Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Beth Hatt to lead Fulbright-Hays summer program in Mexico
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Contact for more information:
Betty Vawter Senior Editor, News & Information Services 812/480-1873 The $80,000 award provides funding for two faculty members in teacher education, seven practicing K-12 teachers, and seven USI undergraduate students who are teacher-education majors to study in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, from June 12-July 10. Area teachers are invited to apply for the program. All elementary teachers qualify. Middle school and high school teachers in the targeted areas of humanities, social sciences, foreign languages, and/or area studies also qualify. Teachers working with Latino students and/or English language learners will have priority. USI juniors and seniors majoring in elementary, special education, or secondary education also are invited to apply. The application deadline for teachers and students is April 14. Applications are available in the Department of Teacher Education or by contacting Hatt at bahatt@usi.edu. Teachers and students in the four-week seminar will participate in Mexican cultural activities and visit local schools while improving their Spanish speaking skills. Hatt is working with CETLALIC, a Spanish language immersion school in Cuernavaca, to arrange programming. Participants will lodge with host families. Hatt designed the proposal for the short-term seminar and submitted it to the Fulbright-Hays program. She said, "The seminar focuses on the Mexican educational system and potential issues facing immigrant families in the United States. Students will develop an international perspective on K-12 schooling." The purpose of the program is to develop linguistic and cultural competency in working with Latino children and families, a greater understanding of how local issues connect to a global context, a broader international perspective of education, and a deeper understanding of Mexican history and culture. Participants will develop curricula materials with technology integration to use in their classrooms. The Fulbright-Hays award covers the cost of airfare, lodging, food, and other expenses for all members of the group. Students and K-12 teachers must register for three hours of undergraduate or graduate credit at USI. Tuition cost is not covered by the federal grant. Participants will attend three orientation sessions at USI before the trip. Upon return, they will share what they have learned with community members and colleagues and participate in the spring 2011 Multicultural Education Conference at USI. Hatt joined USI in fall 2008. She teaches undergraduate courses in multicultural education and graduate courses in analysis of instruction and integrated research. She earned a doctorate in culture, curriculum, and change from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Manuel D. Apodaca-Valdez, USI assistant professor of Spanish, will accompany the group as a bilingual scholar. Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States by providing training opportunities for faculty, teachers, and students in countries where the United States has diplomatic representation. Awards fund overseas group projects in research, training and curriculum development. |
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