AGENDA ::: International Education Conference

Education Across Six Continents:
Teaching and Curriculum for a Global Society

March 21-22, 2003
Pyle Center - 702 Langdon Street
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Program

Conference Program

Pre-Conference Workshops

Friday, March 21, 2003

1:30 - 4:30 p.m.: Keynoter Sessions, Pre-Conference Workshops

Akihiko Takahashi
Professor, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, and Lead Presenter with Global Education Resources, New Jersey
Title: Japanese ‘Lesson Study’ Workshop
Pyle Center - Room 213

Participants will get an overview of this powerful professional development tool which originated in Japan and how it has been successfully utilized in American schools to bring about improved student achievement. Professor Takahashi is a noted elementary teacher from Japan who is one of the leaders in the research work on Lesson Study in the United States. This workshop will show classrooms in New Jersey schools using Lesson Study to teach Science and Mathematics classes and will give participants experience in critiquing a lesson in true Lesson Study fashion.

François Tochon
Caroline Gwyn-Paquette
Title: "Teacher to Teacher, Class to Class: Sharing Experiences via a Video Conference between Wisconsin and Quebec"
Pyle Center - Room 227

What are the challenges for teachers of English in Quebec and for teachers of French in Wisconsin? How does curriculum and instruction in English and French compare in Quebec and Wisconsin? What are work lives and professional status of teachers in Wisconsin and Quebec? What is the impact of vouchers, church-province/state linkages, provincial/state standards, and high stakes testing in Wisconsin and Quebec? What is the potential for future video-conferencing and student and teacher exchanges between Quebec and Wisconsin? These and other questions you want to ask teachers in Quebec will be the focus of this video-conference. There will also be training in using video-conferencing for teaching and international connections.

Conference Commencement
Alumni Lounge - Pyle Center

4:30 p.m.: Registration, Reception, Refreshments and Light Buffet

5:30 p.m.: Welcome and Introductions

Mary McEniry, President
Wisconsin Chapter of the Fulbright Association

5:45 p.m.: Welcome and Remarks

W. Charles Read, Dean
School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Gilles Bousquet, Dean
International Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison

6:05 p.m.: Awards and Recognition

Madeline Uraneck
International Education Consultant
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Madeline Uraneck has been the International Education Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction since 1990. She works with student and teacher exchanges, sister state relationships, and she advocates for global studies and world languages in the curriculum. Madeline taught at Tokai University in Japan for three years. She is a member of several planning boards: the Chiba - Wisconsin Sister State relationship, the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies, and the Wisconsin Geographic Alliance. She is a co-founder of the Friends of International Education and the Wisconsin Association of Teachers of Japanese. She has received fellowships for study in Sweden, Poland, and Morocco-Tunisia. She has also participated in educational travel in Thailand and Senegal, West Africa. Recently she informally adopted a Tibetan family of immigrants living in Madison, Wisconsin, which has helped her look at area schools from the vantage point of four teen-agers.

Jay Harris
Friends of International Education

For nearly twenty years, Jay has provided state, regional, and national leadership for global perspectives at all levels of education. He chaired the national ASCD Global Education Network and co-founded Wisconsin's Friends of International Education. Jay is currently an independent consultant working on behalf of school districts, colleges, and universities. He is also the host of specialized programs for international visitors at a family bison ranch in Wyoming.

Gerhard Fischer
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Dr. Gerhard Fischer, a native of Germany, is an education consultant at Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. He came to Wisconsin after 12 years of teaching English and German in the German school system. For the past twelve years, he has developed and coordinated student and teacher exchange programs with Germany and has led sister state activities with Wisconsin's German sister state, Hessen. Gerhard is a promoter of connecting the curriculum to improve learning and teaching and has recently published the "Guide to Planning a Connected Curriculum" at the DPI. Gerhard has also published several articles and books on foreign language learning.

6:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.: Keynoter Session, Opening Performance

African, Asian, and Latino Connections:
Dance and Music as Catalysts for Intercultural Education Performances and Discussion

To celebrate the opening evening of the International Education Conference, Peggy Choy, Jessica Gaspar and Edi Gbordzi will perform dances from Africa, Asia, and Puerto Rico. Peggy Choy will introduce, discuss, and describe the usefulness of dances in opening global awareness and understanding of other cultures. Peggy Choy's introduction will be followed by Jessica Gaspar with a Puerto Rican dance, followed by Peggy Choy performing a Korean dance, and then an African dance by Edi Gbordzi. The conclusion of the program will be a collaborative dance. Discussion will follow the dance performances. Peggy Choy, Maya Kadakia, and Jessica Gaspar will be conduct a concurrent session on Saturday.

Peggy Choy
Dance Program and Outreach Director Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jessica Gaspar
Puerto Rican Actress, Dancer and Teacher Theater and Drama Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Edi Gbordzi
Master Dancer and Drummer from Ghana Guest Artist, Dance Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison

7:45 p.m: Networking Dinners at Campus-area Ethnic Restaurants

Saturday Conference and Concurrent Sessions
Saturday, March 22, 2003

8:00 a.m: Continental Breakfast
Pyle Center (Outside Rooms 325-326)

8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Keynote Session
Pyle Center - Room 313

Title: Russia and US:
What Every School Kid Needs to Know but the Textbooks Don't Tell Them

David McDonald
Professor of Russian History, UW-Madison
Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Athletics, UW-Madison

For most of the last 150 years including the Cold War period Russia has played the role of the "Evil Empire" in the English-speaking world. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the military threat has diminished as has popular interest in Russia and its peoples. However, with the uneasy path that Russians are traversing from Communism to federation offers interesting ways to make the history of Russia and the new, independent nations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union current to contemporary audiences and K-12 classrooms. "What every kid needs to know about Russia and the Textbooks Don't Tell Them" will explore new ways to look at Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia including the birth of democracy and relationships with the United States and Europe.

9:55-11:10 Concurrent Sessions

Russia and US: What Every School Kid Needs to Know but the Textbooks Don't Tell Them
Follow-up Session with Keynoter David McDonald
Pyle Center - Room 220

African Educators Reflect on their Childhood School Experiences
Pyle Center - Room 309

To their schools in Nigeria and Senegal, as small children Oghenetoja (Toja) Okoh and Amadou Fofana came filled with family values and expectations. These met head on with a system shaped both by repressive colonial structures and by the need for a class of educated elites for newly independent nations. The built-in contradictions, their own successes, and the plight of friends who didn’t pass up the education system will be topics for their reflections.

Presenters:

Amadou Fofana: The son of an elementary school teacher, Amadou had already learned five languages (Baman, Mandinka, Pulaar, Jaxanke, Wolof and French), even as a child, growing up in Tambacounda, Senegal, West Africa, near the border of Mali. His rich language background gives him an excellent foundation for his current Ph.D. research in cinematic language in Sembene’s films.

Toja Oko: Toja was a student in Nigeria from the ages of 3 to 9 before she and her family moved to Minnesota, in 1986. Behind them, a string of military coups led Nigeria into decline. Toja is currently a graduate student in African History at UW-Madison, specializing in West Africa and the African Diaspora.

Coming to America: Conversations about ESL and the Immigrant Experience in Wisconsin Schools
Pyle Center - Room 313

In the United States today, the number of students who speak English as a second language continues to grow. The diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences in American schools have both enriched and challenged students and their teachers. The session serves as a forum for educators to tell stories, ask questions, vocalize concerns, and connect with other teachers who have seen the struggle and success of young people who are adapting to the United States.

Presenters:

Lisa Urbonya: Lisa Urbonya has a diverse background in the area of international education. She made China her home for several and developed the K-2 Chinese language program at the International School of Beijing. She has teaching experience in the Chinese language, ESL, and speech-language pathology. With her husband, she has created a musical method for teaching the Chinese language. She is also an active member of the Bahai Faith, a world religion promoting world unity. Ms. Urbonya is currently training to be a school principal. In addition to her role as an educator, she brings her unique experience as a mother of two bilingual daughters to the session.

