TED Transatlantic Educators Dialogue 2015

This blog was originally posted on Nataša Ljubić Klemše's blog, and has been reposted and translated with her permission.

by Nataša Ljubić Klemše

T.E.D. is a program at the University of Illinois that brings together educational experts of the United States and Europe to virtually exchange practical experiences and discuss various educational topics in order to reveal the two groups' similarities and differences.

This kind of educational diplomacy with educational experts ensures that multiple perspectives are considered in the debate and discussion of educational systems of participants' countries, as well as overcoming many cultural barriers, misunderstandings, and misconceptions.

T.E.D. 2015 represents the fourth generation of the overseas educational talks. 

As the only participant from Croatia, I had the honor to present the state of education in Croatia to educational experts from around the world, to introduce them to certain components, and also to learn about the educational systems of other countries in the world.

Online collaboration was carried once a week for 90 minutes per session from February to May 2015. The coordinator was Lucinda Morgan, a PhD student at the University of Illinois. For communication, we used the Blackboard platform, and technical support was available from the University of Illinois. Moodle was used to exchange experiences amongst the participants, including discussions, debates and dialogues. All facilities and works that were created during the collaboration remain available to participants after each session.

For the first three weeks, we got to know each other, and we went over the logistics of TED. Then we got started with the work.

All the participants were, according to personal interests, divided into eight groups. Each group worked individually and prepared a joint presentation and supporting materials. Participating in the working group "Technology in the Classroom," I had the privilege to work with many experts from the US and Europe. In preparation of our joint presentation, we used a number of communication tools and worked day and night, due to the different time zones. We prepared a presentation of "Technology in the Classroom; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow "in which I personally focused on the field of education in the future. I made part of my presentation on Education 3.0, which among other things includes eTwinning. I presented the core components of Education 3.0 and eTwinning to the class.

During other presentations, I learned how to impress participants in the educational system, the different approaches to teaching, the evaluation and estimates on the impact of religion in education, homeschool education, the impact of immigration and migration on education and diversity education in rural and urban areas, the possibilities of international cooperation, and the future of education.

One of the outcomes of cooperation on T.E.D. was the gathering of participants from T.E.D. 2015 on June 27, 2015 in Brussels, where additional exchanges and experiences were shared.

At the workshop on training for eTwinning ambassadors in Latvia from June 17-20, 2015, I had the opportunity to meet with Vaiva Ozoliņa, another TED 2015 participant with whom I worked in the group "technology in the classroom." The priceless experience of online collaboration turned into a direct experience of meeting each other in the Baltic states, which represents the point of working together.

T.E.D. as a new form of transatlantic cooperation represents to me a totally new experience that has significantly enriched my professional CV. I am proud of all the new knowledge, new friends and acquaintances, and the opportunity to worthily present Croatia and how happy I am to be part of a great world educational system.

TED Transatlantic Educators Dialogue 2015

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High School Festival Celebrates Diversity

This blog post was originally published on the Danville Commercial-News website on April 18, 2015.
This event was co-sponsored by the European Union Center.

by Carol Roehm

High School juniors Tatum Bray, from left, and Rachel Parker learn about the formal Indian dress worn by junior Shreja Patel during Friday's International Festival at the high school.    

DANVILLE — Colorful costumes, henna tattoos and incense excited Danville High School students as they entered the gymnasium Friday afternoon for an international festival.
 
DHS’ GLOBAL House and the Humanities Division and the Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois cosponsored the event titled International Festival: “A Celebration of Culture.”
The intent of the festival was to celebrate the vast cultural and ethnic diversity richly represented within the Danville community. The festival was nearly a year in the making.

DHS junior Samantha Buchanan, a GLOBAL House student, wore a German dirndl and her blonde hair in braids. She participated in the festival’s fashion show, as did junior Shreja Patel who wore a formal Indian dress.

“I think it’s cool,” Samantha said of festival. “We put a lot of work into it.”

DHS students visited booths and viewed stage activities in the afternoon before the doors opened to the general public later in the afternoon with more booths, a mini taste of cultural foods, immersion rooms, activities, parade of fashion and entertainment.

