Teachers Return from China with New Ideas

 

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Eight Guilford County Schools teachers and staff members spent part of their summer in China, gaining new cultural experiences and new ideas for their classrooms.

 

The teachers each applied for and were accepted into the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Study Abroad program through UNC-Greensboro. The teachers participated in university courses as well as cultural experiences in China in an effort to design curriculum activities in collaboration with Chinese teachers.

“We’re planning to hold a Chinese New Year Festival in our ACES programs,” says Crystal Slade, an ACES program coordinator and one of the educators who went to China. “We’re working with UNCG to bring in some Chinese students to teach our kids Chinese phrases and read Chinese folktales that are similar to stories they’re already familiar with in order to compare the two.”

Slade says she’s also working on other projects to include throughout the year that will expose students to a new culture. They’ll read the book “A School Like Mine,” which looks at different schools around the world, and ACES students will make their own posters about their schools. She’ll share pictures and her experiences from her summer and plans to create a pen-pal partnership with some of the teachers she met overseas.

“In this global economy, it’s important for our students to be exposed to the various cultures around the world,” says Charlos Banks, executive director of student services and character development. “That’s why our ACES programs are working to expand on topics covered in class and give them a greater understanding of the world around them.”

Originally posted on the Greensboro News & Record

 

North Carolina School Boards AssociationTeachers Return from China with New Ideas