Judy Garcia Landsman: Judith Landsman has been teaching ESL in Madison since 1985, first at Marquette (O'Keefe) Middle School, and now at East High School for the past 3 years. She has an MA in English/Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has an add-on certification in ESL also from the University. She has a BA in English Literature from State University of New York at Stony Brook. Before attending graduate school, she was a VISTA volunteer in Arizona where she set up tutoring programs. Landsman is married, a mother and grandmother, and an amateur photographer/artist. Her other interests and work include doing remodeling/construction with a local woodworking coop, advising on "barrier-free" design (for people with disabilities) for a local architectural firm, and teaching.

Rebecca Olson: Rebecca Olson has been teaching in the Social Studies Department of the Monona Grove High School for 6 years. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she spent a semester in London and traveled throughout Europe. In 2001, she was able to continue her studies in the United Kingdom by participating in a Fulbright Exchange. This experience allowed her to work and form a number of lasting connections with many students and staff from all parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. She will be returning to England in the fall of 2003 to teach in the London area.

The Diverse World of Islam
Pyle Center - Room 226

Get an overview of the cultures and history of Islam, followed by descriptions of comparative education in Central Asian countries, university life in Palestine, and life as an American working in various Islamic countries throughout the Middle East and Asia. The panel will highlight the diversity within Islamic cultures, the impact of Islam on people’s daily lives, and dispel some of the myths about living in an Islamic culture and provide resources, model curricula and a network of K-12 educators presently working in Islamic countries.

Presenters:

Uli Schamiloglu: Uli Schamiloglu is a professor in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his doctorate from Columbia University. His interests include: Central Asian Studies; Kazak, Tatar, Uzbek; historical and modern Turkic languages; and medieval/modern social, economic, and intellectual history of Eurasia. An external link for Professor Schamiloglu. Presentation Information

Christa Bruhn: Christa Bruhn is a dissertator in Educational Administration at UW-Madison. Her dissertation focuses on higher education in the Palestinian context and draws from her experiences in the education sector in Palestine. She also conducted fieldwork there for her Masters thesis toward completion of her Masters degree from the Center for Middle East and North African Studies at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Her study of the region and repeated trips to Palestine have provided her with a broad understanding of Islam as a way of life for peoples throughout the world.

Shirley Droese: Shirley Droese is a Graduate Assistant in Educational Administration at UW-Madison, and she has administered and taught in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and Thailand for 18 years.

International Study Abroad Opportunities for Teachers
Pyle Center - Room 112

The panel will discuss the different exchange program options for teachers of K-12 schools. Fulbright opportunities, Earth Watch travel, Fulbright Hays and Freeman-Asia programs will be featured. Panel members will each share their study abroad experiences and how it has shaped their lives. Small group discussions will follow with opportunities to discuss the various programs, the application process for each, and other issues for those who take part in these programs.

Presenters:

Ann Berns: Ann Berns is a French teacher at D.C. Everest High School, and was a Fulbright Teacher exchange to Morocco in 2001-2002. She has organized two school-to-school exchanges with schools in France in conjunction with the AFAC and NASSP, now under CIE.

Jeanine Meyer-Staab: Jeanine Meyer-Staab is a 7th Grade Geography teacher at Medford Middle School and adjunct faculty member at UW-Stevens Point. She is a National Board Certified teacher and is the 2000 recipient of the Kohl Fellowship Award. She serves on the advisory board for the North American Temperate Forest Association. She is a director on the board for the Wisconsin Science Teachers.

The Transformation of Special Education in the Post-Communist Czech Republic
Pyle Center - Room 325

In 1989, after more than forty years of totalitarian regime, the Czech Republic has started the process of transition from communism to a democracy. The society and the educational system have undergone major changes. These changes had numerous implications for educational policies and treatment of people with disabilities whose rights and needs were largely ignored during the communism. This presentation discusses the background, the current state, and emerging trends of treatment and education for children with disabilities.

