CSU, Chico News

California State University, Chico, in collaboration with the Chico Unified School District and other local schools and organizations, is conducting a three-week program called Teachers Training Teachers, with the purpose of preparing Russian teachers to provide workshops to their colleagues when they return to Russia. Ten Russian educators will arrive on Oct. 13. The program provides professional development workshops, site visits and experience-America activities.

The educators will attend workshops on a variety of topics, such as developing critical-thinking skills in teaching, learner-centered teaching styles, integrating topics across subject areas and problem-oriented teaching and discourse. The training program will provide insight into an established democracy and the curriculum and methodology employed in civics education in the United States.

The Russian teachers will visit a variety of schools and classrooms at the elementary and secondary levels, where they will observe classes and participate in lessons. New ideas and techniques from these experiences will be available to incorporate into their own teacher-training workshops.

The program is, by its nature, mutually beneficial. The Russian teachers observe and learn from their school visits and numerous interactions with Chico educators and Chico educators can learn from their Russian colleagues, who will be presenters at the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Conference at CSU, Chico.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, part of the United States Department of State, sponsors the program. It includes a component that enables two U.S. teachers or administrators to spend three weeks in Russia visiting schools and observing and sharing best practices in teaching.

For further information contact Diana Parks, program director, at 898-6049.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2005 at 8:30 am and is filed under 2005 Fall.