INFORMATION FOR
A conference designed to help educators teach about Asia, its languages, and its artwork, as well as understand the evolving identities and images of Asian Pacific Americans, will be held at William Paterson University on Thursday, March 25, 2010.
“Asia and Asian Americans in the 21st Century: Opportunities for Understanding, Challenges in Teaching” is a conference for teachers and school administrators interested in addressing this important topic. An annual event, the Teaching Asia Conference is designed to foster the integration of Asia into the humanities and social studies curriculum.
The conference fee is $45 and includes materials, breakfast and lunch. Participants can earn six professional development contact hours. The conference will be held at William Paterson University in the University Commons Ballroom on the campus in Wayne. Registration begins at 8:45 a.m. and the conference ends at 4:45 p.m.
Starting at 9:30 a.m., Joann Lee, chair of the communication department at William Paterson, will give the keynote address, “Asian Americans in the 21st Century: Reflections on Evolving Identities and Images along the Road to the American Dream.” She will discuss how today’s Asian Pacific Americans see their futures through a more diverse, global prism.
A morning workshop, “Integrating Asia in a Global Classroom: Challenges for Educators,” will be held from 11 a.m. to noon. Presenters include Jean Modig, professor in residence, and Makoto Yoshida, director, Center for Lesson Study, at William Paterson. Patricia Michael, assistant superintendent of education, Ridgefield, CT, and Martin Fiedler, principal, East Ridge Middle School, Ridgefield, CT, are also presenters.
The afternoon session begins at 1:15 p.m. with the language instruction workshop “Pedagogical Challenges of Teaching Heritage Students – Our Classroom Experiences.” Presenters include William Paterson professors Ming Jian and Shuyuan Chen, language and cultures. Kishori Barman, founder of the Greater Danbury Hindi Learning Centre, CT, and a community activist and Hindi teacher, along with Neel Barman, will lead a workshop on how to address various challenges in teaching Asian languages in the classroom.
From 2:45 to 4 p.m., there will be an Asian art history workshop, “Teaching and Learning from Asian Art.” He Zhang, art professor at William Paterson, and Whui-yeon Jin, art history, Sungshin Women’s University, South Korea, will present ancient Asian art as well as modernized forms of traditional culture. At 4:15 p.m., there will be a wrap-up discussion.
The conference is sponsored by the William Paterson University Asian Studies Program, the Center for Study of Critical Languages, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Education, and the Center for Continuing and Professional Education.
To register online, go to http://www.wpunj.edu/cpe and click on Education conferences, or for additional information, call the Center at 973-720-2354.
