminar includes over 60 elementary, middle, and high school public and independent school teachers, administrators, and curricular supervisors.  It offers a unique opportunity to learn about Korean history and culture and the Korean American experience. $75 registration fee. Sponsors: The Korean Cultural Center and the Korea Academy for Educators (KAFE), a recently established non-profit. For applications and more information, contact Mary Connor at Mary@KoreaAcademy.org after January 15, 2008.

Feb. 1 (deadline): The Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Awards recognize exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese.  The national awards are presented annually to two pre-college teachers in two categories, humanities and Japanese language, and consist of a certificate of recognition, a $2,500 monetary award, and $5,000 in project funds. The awards are named in honor of Elgin Heinz for his commitment to educating students about Asia as well as for the inspiration he has provided to the field of pre-college education. The 2007 winner of this award is Colorado Springs teacher Alex Echevarria. Congratulations, Alex! More information available at: www.us-jf.org.

Join an NCTA 30-hour professional development seminar in your area, offered through the NCTA national coordinating site at the Program for Teaching East Asia, University of Colorado.

Five new seminars will begin in January 2008:

Adams 12/North Denver Suburbs, Colorado

Jefferson County/West Denver Suburbs

Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois at Augustana College

Belleville, Illinois at the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education

Ongoing information and registrations available at: http://www.colorado.edu/CAS/TEA/nctasites.html

The Program for Teaching East Asia
University of Colorado at Boulder
595 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309

(303) 735-5122

Updated Elementary School Life Japan Resource Center Trunk is Now Available for Check-out
Updates include photographs for use with the trunk’s artifacts, articles and instructional information for teachers, ties to other Resource Center materials, easy writing activities, and a new organization based on questions that elementary students are likely to ask about school life in Japan.  Artifacts include an elementary child’s backpack, uniform, text books, lunch box, and school supplies.  Please email Jessica.Rodd@colorado.edu if you would like further information on the Teaching East Asia Japan trunks.

TEA's Curriculum Resource Center offers teachers throughout the western U.S. access to a wealth of classroom resources. Print and audio-visual materials are available for two-week loan; artifact trunks for one-week rental. The resource center is open by appointment, and staff are available by phone to assist teachers during regular business hours. Latest additions to the center include:

Li, Lillian et. al. Beijing from Imperial Capital to Olympic City. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. (Contemporary Issues, China)

This is the first book in English to trace Bejing's vibrant history from its earliest days to the present. It highlights recent changes in the city as its more than fifteen million people live through record-level economic growth and intensive preparations for the 2008 Olympics.

Ye, Sang. China Candid: The People on the People's Republic. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. (Contemporary Issues, China)

This collection of absorbing interviews with twenty-six men, women, and children take the reader into the complex realities of the People's Republic of China today. Through intimate conversations conducted over many years, China Candid provides an alternative history of the nation from its founding as a socialist state in 1949 up to the present.

Nanyan, Cao. China World Heritage Sites. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2007. (General, China)

China, the Middle Kingdom, showcases the rich history, diverse cultures, and stunning sights of China. Evocative texts and stunning photos bring the China experience to life, giving readers a taste of what they can expect to see and experience in the Middle Kingdom.

Common Experiences, Different Visions. Champaign, IL: Media Production Group, 1994. VHS (Education, Japan)

This 55-minute video documentary presents the differing perceptions of common experiences of two teams of high school students – an American team of students from high schools in the state of Indiana and a Japanese team of students from Kaminokawa High School in Tochigi Prefecture.

Bernstein, Gail Lee. Isami's House: Three Centuries of a Japanese Family. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. (History, Japan)

Gail Lee Bernstein vividly re-creates the past three centuries of Japanese history by following the fortunes of a prominent Japanese family over fourteen generations. The first of its kind in English, this book focuses on Isami, the eleventh generation patriarch and hereditary village head.

Schmidt, Clara. Japanese Ornament. Paris: L'Aventurine, 2006. (Folk Art/Art, Japan)

This book is an overview of Japanese ornament and is illustrated in both black-and-white line drawings and color paintings and patterns. The illustrations have captions in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Russian.

Land of the Dragon: A Documentary of China. Centerville, MA: Pearl River Productions, 2006. DVD (Family, China)

This 30-minute documentary offers a rare glimpse of life inside China. The journey is hosted by 13-year old Liu Hui Ping. She acts as both tour guide and teacher, appearing on camera (and speaking in English) as she leads us through the Forbidden City and other historical sites. From hutongs (traditional Chinese homes) to temples you'll see how people live their lives in one of the busiest and fastest growing cities in the world.

Cheek, Timothy. Living with Reform China since 1989. London: Zed Books, 2007. (Contemporary Issues, China)

This book offers a balanced perspective of the continuing legacy of Maoism in the lifeways not only of China's leaders but China's working people. It outlines the ambitious economic reforms taken since the 1980s and shows the complex responses to the consequences of reform in China today.

New Year in PingWei. Centerville, MA: Pearl River Productions, 2005. DVD (Family, China)

Also known as the Spring Festival, New Year is a time when families reunite and mythical dragons come to life. Narrated in both English and Mandarin (with subtitles), this video follows Liu Yen Twin and her family as they celebrate the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar.

One Day in PingWei. Centerville, MA: Pearl River Productions, 2004. DVD (Family, China)

Narrated in both English and Mandarin (with subtitles), this video follows a young Chinese girl as she goes through an average day. From home to school, interaction with parents and friends, chores and homework, all is captured in colorful detail to give an understanding of what life is like for a little girl in China.

Hung, Wu. Remaking Beijing: Tiananmen Square and the Creation of the Political Space. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005. (Contemporary Issues, China)

In 1949, Beijing still retained nearly all of its time-honored character and magnificence. But when Chairman Mao rejected the proposal to build a new capital for the People's Republic of China and decided to stay in the ancient city, he initiated a long struggle to transform Beijing into a shining beacon of socialism.

Clunas, Craig. Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004. (History 1949-Present, China)

This book examines the history of material culture in early modern China. Craig Clunas analyzes "superfluous things"--the paintings, calligraphy, bronzes, ceramics, carved jade, and other objects owned by the elites of Ming China--and describes contemporary attitudes to them.

Su-Ling, Sasha. A Thousand Miles of Dreams: The Journeys of Two Chinese Sisters. Lanham, MD: Welland Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., 2007. (History 1949-Present, China)

This is the biography of two intensely rivalrous Chinese sisters whose eventful lives took very different paths in their quest to be independent women. They were Chinese modern girls who sought to forge their own way during a period of social revolution that unsettled relations between men and women, even among nations.

Reynolds, Betty. Tokyo Friends Tokyo no Tomodachi. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 1999. (Literature, Japan)

Katie is a young American girl living in present-day Tokyo. One day, as she walks her dog, she meets Keiko, a young Japanese girl, and her brother Kenji. Together they explore the city and its surroundings as they teach each other the customs of their respective countries.

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