Presenter:

Alenka Halova: Alenka Halova is a Ph.D. Candidate in Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Privatizing the Public, Publicizing the Private: Roles of the Teachers’ Room in Japanese Junior High Schools
Pyle Center - Room 225

In public junior high schools in Japan, all teachers share a large, open office called a “teachers’ room,” a space that socially and psychologically holds the schools together. This valuable space is at once both “private” and “public;” and a glimpse into day-to-day life within a teachers’ room reveals much not only about the functions, operation, and organization of a Japanese junior high school but also about the Japanese educational system as a whole.

Presenter:

Steven Gump: Stephen Gump is a Graduate Assistant in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

11:15-12:30 Concurrent Sessions

The Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi: Teaching about Non-Violence in the Classroom
Pyle Center - Room 309

Joseph Elder and Ken Swift will present classroom materials and resources on the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Joe Elder has taught college-level courses for years and has lectured internationally on non-violence and Gandhian Thought. He will present background information on Gandhi for teachers of all levels. Ken Swift, a primary school teacher, has incorporated lessons from Gandhi in conjunction to peace movement in the USA. He has created lesson plans that incorporate Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. He will show slides and read from stories that he uses in his classroom.

Presenters:

Joseph W. Elder: Joseph Elder is Professor of Sociology, Languages and Cultures of Asia at University of Wisconsin-Madison. An external link for Professor Elder.

Ken Swift: Ken Swift has lived in India for three years: studying as an undergrad on UW's College Year In India Program, researching children's games, collecting Hindi riddles and matchbox labels and supervising U.W. College Year students. He has taught elementary school in Madison for over twenty years and currently teaches first grade at Lapham School.

Rachel Weiss: Rachel Weiss is the Outreach Coordinator for the Center for South Asia. She has lived in India for more than 4 years, and has a broad background in South Asian Studies. Rachel is available to consult with teachers and provide materials and resources for classroom use

International Exchange Opportunities for Students K-12 and School to School Exchanges
Pyle Center - Room 226

This panel will discuss the different exchange program options for teachers and students of K-12 grades, Fulbright opportunities for educators and youth exchanges such as in Rotary. The panel members will each share their study abroad experiences and how it has shaped their lives. The focus will also be on participation and planning of study abroad programs and the direction they will take in the next several years. How will international politics and current problems in society affect the success of future programs? The panel will then address general questions, followed by small group breakout sessions to discuss specific questions from the participants.

Presenters:

Arden Hoffmann: Arden Hoffmann is a teacher in the Wausau Public Schools. Arden Hoffmann has arranged elementary school-to-school exchanges in conjunction with AFAC in the Wausau School District for the last several years.

Mark Strehlow: Mark Strehlow is a German Teacher at DC Everest High School. Mark is a former Fulbright teacher to Germany. He represented Minnesota in the Fulbright program which is where he taught before coming to D. C. Everest. Mark’s students just hosted German high school students at Everest this past year as part of a continuing school-to-school exchange with a high school in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Salvador Salazar: After being the assistant to the director and the program coordinator for six years, Salvador has been the Program Director of the La Ligue de l’Enseignement since September 2001. During that same time period, the exchange program became an activity of La Ligue de l’Enseignement which is the largest educational association in France. He is a FYTO member and works as a partner with the French Ministry of Education.

Don Mayo: Don Mayo is the Central States Regional Director for Rotary International. He has been in charge of Rotary Central States international exchanges for hundreds of students from the Midwest.

Ann Berns: Ann Berns is a French Teacher at DC Everest High School. Ann is a former Fulbright exchange teacher to Morocco in 2001-2002. She has organized two school-to-school exchanges with schools in France in conjunction with AFAC and NASSP now under CIE.

Global Citizens: Model Middle/High School Programs
Pyle Center - Room 225

We often underestimate older children’s ability to comprehend and their willingness to try to solve complex world problems. Rather than watering down and protecting them from international issues, these panelists show how they got students to dive into, empathize, and wrestle with an enormity of cultural contradictions.

