China
Professional Development Program for Secondary Education Teachers of English as a Foriegn Language (EFL)
Each year, in partnership with the Suzhou, China, Municipal Education Bureau, the TESOL Program hosts a four-week, professional development program for up to thirty secondary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers from Suzhou, China. The program consists of four components: advanced English language courses for the teachers, workshops on English language teaching issues, observations of English language courses at local middle and high schools, and social/cultural activities around the Washington, DC metro area.
For more info, please contact: Drew Fagan Email ID: dfagan@umd.edu
El Salvador
In collaboration with a local NGO, International Partners, COE faculty have started four rural education centers, in poor Salvadoran in villages, with a fifth slated to open in January. The NGO provides buildings, operational funds, and scholarships, while COE faulty conduct teacher training sessions and UMD students, living with local families, contribute manpower. To date, 950 children, youth and adults have come into the centers (or bibliotecas as they are known locally) for computer and internet access, after-school classes, to take out books, and to get homework help. More than 100 graduate and undergraduate UMD students have participated in the program since 2009 when the winter-term Education Abroad course was first offered.
For more info, please contact: Paula Beckman Email ID: pbeckham@umd.edu
Website:https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/office-international-affairs/maryland-international-2015
Video Link: Click here to view the video
Germany
M.Ed. in Special Education for Personnel in the Department of Defense Schools
EIn partnership with the the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, the Institute for the Study of Exceptional Children and Youth in the College of Education, offers an M.Ed in Special Education, with a special focus on Secondary and Transition Services. This program equips teachers working on military bases in Europe,with the expertise to support secondary students with disabilities in making a smooth transition from school to a work or post-high school setting. The program is supported by grant funding from OSEP, U.S. Department of Education, and is offered as a tuition-free program for scholars who complete the program as a cohort in Germany
For more info, please contact: Tori Page-Voth Email ID:tpv@umd.edu
Israel
Ethiopian Immigrant in Israel: Children, Families, and Education
Each spring, the department of Teaching Learning Policy and Leadership offers a 3-credit course focusing on the immigration and acculturation process of Israels 130,000 Ethiopian Jews. The course entitled, Ethiopian Immigrant in Israel: Children, Families, and Education, addresses the University of Marylands efforts to increase global awareness and to provide international experiences for its students. Students and professors spend two weeks traveling in Israel, visiting institutions that provide services to help immigrants adjust to life in their new country. These include: Absorption Centers which provide immediate services to new immigrants, including intensive Hebrew language instruction and explanations of everyday cultural practices; youth villages for immigrant children; community centers for new Israelis of all ages; artists workshops for elderly, low-income immigrants; high-tech and executive job training programs; university initiatives to increase acceptance of Ethiopian-Israeli high school graduates; and a variety of public and private schools. Additionally, students meet Ethiopian immigrants and are given extensive opportunities to interview them.
For more info, please contact: Melissa Landa Email ID: melissalanda@gmail.com
Video Link: Click here to view the video
Malaysia
Since 2011, COE faculty and students have been working in partnership with the psychology department at HELP University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to intervene in informal learning center schools for refugee adults and children. Over 100 hidden centers have been started by the refugees themselves in kitchens, small apartments and basements. Since teachers have limited access to basic educational resources, this refugee teacher-train-refugee teacher intervention has focused on classroom and emotional management skills. Over 150 teachers (mostly from Burma, with a small minority from Afghanistan and Somalia) have been impacted so far, with an additional 300 set to benefit from the next phase of intervention: an online refugee teacher training, consultation and collaboration.
For more info, please contact: Colleen ONeal: onealc01@umd.edu
Blog Link: Click here to view the blog
Video Link: Click here to view the video
Tanzania, Togo and Uganda
Increasing Female Secondary School teachers in African Countries: Barriers and Policies
Faculty members in the International Education Policy program, in partnership with the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), have been working in Tanzania, Togo and Uganda, where teaching at the secondary school level is predominantly performed by men, to identify the factors that prevent women from becoming or remaining teachers. This is especially important since there is a strong relationship between women teachers and increased girls’ participation and success in schooling. More specifically the researchers have sought to identify the social, economic, and institutional barriers; develop policies to overcome those barriers; and to design national action plans to implement policies seeking to improve the recruitment and retention of women secondary school teachers.
For more info, please contact: Steve Klees: sklees@umd.edu
Jing Lin : jinglin@umd.edu
Nelly Stromquist: stromqui@umd.edu
Website: http://www.education.umd.edu/CHSE/academics/specialization/IE.html
Visiting Delegations
Visiting Delegations
Each year the College of Education hosts visiting delegations from other countries who are interesting in various aspects of the educational landscape both in the PK-12 and Higher Ed spheres. This fall, for example, the College will be hosting a leadership team from the College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, in Muscat, Oman. The three-day event will address areas of interest to the delegation including field placements, instructional technology, conducting research in schools, and student services.
For more info, please contact: Helene Cohen: hkcohen@umd.edu