Past Teacher Training

ISSI 2012: Water: Symbolism and Sustainability

The 2012 International Studies Summer Institute was a cross-disciplinary workshop for middle and high school teachers that integrated world area knowledge on global issues related to the topic of water. The goal of the workshop and curriculum unit was and to promote a greater understanding of how water plays a significant role in culture, tradition and the arts in view of fresh water scarcity and sustainability.

ISSI 2011 & ISSI 2010: Food and Culture across the Globe

These workshops were intended for middle and high school teachers and was presented by Cornell Educational Resources for International Studies (CERIS) on June 27-29, 2010 and June 27-29, 2011. During this cross-curriculum workshop, educators engaged in activities that focused on integrating substantive world area knowledge through the context of food customs and food production throughout the world. Teachers learned how food cultures such as fast food franchises, street food and global slow food movements offer mirrors to social, economic and political situtations and contexts. Teachers also learned how to explore students’ knowledge about agricultural practices in their own communities and relate this knowledge to learning about communities throughout the world. The goal was to encourage students to have a greater understanding of the different regions and cultures of the world through the medium of food while meeting NYS Science and Social Studies/Global History and Geography standards. Presenters included Dr. Jane Fajans, Professor of Anthropology at Cornell, Dr. Sudha Raj, Professor of Nutritional Science at Syracuse University and there was even an authentic Japanese tea ceremony conducted by Ithaca artist Sheela Kingsbury.

NYCAS 2009

The NYCAS conference took place on October 9th, 2009 at Cornell University. The panel topics included best practices in Asian education, challenges and parental expectations both in Asia and in relation to Asian heritage students living in the US. The Cornell Southeast Asia Program, East Asia Program and South Asia Program worked together to make this a highly beneficial professional development experience.

Cornell Professional Development Day

Workshops on traditional games, environmental sustainability around the world, language teaching in the 21st century, and how to use a global performance database were some of the offerings that the Southeast Asia program collaborated on through CERIS during the March 20, 2009 Cornell Professional Development Day.

Burma, Border Zones, and the Karen People

The Cornell Southeast Asia Program held a workshop on October 19 and 20, 2007 from 9am-4pm on “Burma, Border Zones, and the Karen People.” As refugees from Burma, including the Karen and other peoples, relocate to the United States, teachers and members of local communities need to understand the part of the world the refugees come from. We need to understand the historical and political context that led them to leave their homelands, as well as the richness of their diverse languages and cultures. The first day of the workshop was designed especially for teachers, with sessions that provide basic background information on Burma, an overview of life in the camps, and an introduction to the linguistic and ESL issues that teachers may encounter. Time is also allocated for discussing lesson plans and brainstorming ways to incorporate this material in various classroom settings. Saturday featured panels and speakers who discussed their research into topics to help us understand the contemporary situation in the border zones. Speakers also shared their experiences working with the Karen and other groups in Burma, in Thailand, and with refugees as they begin to adjust to life in the U.S. The workshop was free of charge and was held at the Kahin Center, 640 Stewart Avenue, Ithaca, NY. Breakfast and lunch were provided both days for those who pre-registered. Parking passes and detailed directions were provided. This professional development workshop was sponsored by the Cornell Southeast Asia Program and TST-BOCES. Funds for this workshop were provided by a National Resource Center grant (Title VI) from the U.S. Department of Education.

Beyond Islam 101: Enhancing Your Curriculum

On September 14 and 15, 2007, middle and high school social studies teachers joined members of the Cornell Educational Resources on International Studies outreach group and scholars of Islam for an intermediate discussion of how to teach about Islam in the social studies classroom. Held in conjunction with the academic conference "Imagining Muslims, Imagining Others: South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe," teachers attended portions of the conference, found out how to access up-to-date information, curriculum pieces, and other resources, and participated in a critical discussion on how to effectively teach about Islam in the American classroom. Teachers were asked to bring outlines, lesson plans, and/or materials they currently use to teach about Islam.

Southeast Asian Art and Performance

On January 30, 2006 area teachers met at Cornell's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art for a conference on the arts of Southeast Asia. Fah Carroll, a classically trained Thai dancer and teacher demonstrated techniques, discussed the meaning of specific poses and shared information on the history of Thai dance. Heather MacLachlan discussed her work with the Karenni people of Burma and demonstrated a lesson plan based upon the music of the Karenni. Professor Kaja McGowan and Joseph Fischer lead a walking tour through the Johnson Museum's exhibit of Balinese story cloths. Lastly, Bethany Collier played Indonesian gender and discussed the interplay of various art forms in the story of the Butterfly Lovers.

We had a record number of participants in this workshop. Teachers were pleased with their experiences, leaving us with comments like these:

Thanks for another excellent day of learning and new experiences! Keep the workshops coming…They are very valuable! (And extremely pleasant-setting, lunch, presenters etc.)
Please continue these programs-I learn so much & in turn I can pass it onto my students. You always offer such valuable resource!

Vietnam: War and Culture

On November 10, 2005 the Southeast Asia Program Outreach office offered a workshop for interested K-12 teachers on the war in Vietnam. Professors Keith Taylor and Fred Logevall discussed "Perspectives on Vietnam." They engaged in a lively debate on the bases, assumptions, tactics and legacy of the war. Martin Loicano, a graduate student in History at Cornell, examined useful an inaccurate moments from feature films depicting the Vietnam war. He also offered the teachers ideas for how to use Vietnam war movies in their classrooms. Sophie Huntington, SEAP Outreach Curriculum Coordinator, discussed using resource materials to teach Vietnam in the classroom. Jeff Peterson, Librarian in the John M. Echols Collection on Southeast Asia led teachers on a tour of the resources in the Echols Collection specifically related to Vietnam.

Freeman Middle School Conference: "Integrating Southeast Asia into the Middle School Curriculum."

The Southeast Asia Program held a workshop for middle school teachers, grade 6-8, on June 27 and 28 2005, at the Kahin Center. The topic was “Integrating Southeast Asia into the Middle School Curriculum” and focused primarily on the different ways that Southeast Asia can be incorporated into not only the sixth grade social studies classes, but also how it can be used in the seventh and eight grade curriculum. The workshop also served as a primer for teachers to gain a strong generalized understanding of the history, geography and cultures of Southeast Asia.