Meet teachers from a variety of backgrounds: the Ayuquila and Kickapoo Watersheds who help Mexican and Wisconsin kids solve environmental problems; teachers who use drama and music to get students to cross cultural and emotional boundaries; a teacher involved with organizing the High School Model United Nations; and a teacher who has been involved in Fulbright Exchanges throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia. Each panelist will identify important components of their experiences that have helped their students learn to see their world with new eyes.

Presenters:

Greg Attleson: Greg Attleson is a Spanish Teacher in the Viroqua Area Schools. Gregg spent two years in the Peace Corps in Venezuela teaching at the Instituto Politechnico-Barquisimeto and another year as an employee of the Instituto. He also worked two years in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico where he served as a program director at CCIDD, a global education center. Since 1998 Gregg has worked with Denise Buckbee, Karen Lee, and Sylvia Attleson on activities of the Ayuquila Kickapoo Association, cultivating a "sister watershed" relationship between communities in Wisconsin and Jalisco, Mexico.

Vic Passante: Vic Passante has been teaching since 1973. The majority of his career has been at Oconomowoc High School, a supportive place for anyone who teaches in the arts. He became involved in the U.K. Bound Exchange in 1989. He has since taken more than 150 students to Wales in the exchange with Ysgol Morgan Llwyd. In 1990, Passante received the Distinguished Teacher Award from the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education. In 2000, he was named a Herb Kohl Fellow. He attributes these honors to his involvement with international exchanges.

Eric Thomasgard: Eric Thomasgard is a senior majoring in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He first became involved with Model United Nations in high school, when he attended the Wisconsin High School Model United Nations Conference (WHSMUN). While in college, he has attended eleven Model United Nations conferences held in Chicago, Boston, New York, Montreal, and elsewhere. He is currently the president of the Model U.N. Club at UW-Madison. He was the Executive Vice President of the Club during the past two years. Presently, he is Secretary-general of the 2003 WHSMUN Conference.

Rebecca Olson: Rebecca Olson has been teaching in the Social Studies Department of the Monona Grove High School for 6 years. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she spent a semester in London and traveled throughout Europe. In 2001, she was able to continue her studies in the United Kingdom by participating in a Fulbright Exchange. This experience allowed her to work and form a number of lasting connections with many students and staff from all parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. She will be returning to England in the fall of 2003 to teach in the London area.

Out of Africa: The Use of Video Clips to Create a Multicultural Classroom
Pyle Center - Room 325

The Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad program at the UW-Madison African Studies Program took 14 French teachers to the Republic of Benin, West Africa, for one month in the summer of 2001 to collect cultural materials and produce a video/DVD for the French language classroom. Three of the teachers will demonstrate the integration of African specific knowledge and materials through video segments and classroom activities.

Presenters:

Jennifer Bolen: Jennifer Bolen is a Pupil Services Teacher (ELL/TAG) at Holmen Middle School, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Claudine Clark: Claudine Clark is a French teacher at East High School in Madison.

Eileen McNamara: Eileen McNamara is the Outreach Coordinator for the African Studies Program at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jennifer Eck: Jennifer Eck is a French teacher at West High School, Madison.

The EU and Bridging the East-West Divide in Europe
Pyle Center - Room 112

Presenter:

Mark Pollack: Mark Pollack is an Associate Professor of Political Science and European Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professor Pollack teaches courses in international relations and comparative European politics. His current research projects include a study of (a) supranational institutions that influence policy in the European Union; (b) a project on transatlantic governance in the global economy; (c) a comparative analysis of the "mainstreaming" of gender in international organizations; and (d) a study of the international influence of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's notion of a "Third Way" in European politics. An external link for Professor Pollack.

Roots of Chinese Language: Visual Images
Pyle Center - Room 220

Chinese characters were originally poems and pictures. The images depicted in the characters would look more vivid once their origins and history are uncovered. A complex picture is usually composed of simpler images, which are the roots of the Chinese language. Only about 700 roots are found in the 6000 characters commonly used. Through telling the stories of and between the roots in a character, we would show that learning 6000 characters is easy and fun.

Presenter:

Professor Cheng, Tsai-fa: Professor Cheng is a professor of East Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. An external link for Professor Cheng.

