Spring 2013
NCTA 36-Hour Seminars

The Silk Road: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Teaching about East Asia

Dates — The weeks of ...

February 6, 13, 20, 27
March 6, 13, 20, 27
April 3, 10, 17, 24
and May 1, 8, 15, 22
Final projects due June 4

Location

Online (asynchronous) at asiaforeducators.org

Registration Deadline

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Course Description

The “Silk Road” refers to a series of routes that crisscrossed Eurasia from the first millennium BCE through the middle of the second millennium CE. The best know segment of the Silk Road began in the ancient Chinese capital of Chang’an (Xi’an), diverged into northern and southern routes in Central Asia with branches going further south to India, the main branch crossed the Iranian plateau, and ended on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean in the cities of Antioch and Tyre. Music, art, technology, belief systems, and stories were carried along this ancient trade route.

This course will knit geography, economics, history, art, and music into an interdisciplinary exploration of Asia — its diversity and interdependence. The course is formatted to help teachers consider how the course material can be adapted for all styles of learning encountered in their classrooms. Learning styles and needs that are addressed include: English Language Learners, Gifted and Talented or higher achieving students, students with disabilities, and students in special education classrooms.

Along with discussions of content with experts, teachers will share ideas about assessment and differentiated instructions. Weekly class pedagogy postings and discussions will highlight effective classroom use of available online and printed resources, as well as investigate how these materials are consistent with student outcomes and meet Common Core standards and the Danielson Framework.

This seminar is being held in conjunction with the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA), with support from the Freeman Foundation.

NCTA Seminars

The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) seminars provide educators with an enriched background in the history and cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam as well as the exchanges among these cultures and with the larger world. Topics will closely follow the New York Social Studies Standards, the Children First Report, and Professional Development Standards for teachers.

The seminar consists of 15 online sessions.

Seminar requirements

• NCTA seminars prefer applications from elementary, middle and high school teachers in the fields of literature, social studies, and geography, but will also consider those from educators in art history and media (librarians);
• Attendance is recorded by weekly postings (two per session topic) and participation in online discussion (at least one response to another participant’s post per session topic);
• There will be one midterm assessment and a final project based on the readings and the specific topic you teach.

Course Benefits

This course is offered by the Asia for Educators Program at Columbia University, as part of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA). Each participant will receive:

• Three New York State “NCTA credits”;
• Eligibility for NCTA study tours to China, Japan, and other Asian countries;
• Certificate of completion for 36 hours professional development credit;
• This course also qualifies for 3P credits in the New York City After School Professional Development Program (ASPDP). For ASPDP credit, please register separately at the ASPDP website: https://pci.nycenet.edu/aspdp/