An evening performance included entertainment from many cultures as well as featured West African dancer Djibril Camara, formerly of the Ballet du Afrique Noir of Senegal. Camara also performed earlier in the day at East Park Elementary School.

Outside of the DHS gym, three classrooms were set up as immersion rooms where topics were explored in more detail. The topics, which included discussions on kimonos, Afghanistan and women’s rights and on the Arabic language, were presented in 30-minute blocks.

One of the immersion rooms was going to be about the Hindu language led by Mithi Mishra and Chaitra Prasad from the Department of Linguistics at the University of Illinois.

“India is fascinating when it comes to language,” Mishra said, adding that there are 22 different languages spoken in the country, and that English is taught only in expensive, special English-speaking schools.

There were at least 40 booths, many of them student- or classroom-created, at the event which was free to the public and took place in the gym, classrooms and the Dick Van Dyke Auditorium.
Dawn Nasser, coordinator of student recruitment at Danville Area Community College, displayed a table full of artifacts from Chile, Slovakia and Syria.

“I’ve been to nine different countries, so I brought different things with me today,” Nasser said.

Some of the items included a mask made from cactus, earrings and a change purse made from a coconut shell, a sword made from a swordfish’s beak and a figurine made from seaweed.
DHS sophomores Leondre Cobb and Isaac Vogt looked at each item on Nasser’s table.

“I like learning about all the different cultures that are here,” Isaac said. “I spent a lot of time with the international instruments because I’m a musician.”

Leondre said Nasser’s booth and the India booth were his favorites.

At another booth, Mira Bhavsat of Danville used henna to draw elaborate Indian designs on the back of students’ hands. Judging by the line of teenage girls, it was one of the most popular booths at the festival.

“I like it,” senior Samanta Calvillo said as she admired the back of her hand. “I thought (henna designs) was something they do all the time, but it’s for weddings and celebrations.”

Nearby, brothers Benjamin Xiong, a DHS senior, and David Xiong, a DHS junior, and their cousin, senior Andrew Xiong talked about their Hmong heritage and the traditional money vest displayed on their table.

Andrew explained that the colorful money vest decorated with dangling coins is worn by men “to show what you have” wealth wise.

Andrew said he thought the festival was “pretty good” because it gave him and his cousins, all first-generation Americans, an opportunity to share their culture with others.


“Before the festival people would ask me my race, and now I can share where my family is from,” he said.

High School Festival Celebrates Diversity

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Euro Challenge 2015! How to Sustain the Social Systems in the Eurozone: A Look To France for Answers

by Letitia Zwickert

It is with great pride that I can say our Naperville Central High School team just won the Midwest Regional Euro Challenge Competition. I am extremely proud of my all-female team of Sasha Fenton, Meghan Howard, Hanna Meyer, Naina Prasad, and Nicole Simos; all students from my International Relations class, an honors course at NCHS. They met after school, and on weekends, since January to first learn more about the Eurozone, and then about the euro itself. Their task was to research a significant challenge facing the Euro area and find a member state to serve as the perfect example—they found a winning one! The challenge they chose is the social systems of the Eurozone, and their case is France. The social systems in the Eurozone, as currently structured, are very difficult to sustain given the economic environment and desire for future growth. As sophomores in high school, never haven taken an Economics course, my team needed to explain this challenge in the context of the current economic worries of slow growth, high unemployment and deflationary concerns. Intertwined with these issues, they highlighted the political and social realities that exist in the Eurozone and in France.  Additionally, their choice of focusing on the welfare system in France was a large undertaking, as France not only has the largest social welfare system in the Eurozone and the EU, but also in the world.  They had a lot to learn, and then, in turn, transform into a unique presentation! There was incredible team effort, individual growth, and professionalism throughout their weeks of work. Our team also had a notable advantage, with two very devoted upperclassmen, Kevin Angel and Megan Angel, who shared their economic knowledge, work ethic, and moral support during the preparatory process—two excellent upperclassmen mentors.

