Expanding career horizons through classroom outreach

Senior Isaac Kou—a double major in computer science and ecology and evolutionary biology, minoring in dance—had not considered working in education or with K-12 students until hearing about the Program for Teaching East Asia’s classroom outreach program. Viewing it as an interesting opportunity to develop different skills and give back to the community, Kou applied. Apprehensive at first, Kou blossomed into a confident educator, excited to share about Japanese culture and engage with students.

Isaac Kou reads "The Sound of Silence" to a group of first graders.

About the program

Now having completed its second successful year, the Program for Teaching East Asia’s (TEA) classroom outreach program focuses on ways K-12 educators can use picture books about East Asia to engage students in cross-curricular learning. The program was made possible through sponsorship from the Office of Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship and the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia. Participating CU students are each assigned a book set in East Asia then work with TEA staff to develop a lesson, practice reading delivery and ultimately present a storybook reading and mini-lesson to Colorado K-8 classrooms.

This year’s program, “Teaching Geography Through East Asian Picture Books,” engaged elementary and middle school students in classrooms from Greeley and the Denver metro area all the way to Grand Junction. These students explored urban and rural settings in East Asia and participated in activities that included listening to the sounds of the city of Tokyo to identifying different types of rice, including finding the “imposter.” 

Running from February to May, the program successfully concluded with several CU student facilitators participating in reading to multiple classes during a celebratory day at a local elementary school. In total, the program reached 49 classrooms in eight school districts.

The CU outreach students hailed from different specializations, not necessarily aiming for careers in education. However, all the participants expressed how teaching impacted them and became so much more than just presenting material to young children. CU students reported that organizing a clear presentation adapted for different audiences, practicing projection and enunciation through readings, and answering questions and clarifying points on the fly helped them improve their public speaking and professionalism—useful skills that can be transferred to future career settings.

Lily Elliott

Lily Elliott, a senior double majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and Asian studies, challenged herself by preparing lessons for two books. Elliott was able to leverage her expertise in the sciences for the book “Rice,” about growing and harvesting rice in southern China, but she also stepped out of her comfort zone in preparing the second book, “The Ocean Calls,” about haenyeo, traditional Korean female divers. Working with a topic she wasn’t as familiar with prompted Elliott to engage in a different kind of reflection after each lesson and consider organization and delivery of the material in a more critical way.

Kyrie MacArthur

Sophomore history and education major Kyrie MacArthur, who also prepared for the book “The Ocean Calls,” relished the opportunity to prepare and execute her own lesson and reported the experience as great practice for her work as an educator. The experience confirmed her love for teaching; the program gave her the opportunity to work with elementary grades, expanding her thoughts about which grade levels could be her specialization. MacArthur's experience made her consider teaching upper elementary, as well as middle school, which could broaden future career opportunities.

Bhavana Moore

Having started a reading program for Nepalese children previously, sophomore Asian studies and English double major Bhavana Moore had already dipped her toes in the education pool. By participating in this program with the book “Warrior Princess,” about a legendary figure in Mongol culture, she gained experience preparing lessons in a classroom setting, giving her a chance to compare how to prepare for small- and large-group instruction. The program fanned the flame of passion Moore has for education, encouraging her consider how to connect her interests with education for future careers.

Kristie Trevey, Amanda Aldridge

Two participants were graduate students in secondary social studies education. They found the program helpful for learning about child development in the elementary grades. 

Kristie Trevey said it was rewarding to participate in the program and see the impact of bringing guest speakers into the classroom for memorable student learning and connection. She especially enjoyed engaging students in discussions about family and change over time with the book “Mommy’s Hometown,” a story about a mother’s recollections of her childhood in a Korean town. 

Trevey is now continuing her impact in the field as the director of elementary learning support at Evergreen Country Day School.

Amanda Aldridge said, through her visits at elementary schools, she thought about how picture books could enhance middle school instruction. Aldridge created remarkable curriculum on the book “Warrior Princess,” which she presented in schools as part of the program and then also to secondary teachers from across the nation at this year’s summer institute on the Mongols in East Asia, a program hosted on the CU campus by the Program for Teaching East Asia. 

Aldridge is excited to continue her work as a new teacher at Hulstrom K-8 and will be part of a panel at this year’s National Council of Teachers of English Conference, presenting on the same book.

Isaac Kou

As for Kou, his experience with the TEA program broadened his career aspirations and led him to consider connecting his degrees with work benefitting the community and educational work for children. He has just recently been appointed as the IT manager of the Children’s Museum of Denver, bringing his IT expertise to an educational setting.

Growing as educators

While participating elementary teachers expressed the program was beneficial from a cross-curricular standpoint, they emphasized the impact of the CU students who brought in individual perspectives and innovative teaching techniques into their classrooms. 

TEA’s graduate student assistant and coordinator for the program, Christy Go, enjoyed seeing how the expertise and experiences each student brought from their respective fields converged to create meaningful lessons. As a former K-8 music educator, Go saw each student improve their instruction and become more grounded in their identities as educators throughout the program. From the perspective of an aspiring teacher educator, Go felt it was extremely rewarding and validating to coach the students and contribute to their reflections and growth.

The success of the program highlights the importance and transferability of teaching skills and the powerful impact of outreach in the community. TEA is extremely proud to have worked with these incredible students and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

The Program for Teaching East Asia at the Center for Asian Studies at CU Boulder is a member of the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia and works to provide teachers with robust professional development about East Asia for application in K-12 classrooms nationwide.