Recently in Professional Development Category

Contemporary Russia: Boris and Natasha for K-12 Teachers!!!

A five-week summer program focusing on area studies, the Contemporary Russia program offers current K-12 teachers of history, social studies, and language arts an opportunity to study abroad in Russia and the opportunity to explore in depth the major domestic and international issues currently affecting Russia. It will provide classes in Russian economics, Russian politics, and Russian culture. All area studies courses are conducted in English by faculty of the Moscow Higher School of Economics, one of Russia's most prestigious centers for the study of social sciences. In addition, program participants receive six hours per week of language instruction geared toward their proficiency levels (including elementary courses for students with no prior training in Russian). A working group will meet once per week in Moscow to examine such topics as teaching methodologies; new resources for courses on history, culture, language and current events; and ways of incorporating information gleaned from the program into U.S. classrooms.

The United States Department of Education, through its Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad, provides fellowships for selected teachers in this program. The Fulbright-Hays Act 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, upperclassmen and graduate students in selected foreign countries. Awards are made under the program to conduct overseas projects in teacher training, curriculum development, and other fields.

Brita Ericson
Information and Outreach Officer
American Councils for International Education: ACTR-ACCELS
1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
202-572-9102

Meanwhile, Closer to Home, a Month in D.C.!

You can spend a month in Washington, DC at C-SPAN! This is a reminder that the deadline is quickly approaching for C-SPAN's Middle and High School Fellowship application. It's a Fellowship valued at $6,500 that brings three teachers to our offices for four weeks during the summer to create educational resources for next school year. The deadline is Friday, February 13th, and so far we have only received a few applications.

Access the application at: http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Fellowship_About.aspx

You can also view C-SPAN's 2007 Fellows speaking about their experience at: http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Fellowship.aspx

If you have any questions, please call the C-SPAN Educators' Hotline at 1-800-523-7586 or email educate@c-span.org.

www.c-spanclassroom.org

And...From One Of The Richest Men In The World
Thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, DonorsChoose.org offers high-school teachers at high-need (40% or more students eligible for free/reduced lunch) or rural schools half-funding for all projects to prepare their students for college!

Through this offer, any college-prep project submitted to DonorsChoose.org from a high-need or rural high school will be eligible for 50% funding from the Gates Foundation. This 50% of funding will activate automatically when other donors choose to join in and fund the rest of your project! For priority consideration, please submit your project request(s) on www.DonorsChoose.org by February 22, 2009. For questions about this grant, please email Melanie@DonorsChoose.org.

The Korea Society's 21st annual Summer Fellowship in Korean Studiesis a professional development program for teachers that takes 20 selected participants on a two-week study tour of Korea to learn about the country's rich history, culture and language. All fellowship expenses--including round-trip international airfare, accommodations, meals and program fees--are covered by the generous funding of The Korea Society, the Korea Foundation and the Freeman Foundation. This year's Summer Fellowship in Korean Studies Program will take place from June 24 through July 10, 2009.

Please visit our Web site (www.koreasociety.org) to download an application (due February 16). We encourage you to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to get to know Korea first-hand. Participants in past programs have found that the fellowship offers an unparalleled learning experience and yields great rewards for their students.

The Korea Society's Summer Fellowship in Korean Studies program invites applications from social studies and language-arts educators, including K-12 classroom teachers and instructors at schools of education. Administrators, supervisors, specialists and mentors associated with social studies and language-arts education (with a minimum of three years of experience) are also encouraged to apply.

Additional applications are always available at www.koreasociety.org.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Yong Jin Choi, Senior Director
Korean Studies Program
The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue, Eighth Floor
New York, NY 10022
yongjin.ny@koreasociety.org

FREE Virtual Teacher Workshop Series from the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and National Geographic Oceans for Life
October 9 - 20 and November 6 - 17, 2006
Register free at: http://www.coexploration.org/ceo2006

Few of us realize that more of the physical surface of the United States is below water than is above water! Come learn about some of the most important areas of the 4.4 million square miles of ocean habitats within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in a Virtual Teacher Workshop. All registered participants will receive a free copy of the new National Geographic map: From Sea to Shining Sea, Exploring America's Ocean Realms.

The Classroom Exploration of the Oceans Virtual Teacher Workshop Series is a free professional development program offered to anyone who has access to the World Wide Web. Leading and emerging scientists will present their work to you online allowing you to ask them questions directly. The workshop also provides links to educational resources that can extend this exciting research into your classroom. Lastly, the workshop acts as an educators' network, as participants can discuss what works best in the classroom and how to promote ocean-literacy everywhere. Graduate credit is also available.