Colorado Consortium for
Teaching about East Asia
The goals of the Colorado Consortium for Teaching East Asia (CCTEA) are to (1) maximize the impact of our state's academic resources and resource people specializing in East Asia, (2) build a collaborative infrastructure for K-16 Asian studies, and (3) develop incentives for school district-level commitment to Asian studies. Specific objectives of the project are to:
- Encourage, evaluate, and recognize school districts, schools, and teachers with exemplary Asian studies programs and curricula.
- Foster a network of K-12 educators and schools with a commitment to quality teaching about East Asia.
- Provide a program specifically for Colorado teachers to study through travel to China and Japan.
Program components for the project include the following.
Professional Development Workshop Series for K-12 Colorado Teachers
Each year, CCTEA sponsors workshops for Colorado teachers. Workshops feature faculty experts from various Colorado institutions and devote equal time to "best practices" by experienced classroom teachers. Please see the Upcoming Events page for details of workshops scheduled for the current academic year.
Study Tours
Since 2001, CCTEA offers an annual study tour to China or Japan for K-12 teachers and/or teacher-student teams.
Texts and Contexts Study Tours to Japan 2006-2008 - Since the summer of 2006, TEA has sponsored a three or four-week study tour to Japan for Colorado elementary educators. The study tour is an opportunity for elementary educators to engage in experiential and in-depth study of Japan and its culture. The Texts and Contexts tours emphasize integrating Japan across the elementary curriculum through children's books. This approach enables participating educators to meet the growing challenge of incorporating cultural study into standardized curriculum centered on literacy. The study tour program includes the trip to Japan, a spring orientation, fall follow up meeting, and a yearlong follow-through program. Funders of past Texts and Contexts study tours include the Freeman Foundation, the United States Department of Education, and the Japan Foundation.
Curriculum Development
Teaching Japan through Children’s Literature - As a result of their study and experiences in Japan on a Texts and Contexts study tour, study tour alumni are developing elementary-level, standards-based, cross-curricular lessons about Japan. Each lesson features a children’s book about Japan and integrates the development of students’ knowledge and skills in social studies and literacy. If you are interested in field-testing one or more of these lessons or for more information, please contact Catherine Ishida.