But this experience was only made possible by the generous outreach of the EU Center at the University of Illinois. Because of their work with high school teachers and students, and the sharing of outstanding opportunities, such as this one, my students gained knowledge about the EU that far outweighs that of typical high school content. The invaluable experience through the team work required to prepare for the Euro Challenge and the competition itself, judged by EU specialists, will serve them a lifetime. All of this gives them an enormous advantage as they look towards college and career choices. And, yet another incredible adventure awaits us, as we are now headed to the Euro Challenge Finals in New York City! Thank you so much EU Center!

Letitia Zwickert is the International Relations, World Cultures, and Minorities teacher at Naperville Central High School.

For more information about Euro Challenge, please visit the European Union Center's website.

Euro Challenge 2015! How to Sustain the Social Systems in the Eurozone: A Look To France for Answers

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Eleven High Schools in the Midwest Participated in Euro Challenge 2014

Eleven high schools from Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin participated in the 2014 Euro Challenge. Euro Challenge is an exciting educational opportunity for high schools students (grades 9 & 10) to learn about the European Union (EU) – the largest trading partner of the US – and its single currency, the euro. The program offers students of global studies, economics, world history/geography or European studies a unique experience that moves them out of the classroom into the real world.

The participating schools in the Midwest were:

Downers Grove South High School, IL
Elgin High School, IL
Glenbrook South High School, IL
Mundelein High School, IL
Normal Community High School, IL
South Shore International High School, IL
Penn High School, IN
St. Joseph High School, IN
Brookfield Academy High School, WI
Madison East High School, WI
Marshfield High School, WI

For the competition, held on April 3 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, students researched problems and solutions to Europe's economic challenges. A team of three to five students presented its findings in a competition format. 

Normal Community HS (IL), St. Joseph’s High School (IN) and Brookfield Academy (WI) advanced to New York for the semifinal and final rounds of the competition held on April 30 at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. 

The results of the final round were:

1st place – Princeton High School, NJ

2nd place – Montclair High School, NJ

3rd place – Hunter College High School, NY

4th place – Trinity Preparatory School, FL

5th place – Nova High School, FL

The Delegation of the European Union to the United States published a press release about the 2014 competition. Additional details can be found on the European Union Center’s Euro Challenge web page.

Eleven High Schools in the Midwest Participated in Euro Challenge 2014

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GlobalFest 2014

This blog was originally posted on the REEEC blog on March 12, 2014.

Sign at GlobalFest 2014

On March 1, several graduate students affiliated with the Russian, East European, Eurasian Center, including myself, participated in GlobalFest 2014 in Normal, Illinois. This is an annual event that celebrates world languages and cultures, and encourages middle and high school students to make connections with the global society. It was amazing to see such a large group of young people take an interest in the world beyond their classroom walls. Several languages and cultures were represented, and of course, we did our part to teach kids about Russia and Eastern Europe.

Zsuzsanna Magdo and Urszula Biegaj Lechtenberg
help students play Kolejka

Natalya Khokholova and Devon Lechtenberg taught Russian and Polish language classes, respectively. Each of them taught four sessions of about 20 minutes each, covering basics like the alphabet, some pronunciation, and greetings. They were also able to talk about the countries and their cultures. For example, Natalya discussed the Sochi Olympics with her groups of students.

Undoubtedly, the most popular event REEEC offers at GlobalFest is Russian Horror Stories. Stephanie Chung, with the help of Zsuzsanna Magdo, introduced Russian Horror Stories to 70 students; it was standing room only in the small classroom! Stephanie read “Baba Yaga and the Runt” from Sibelan Forrester’s translation of Baba Yaga: the Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales, available in REEEC’s Multimedia library. Students discussed their favorite horror stories and films, and then compared the main elements from them with common themes found in Slavic horror stories. Stephanie introduced several common characters in Slavic folk literature, including the most famous of all, Baba Yaga.

Kolejka (Queue) game from Poland

A new addition to GlobalFest this year was the board game Kolejka or Queue. Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance developed the game to teach players what life was like under a centrally planned economy during socialism. Zsuzsanna introduced the game by comparing it to the origins of the game Monopoly, which was not originally intended to give capitalism a glamorous name. We had three games set up for a total of 15 players. The students were very patient, as the game is quite complicated.

