Posted on: Monday, November 15, 2004
O'ahu education events urge global citizenship
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer
This week, O'ahu students will participate in a variety of Hawai'i International Education Week activities designed to teach them what it means to be a global citizen in their communities and abroad.
Teachers interested in participating in International Education Week may want to try some of these activities suggested by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education:
• Incorporate information on a country or culture into your regular lesson plan, even if you don't teach social studies. • Explore international aspects of the arts — music, film, theater, visual arts, literature, dance — by creating, performing or studying artworks with an international component. This could include a field trip to a museum or showing a foreign film in class. • Organize a cross-cultural potluck lunch in which students bring in or make foods from their homeland or their ancestors' homeland. • Assign students to produce a video or Web site about their cross-cultural experiences. The video could explore issues of cultural idiosyncrasies, stereotypes and/or their own experiences with another culture. • Hold a geography, foreign language or world history bee for your students.
Other suggested activities and more information about International Education Week can be found at exchanges.state.gov/iew/involved/ The activities are part of a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States.
The East-West Center will use the occasion to announce the winner of its 2004 Global Educator Award.
University of Hawai'i campuses around the island will have special events Wednesday featuring food, entertainment and guest speakers.
At UH-Manoa, a recruitment fair will run through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Campus Center to offer information on exchange opportunities and the chance to meet and talk with students currently on exchange from other universities and UH students who have completed exchange programs.
Younger students also will have an opportunity to look at the way the world is changing and explore global issues through the following activities:
• On Friday, 175 children in kindergarten through third grade will visit the East-West Center for a program titled "Understanding the World Through Global Perspectives." The program teaches children about the values of friendship, kindness and spirituality that animals bring to people in different cultures. The sessions, which draw on legends and myths from various cultures, will include lessons about the geography and cultures of the countries, including songs and dances.
"This is the initial stage that will hopefully lead students as they grow to develop the habit of examining diverse points of views of events and issues," said Terrina Wong of Punahou School's Wo International Center.
For educator resources, visit teachglobaled.net. • High school students will participate in "North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program: Six-Party Talks" Saturday at Tokai University. During the six-hour session, students will simulate the six-party talks among North Korea, the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia to address North Korea's declared nuclear weapons program. The students' challenge will be to come up with a resolution that all countries can agree on.
To register, contact Natasha Chappel, high-school program director, at hs@paachawaii.org, or 944-7759. There is a nominal cost to cover lunch and a $2 charge for parking. • AsianPacificEd/East-West Center will launch a school-based program for middle schoolers on the theme of music. The program aims to help teachers and students explore how music reflects the sound and spirit of a community and its people, and how it can reflect or inspire social change. The program will culminate with students making a music video highlighting their research that will be entered in an island-wide competition at the Imin Conference Center in March.
For more information, contact Namji Steinemann at 944-7596, or steinemn@eastwestcenter.org. Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.
"Our program activities are meant to bring attention in very innovative and fun ways to the basic fact that there is so much to discover beyond our waters," said Lisa Maruyama, executive director of the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council.
In the classroom
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