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m: Lunch and Keynote Session
Pyle Center - Main Dining Room (Lower Level)

Welcome and Remarks

Dean Bowles, Emeritus Professor of Educational Administration, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Professor Bowles has taught and researched in the area of politics of education, education policy, and international and comparative education. He has had Fulbright Scholar Grants to Finland, St. Lucia, and Latvia, and has taught in the University of Wisconsin London Program. Professor Bowles served as Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction and is the Conference organizer.

Keynote Session

Title: Local Lessons from Global Experience
PDF of his presented paper
Coryton's Power Point Presentation

Demitri Coryton
Chairman of the Education Publishing Company of Britain and Australia
Editor of the British Education Journal and Columnist and Commentator

Whether it is evidence from the TIMSS international mathematics and science survey or the current OECD PISA study, there is a growing body of research evidence that illuminates our national education performance in an international context. However, what is the linkage between international performance measures and research and teaching and learning in the classrooms in a specific country, and how can global research and performance measures impact local practice? One response has been the international school effectiveness and improvement movement. This movement has grown into an international network of teachers, administrators and academics involved in research, policy-making, and professional practice in over seventy countries where professional educators learn from each other and then apply international experiences in their own schools and classrooms. Hence, this session will not dwell on the intrinsic value of a global perspective but focus on linking and learning from global research and experience and adapting to particular national and local contexts.

Concurrent Sessions 2:15-3:30

Local Lessons from Global Experience
Follow-up Session with Keynoter Demitri Coryton
Pyle Center - Room 220

African, Asian, and Latino Connections: Dance and Music as Catalysts for Intercultural Education
Follow-up Session with Keynoter Peggy Choy
Pyle Center - Room 226

Model International Programs for Elementary Students
Pyle Center - Room 309

Some of the best work in the state is being done by elementary teachers. Kids’ natural curiosity and teachers willingness to bring in a rich array of resources makes these key learning years vital for expanding children’s consciousness of a larger world and empathy for the diverse people who inhabit their own immediate world.

Meet teachers from Lloyd Street Global Elementary School, whose entire curriculum blends multicultural and international materials, teachers from a bilingual school, who work with children and languages as naturally as breathing, and staff from the Educational Communications Board, who have organized the state’s multicultural communities into a new video series, Cultural Horizons of Wisconsin. Each panelist will identify key components of their work that help change the way children see and experience their world.

Presenters:

Hal Kacanek: Hal Kacanek is President of Sounds We Make LLC, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He has a passion for teaching and exploring soundscapes around the world. His popular program, "Exploring the Global Soundscape," teaches the science of sound, providing important concepts about world cultures and demonstrating our responsibilities as careful listeners and responsible sound makers. "Dr. Hal" tailors his workshops for libraries, school assemblies, and teacher-, student-, and artist-in-residence programs. During 13 years as chair of Carroll College's music department, Hal Kacanek taught music in world cultures including Black America, Native America, Japan, Indonesia, Australian Aborigines, India, and Africa. He holds multiple degrees from the Eastman School of Music, the University of Michigan and has a doctorate from the University of Kansas. Hal Kacanek's work on global music appears in the new DPI Curriculum Guide, Planning Curriculum in International Education (on sale at the conference).

Kori Oberle: Kori Oberle is the Project Director in Instructional Program Development at the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. She developed the Cultural Horizons of Wisconsin CD-ROM and assisted with the accompanying instructional television series for the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. She has academic training in history and social studies. In addition to working as an educator at the Wisconsin Historical Society's Museum and Historic Sites, Kori has authored several books and articles and has curated several exhibits featuring Wisconsin history.

Jeri Kortkamp: Jeri Kortkamp is an elementary teacher in the Sun Prairie Public Schools and will serve as moderator. Jeri has been the long-time organizer of the annual SWEIO Conference.

See the Forest AND the Trees: Linking the Temperate and Tropical Forests Project
Pyle Center - Room 225

These K-12 teachers from Wisconsin collaborated with teachers from Costa Rica to write curriculum linking the forests found in their two parts of the world. Learn about the challenges they experienced and hear about how this project is moving forward. Take home some inquiry based curriculum activities and ideas which will link your students to another part of the world.

