10/3/2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Ten Michigan teachers and five Michigan State University faculty and staff will venture halfway around the world to Nepal, a small country located between India and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, on Oct. 11.
"Michigan State University's involvement in international education is one of its major strengths," said Murari Suvedi, assistant dean in MSU's Office of International Studies and Programs. "Many of our faculty and international students have a major commitment to fostering international education in Michigan's public schools.
"It is therefore very fitting that MSU has taken the lead in arranging this study tour that will not only broaden the horizons of the participating teachers, but will also lead to the development of new teaching materials and to the establishment of additional linkages between schools in Michigan and Nepal."
Some of the participants will work with Nepalese school teachers on water quality and environmental education programs. All of them have designed projects related to their teaching areas and will be developing teaching materials for use in their Michigan classrooms.
The focus of these projects ranges from cultural comparisons (music, poetry, religion) to environmental issues (air pollution, waste management, land use). One teacher will be comparing Nepalese and U.S. physical education and fitness programs. Another will be developing a picture book about a fictional 12-year-old Nepalese girl.
"Nepal: Understanding the Rivers, Environments and Cultures" is the theme of this study tour, which is funded by a grant from the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad program. That program is designed to contribute to the cultural enrichment of participants and to inspire them to apply their experiences in their teaching and other activities upon their return to the United States.
The successful Fulbright-Hays proposal was submitted by MSU and was developed in conjunction with the Macomb County Intermediate School District.
The K-12 teachers participating in the study tour represent middle and high schools in 10 different Michigan communities.
During their stay, participants will meet with public officials, tour cultural sites and visit schools. They will also attend seminars on a variety of topics related to Nepalese culture, society and the environment. Although participants will spend most of their time around the city of Pokhara, they will also explore Katmandu, the capital city. On the return trip, they will spend a short time in Bangkok, Thailand.
After returning to Michigan on Nov. 2, the group will compile their projects in a study guide volume to be distributed to other teachers. Supplemental materials, such as photos and video footage, will be added to a publicly available Web-based version with the help of MSU's Asian Studies Center. These resources will be developed with Michigan Curriculum Framework benchmarks in mind in order to maximize their usefulness to Michigan teachers.
The K-12 teachers, subject areas, and school affiliations are:
- Carole Beverwyk
Science (and Assistant Superintendent)
St. Johns Public Schools - Marietta Crabtree
Science/Social Studies
Shelby Junior High School / Utica Community Schools - Barbara J. Deslich
Science/Social Studies
Everett High School/Lansing School District - Marianne Forman
Social Studies/Language Arts
MacDonald Middle School/East Lansing Public Schools - Madeleine Jones
Science Gerisch
Middle School/Southgate Community Schools - John Knight
Social Studies
Ronald McNair Technical Center/Detroit Public Schools - Dennis McCarthy
Social Studies
Grand River Magnet School for Global Studies/Lansing School District - Daniel J. Pagel
Science/Social Studies
Anchor Bay Middle School North/Anchor Bay Public Schools
New Baltimore - Gayle Ann Potter
Social Studies/Language Arts
Durand Middle School/Durand Area Schools - Emalie Wegener
Social Studies
Okemos High School
The trip will be led by Suvedi, a native of Nepal who has been at MSU since 1987; and Patrick Livingston, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal and recently retired MSU Extension agent in Macomb County.
Also joining the program from MSU are Frederick Stehr, a faculty member in the Department of Entomology; Michael Lewis, professor of history and director of the Asian Studies Center; and Jay Rodman, special projects coordinator for the Office of International Studies and Programs.