Educator Exchange - Profiles of Active Exchange Programs

ACADEMIC AND STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Texas Tech University and Universidad de las Américas-Puebla (UDLA)

Texas Tech University
Box 41701
Lubbock, TX 79409-1071 USA

Contact: Amie Mitchel Beckett
Phone: 806/742-1997 x262
FAX: 806/742-2179 Email:
abeckett@ttacs.ttu.edu

Background Information:

Host sites:
Lubbock, TX USA
Puebla, Pba. México

Year program began: May 1998

Type of program: One-way exchange

Participants: Teachers

Program size: Five to ten participants

Grade levels represented: K-5

Subject areas represented: English, Spanish, math, science

Duration: Three weeks

Financial support: Personal funding for living expenses and salary; housing provided on the UDLA campus (dormitorios)

Criteria for participation: Currently enrolled in Master of Education or Doctor of Education program at Texas Tech or another university; Spanish and English languages required; transfer credit must be checked at home institution; exchange or research worker takes part in research work and/or gives lectures at receiving university

Recruitment procedures: University, Internet, conferences

Program Goal

To promote international friendship and world peace by stimulating and supporting intercultural activities and projects among teachers and administrators of the U.S. and Mexico

A few of the course objectives in the syllabi are as follows:

To become familiar with major program models for language instruction in a multicultural context
To understand major theories of language, content and culture in relation to the selection of instructional models
To understand the role of prior knowledge/language development and experience in learning new information
To develop Spanish vocabulary for cognitive and academic learning
To understand that language is a system representing concepts and cultural information
To understand the role of prior knowledge/language development and experience in learning new information
To study the relationship between language use and content-area knowledge in a bilingual classroom
To observe the systematic use of two or more languages for cognitive and academic development.
To examine sociolinguistic factors in instruction decision-making for two-way bilingual immersion programs

Exchange Activities

Development of lessons, instructional units, and cuadernos de vocabulario (vocabulary notebooks); classroom visits
Observations at the Colegio Americano, including two-way bilingual programs
Attendance at university classes and orientation sessions
Cultural outings to pyramid in Cholula
Cultural tour of Puebla, including libraries, cathedrals, market, etc.

Other Information

Before the exchange, teachers access assigned readings and resource materials through the Internet in order to draft possible research questions to be addressed during the practicum in Mexico. Plans are underway to adapt course content for students in Mexico. An agreement has been finalized by the two universities. The university provides two advanced seminars in Curriculum and Instruction as elective courses for the Master of Education with a bilingual education emphasis.

THE PROFILES:

ACADEMIC AND STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Texas Tech University and Universidad de las Américas-Puebla (UDLA)
BINATIONAL PROGRAM
CALIFORNIA/MEXICO VISITING TEACHER
FULBRIGHT TEACHER EXCHANGE PROGRAM INTERCAMBIO DE MAESTROS
PROGRAMA PARA LAS COMUNIDADES MEXICANAS EN EL EXTRANJERO (PCME)
MEXICAN INSTITUTES AND CULTURAL CENTERS
EMBAJADA MEXICANA
SPAIN-LANGUAGE/CULTURE ASSISTANTS
SPAIN POST-TO-POST EXCHANGE
SPAIN VISITING TEACHER PROGRAM
EMBASSY OF SPAIN

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