Organizer and Chair: Tara Sethia, California State Polytechnic University
Discussants: Ralph Canevali, National Endowment for the Humanities; Vanitha Chandrasekhar, Hudson School; David Grant, DeAnza Middle School; Steve Patterson, Webb School; Lynda Shaffer, Tufts University
One of the key challenges for humanities education in American schools is to promote a better understanding of Asian cultures and societies. The National Endowment for the Humanities funded Program on India and China at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, addresses this and related issues pertaining to teaching and learning about Asia through collaboration between university professors and twenty-five elementary, middle, and high school teachers from all over southern California.
The purpose of the roundtable is to discuss how programs such as the above: (1) affect the teaching and learning about Asia in schools; (2) create enduring collaboration between schools and universities; and (3) help create a larger community of learners. The panelists will share their specific perspectives on these issues. Tara Sethia, drawing upon her experience as project director, will reflect on the challenges involved in making for a successful collaborative model and the rewards and frustration arising from the implementation of such programs. Based on their three-year affiliation with this program, Vanitha Chandrasekhar, David Grant, and Steve Patterson—representing elementary, middle, and high school teachers respectively—will discuss the value of this program for their professional growth and its impact on student learning in their schools and school districts. Ralph Canevali, representing the National Endowment for the Humanities, will address the goals of the endowment in supporting such projects and the satisfaction the endowment receives from successful programs. In the capacity of an external observer but familiar with program content and approach, Lynda Shaffer will offer her critical comments on the various aspects of the program and the value of such programs to both the university and the K–12 sector.
This roundtable will not only provide the panelists—drawn from diverse institutional backgrounds—an opportunity to reflect on the above issues collectively, but will also serve as a significant forum for discussion about models and ways of enriching education about Asia in schools and colleges.