In Kolejka, each player has a shopping list they must complete in order to win the game. It is not possible, however, to just go to the store and buy everything at once. Each player’s five pawns stands in different lines, not knowing whether there will even be a delivery that day. Shortages were quite common in 1980s Eastern Europe, including Poland. Hence, it was possible to stand in line for hours and not be able to buy anything, the store having run out of items several people before you in line. In the game, players can jump the lines and switch places according to a number of action cards. These range from snitching on a neighbor to the police and throwing them out of line, or borrowing someone’s baby to skip the line completely and be able to buy what is in the store first. Zsuzsanna and I stood close to answer any questions, and there were definitely many questions!

At first, the students did not like the idea of sabotaging their friends in order to get ahead in line, but they quickly learned that it was the only way to get all the items on their shopping lists. Another foreign idea that took some getting used to was dealing in the black market. In Poland, people might buy things they did not actually need at the time only to use them to trade in the black market for things that they did need. The game represents this practice very well, since the black market is always stocked, while the stores receive irregular shipments of goods that might not fit in your list. Overall, the students seemed to enjoy the game and their trip to 1980s Poland.

By participating in the sessions REEEC organized, along with the rest of GlobalFest, students were able to experience a host of different cultures and languages. They were open to new experiences and gave insight to our own perspectives on the world.

Urszula (Ula) Biegaj Lechtenberg is a second-year Master’s student at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She graduated with a REEEC MA in 2012. Her interests include Slavic librarianship, academic libraries, and instruction. She works as a Graduate Assistant in the cataloging department at the Library, and holds an hourly position at the Slavic Reference Service.

GlobalFest 2014

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U-46 Teacher Travels the Globe to Enhance Her Lessons

This article originally appeared in The Daily Herald on August 5, 2013.

by Tara García Mathewson

Chris LaRue at Hagia Sophia

Chris LaRue has helped grade Advanced Placement exams for the College Board for more than a decade. During a marathon grading session years ago, she heard other teachers talk about cheap travel opportunities for teachers. At the time she didn't know such grants were out there but the tip opened up a world for her — literally.

LaRue, a teacher in Elgin Area School District U-46's gifted academy, recently spent two weeks in Turkey. She has also visited China and Germany and she hopes to go to Japan next summer.

This year's trip was paid for almost entirely by the Turkish Cultural Foundation though LaRue had to contribute $700 and promise to incorporate some of what she learned into her lesson plans. Neither requirement was a problem for her and LaRue already has multiple lessons in mind for her advanced placement world history, AP European history and AP art history classes.

Suliemann's Mosque

She has a fully formed lesson about sacred spaces ready to go — it was part of her application for the trip. Students will learn about how a people's beliefs and practices are reflected in the way they arrange their sacred spaces. Turkey's Suleymaniye Mosque, for example, faces Mecca, as all mosques do.

Her recent visit to the Basilica of St. John and the Hagia Sophia, which has gone from a church to a mosque to a museum, will inform her lesson plan and give students a chance to see pictures she took while she was there.

Giving students examples of travel — and making sure they know about organizations that offer it at reasonable costs — is all part of her "meddling," as she calls it.

"I always encourage students to have a global experience," LaRue said.

And many take her up on the recommendation when they get to college and have the opportunity to study abroad.

That's where LaRue got her start in international travel. As a student at Marquette University, she studied in Rome. That experience also gave her an introduction to Turkey, which she said was a very different country back in 1970.

LaRue said Turkey has come a long way, especially given its existence only dates back to the 1920s. Turkey is trying to meet the requirements of full membership in the European Union and LaRue said one current social push is to better respect minorities in the country.

"Hey, aren't we doing that here?" LaRue pointed out. "It's a universal thing — respect the rights of all people in your country. Every country has their own culture and diversity problems."

