Interim Report:

Activities associated with the Asia Society, "TeachAsia" Project.

According to the original grant proposal for the Phillips-UNC collaborative in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the objectives for the 1998-1999 school year for the Teach Asia grant was to:

1) Increase Asian Awareness

2) Enhance Teaching about Asia

3) Strengthen Community Ties

Our first goal was to measure Asian awareness among Phillips faculty.

In order to better understanding gains made this year, we surveyed the staff on their background in Asian studies (general knowledge and previous college or university level course work). We found that 68% of our staff had no past experience with Asian-related course work. While 18% of our staff reported taking a course in world history, only 6.8% responded that they had experience in Chinese history. Additionally, we surveyed the staff concerning perceived student demographics. 48% of the faculty reported that they didn't know the percentage of our Asian student population. Roughly 20% of our staff responded that there was between 7-10% Asian student population which reflects the actual 8.4% of Phillips students who are Asian. We also used the survey to gauge interest in Asian-specific topics for future staff development. The results of this survey were presented to the faculty on October 13, 1998. In May, we will conduct a similar survey that will measure the year's gains.

On October 15, 1998, in conjunction with the Carrboro Arts Center, Bikram Ghosh and Tarun Battacharya, renowned Indian musicians performed for teachers and students at Phillips Middle School. Students and teachers were able to hear several selections of Indian santur and tabla music, as well as ask questions of the musicians. The presentation was very well received.

On November 11, 1998, Teach Asia team provided five hours, or .5 continuing education credits, of Asian-related studies to sixty five teachers, three administrators and four teacher assistants. The goal was to provide an overview of Asian studies. Phillips faculty met for a lecture on Asian anthropology, geography, and politics presented by Prof. James Peacock, Prof. Melinda Meade, and Prof. Jim Hevia, all professors from the University of North Carolina (UNC). Faculty then participated in a cultural presentation of Indian and Vietnamese dancing, and Tai Chi Martial Arts. Faculty were able to discuss ethnicity issues with diverse Asian speakers from Nepal, Japan, and India. A catered lunch menu reflected cuisine from China, Japan, India and Korea. In the afternoon, teachers were able to choose from workshops on such issues as Asian art, the teaching of math and science in Japan, Asian literature, and Tai-Chi and Asian martial arts. A number of exhibit tables provided information sources, hands on objects, arts and crafts from Asia. Evaluation forms completed by Phillips faculty indicated that the day was an overwhelming success.

In January 1999, Faculty at Phillips Middle School began reading proverbs from around the world to the students and staff over morning announcements. In order to expand Asian awareness, a large number of Asian proverbs are included. Teachers have been encouraged to include these proverbs into teaching and advisory periods. Many of our classrooms have a wall or an area dedicated to Asian art, pictures, books and materials. Students participate in learning about Asia through hands-on activities. One of the more interesting items in Susanna Bryant's classroom is an oragami garden made by one of the students.

In order to enhance teaching about Asia, we have created a special teacher resource area in the Phillips Media Center. All appropriate Asian-related curricular materials provided and purchased to date have been cataloged, and teachers are using the resources regularly. The TeachAsia team meets periodically to plan for the purchase of new materials. Plans have been made for future staff development days to include specific teaching strategies for Asian studies. Teachers have also used the Asian proverbs as a "springboard" for curriculum study and cross-cultural comparisons. Also the Teach Asia staff has relayed information on numerous educational and cultural events in the community and at our local universities to the faculty and staff at Phillips Middle School. Lastly, Bogdan Leja, Director of Outreach at UCIS, has created a web site at http://metalab.unc.edu/ucis/btl4/events/slot7/teachasia.html that includes links to educational web sites, updates on current programs, and additional information about the Teach Asia grant to all interested parties. Information on upcoming activities is emailed via a listserve to all social studies teachers in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill school district.

To strengthen community ties, Susanna Bryant (Teach Asia team) made a presentation on August 24, 1998 to the Phillips Middle School School Governance Committee. Her goal was to inform the committee of Teach Asia goals and objectives, and to gain support. While our original plan stated that the TeachAsia team would meet with the Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) and with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board, it was decided that the PTSA could better disseminate Teach Asia grant proposal information through its monthly newsletter. The newsletter was sent out to all Phillips parents in mid-September 1998. We spoke with Superintendent Neil Pedersen regarding a board presentation. It was agreed that the TeachAsia team should present results of the grant program in June 1999. We are also fulfilling this goal by utilizing the UNC Outreach Program as a source of community contacts to serve as speakers for staff development and classroom resources.

The goals for the remainder of 1999 include the Japanese Animation Festival sponsored by TeachAsia grant funds and coordinated by Bogdan Leja, UNC Outreach Program. Two days of staff development are also planned for February 15, 1999, and March 12, 1999. In February, we will focus on East Asia and in March on South East Asia. This professional development opportunity will be held at Phillips Middle School and will be open to all Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' employees. Plans are underway for the Global Market, a student simulation with strong community involvement, to take place in May 1999.

We have had a very positive response from the Phillips teachers and the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Community.

Concerning UNC-CH participation and program management. Departments on campus and organizations with strong Asia ties off campus have been informed of the collaborative and its goals. The University Center for International Studies (UCIS) and its staff are very proactive in advertising opportunities for additional funds and educational travel that would support "TeachAsia" goals. We have also met with the key teachers at Phillips and provided a number of informative sessions on how this grant is structured, its accounting, expenditure and reporting needs.

To aid the expenditure process, Phillips teachers were provided special billing forms developed by Administrative Manager Sharon Glover. A reporting structure for all material purchases is established and access to accounts with food and book vendors has been provided. To date, the collaborative has expended a total of $1,130.60 of UNC-CH matching funds and $1,982.06 of Asia Society funds. This reflects invoices processed and money paid and does not provide outstanding purchases and invoices that have not been processed to date. For a complete breakdown, see attached budget.

UCIS is also in direct support of developing inroads toward a better understanding of South Asia through its literature, arts and people. Toward this end, The Curriculum in Asian Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UCIS), and the Department of English at the University of North Carolina Wilmington have formed a study group on contemporary Vietnamese literature for teachers, students, and faculty.

The purpose of the study group is to bring this literature to greater academic attention, by carefully reading select works with the guidance of two experts. Dan Duffy, a graduate student in anthropology at the UNC-Chapel Hill and Dana Sachs, an instructor in the English Department at UNC-Wilmington. Mr. Duffy and Ms. Sachs will guide the discussion of texts they have worked with closely, as editor and as translator. Access to contemporary South Asian literature is seriously lacking in NC higher education and K-12 environments. Selected reading offer insights into contemporary life, both in Viet Nam and elsewhere. Participants will bring their own interests in Asian and Asian-American literature, nationalism, globalism, and the role and responsibility of the writer in society to these workshops.

As a direct result of advertising "TeachAsia" and our collaborative efforts, the Fort Bragg school system has requested UCIS Outreach to provide to all their teachers (350) with a workshop on Korea. This is to be held on February 11, 1999 at Fort Bragg and will be paid for by UCIS. We believe that other school districts in North Carolina will have similar requests concerning information on Asia and we may need guidance and additional matching support from the Asia Society to meet these needs.

To summarize, while organizing all the events and activities can be tiring, the achieved results and knowledge gained on Asia are well worth the effort.