Presenters:

Tammie Niffenegger: Tammie Niffenegger is a teacher at Port Washington High School.

Linda Raschka-Garcia: Linda Raschka-Garcia is a 3rd Grade teacher at Saukville Elementary School.

Pat Ziegelbauer: Pat Ziegelbauer is a teacher at Slinger Middle School.

Moderator:

Julie Kline: Julie Kline is the Outreach and Academic Program Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

International Collaboration on the Internet
Pyle Center - Room 325

Two educators who have approached the Internet creatively and holistically, with a passion and curiosity about other countries and cultures, will lead this session. Judy Freund, President of Friends of International Education and Global Learning Consultant, has helped teachers and students connect classrooms to Russia and England, among other countries. Mark Wagler, elementary teacher, has used the Internet to help his students make videos, do oral history interviews, explore cultures, and hold scientific conferences—all the while trying to make the world more round for them. Both educators will share their pitfalls and days of discouragement as well as their vision and successes.

Presenters:

Mark Wagler: Mark Wagler is a 4th-5th combined-grade teacher at Randall Elementary School in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark is known among his colleagues for "big projects" incorporating student inquiry, local and global curriculum, and networking with other classrooms. He came to the classroom with a rich background as a community organizer, professional storyteller, college teacher, folklorist, and writer. He helped create the Ocooch Mountain News, Northland Storytelling Network, and the Heron Network for student inquiry. His awards include a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Kohl Teaching Fellowship, and a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching.

Judy Freund: Judy Freund is President of Friends of International Education, a new network linking teachers with a passion for travel and global studies. She has been an educator in River Falls, Wisconsin, working throughout K-16. She collaborates with global educators who are interested in connecting classrooms electronically to internationalize their curricula, as well as doing outreach to area communities. Her world treks include recent journeys to Nepal, Russia and Bolivia. She lived in Europe for four years.

Madeline Uraneck: Madeline Uraneck has been the International Education Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction since 1990. She works with student and teacher exchanges, sister state relationships, and she advocates for global studies and world languages in the curriculum.

Reflections on Columbia: Life, Drugs, Politics, and Community
Pyle Center - Room 112

Both presenters are well versed in Colombian culture, history, politics, and communities. They will reflect on Colombian life, politics, labor, education and community life including the impact of drugs, guerilla insurrection and American policy. This session will offer insight from both a university and K-12 perspective on how to discuss Latin American politics to American students.

Presenters:

Glenn Schmidt: Glenn Schmidt is a teacher at Northside Elementary School, Sun Prairie, and a member of the National Educational Association Board of Directors. Glenn just returned from an NEA trip to Colombia.

Mary McEniry: Mary McEniry is the President of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Fulbright Association, and has served as a Peace Corps volunteer and Fulbright Scholar to Colombia.

Conference Wrap-Up

3:30 p.m: Conference Highlights and Summation
Pyle Center - Room 325

4:00 p.m: "Babcock Hall" Ice Cream Social
Pyle Center (Outside Rooms 325-326)

On a related note, the new International Education curriculum guide is here!

http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dltcl/eis/pubsales/pdf/international.pdf or call 1-800-243-8782 to order.

This conference is sponsored by the Friends of International Education; University of Wisconsin-Madison;International Committee--School of Education/UW-Madison; Department of Educational Administration/UW-Madison; Department of Curriculum and Instruction; International Institute/UW-Madison; Center for African Studies/UW-Madison; Center for East Asian Studies/UW-Madison; Center for European Studies/UW-Madison; Center for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia/UW-Madison; Center for South Asia/UW-Madison; Center for Southeast Asian Studies/UW-Madison; Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program/UW-Madison; Global Studies Program; Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, UW-Milwaukee; Wisconsin Association of Supervision & Curriculum Development; Wisconsin Chapter of the Fulbright Association; Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; Wisconsin Education Association Council.

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