The Turkish Cultural Foundation funds trips for teachers to spread understanding of the country within the United States. The tour included visits to sacred spaces, the site of the ancient city of Troy and Gallipoli, where one of the most famous battles of World War I was fought. LaRue and her fellow teachers got to meet other educators, students, artists, professionals and the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey.

LaRue plans to brief other U-46 teachers on her travels and share her lesson plans, especially within the World History Department.

"The district is very encouraging of teachers sharing," LaRue said. "In a way it's free professional development."

Planning for a 2014 Turkey trip is already under way. Interested teachers can learn more at turkishculturalfoundation.org. Photos from LaRue's trip can be seen on her blog at larueturkey.tumblr.com.

Photo Credit: Chris LaRue's blog

Chris LaRue is a European Union Center-affiliated teacher who has participated in the EUC's curriculum development workshops, the Euro Challenge competition, and the EUC's Study Tour to Europe in 2012. 

U-46 Teacher Travels the Globe to Enhance Her Lessons

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EU Centers of Excellence Educational Trip: Getting Europe into the Rural School

by Katie McNamara

EU Parliament Meeting

This past summer, I had the tremendous opportunity of participating in the European Union Centers of Excellence trip abroad to Brussels, Belgium.  A student of mine participated in the University of Illinois EU Center’s high school essay competition and came in second place, allowing me the chance to travel with the EUCE to Brussels.  The educational trip allowed me to collaborate with teachers and university students across the nation, create contacts with those at the University of Illinois EU Center, and gave me a hands on experience on the interworking of the EU, NATO, and activist groups in Europe.

EU Commission

As a teacher of a small, rural school in Central Illinois, I find it a challenge to relate the massive amounts of information and critical discussions of the EU to my students who are often isolated from the world. Very often, my students find it difficult to connect with events taking place in Europe.  Many students have never traveled outside of the United States, and some have never traveled outside of Illinois. Often, they do not see how interconnected America and Europe are, and the importance of understanding the impact that European events can have on them.  I soon realized that this opportunity would be such a great way to engage my students in the discovery of Europe and the ever-changing issues being faced both within Europe and globally in the 21st century.

Speak Up! Demonstration in front of the EU Commission

One theme that seemed to run through all of the discussions at the European Parliament, the US Mission to the EU, and the Council of the EU was the future relations between the United States and Europe, particularly related to the present TTIP trade negotiations. A very intriguing moment occurred when Dennis O’Sullivan, lawyer linguist at the Council of the EU, discussed some difficulties faced with negotiating the size of rearview mirrors in tractors. Alas, farming and tractors: territory very familiar with many of my students! If the trade agreement between the EU and America does go through, imagine the possibilities and opportunity for American farmers with the new and extensive market of the EU. My students in French class, in collaboration with the Agriculture department in our school, are planning on creating a unit in which students study the TTIP agreement and what it would mean for farmers in this area, as well as studying other areas that could be impacted, both positively and negatively. Through this unit, I hope that students will become more aware of current events in Europe, and with the omnipotent need to become connected to the world.

View from ENAR

Additionally, the discussion session at the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) was one that I had been looking forward to. Although we are becoming increasingly more tolerant in America, racism and discrimination are still so present, including in small rural communities. Listening to the ENAR director, Michaël Privot, speak on the work ENAR is doing to combat racism in Europe by being an umbrella organization for other anti-racism organizations was very compelling. Among many other roles, ENAR is canvassing throughout Europe to find and support individuals whom have reported being discriminated against so that in turn, ENAR may lobby the EU parliament and commission to increase support and funding for minority and immigrant groups. A unit comparing discrimination and racism in America and abroad can have so much influence on students in a small school, as it can allow them to see what racism looks like elsewhere, and hopefully help change their mindset and actions on racism in their community.

Photo credit: Katie McNamara

Katie McNamara is a French teacher at Oakwood High School in Fithian, IL. This is her second year teaching. She received her B.A. and M.A. in teaching from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. In her spare time, she is also senior class advisor and advisor for International Club. You may reach class page via this link: Ms. McNamara's Class Page.

EU Centers of Excellence Educational Trip: Getting Europe into the Rural School

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