The UW–Madison School of Education is in the midst of hosting 21 secondary-level educators from abroad this fall as part of the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (Fulbright TEA) program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by IREX.
These teachers, who come to Madison from 17 different countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, arrived Sept. 13 and are leaving at the end of October.
“The presence of the Fulbright participants enriches the UW–Madison campus learning community, and we are incredibly honored to have such a talented and passionate group of scholars here,” says Jamie Welling, the associate director of the School of Education’s Global Engagement Office, which is leading the hosting efforts.
The teacher-scholars are here for an academic program focused on media literacy, technology, contemporary issues in education, and language pedagogy. The program includes a field experience component at either Monona Grove High School or Verona Area High School.
The group is also enjoying some fun activities, like touring the Wisconsin State Capitol and checking out the Dane County Farmers’ Market, taking in a Badgers football game, visiting Chicago, and attending the School of Education’s Homecoming Tailgate event Oct. 7 at Union South.
“It is an honor to be a grantee of such a prestigious program as the Fulbright TEA program,” says Erzsébet Jáger, a visiting educator from Hungary. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us to learn about the theoretical questions and the methodology of media literacy from real experts and from each other. Also, getting a first-hand practical experience at Verona and Monona Grove High Schools is a unique opportunity to get insight into a fairly different educational model than what we have in our home countries. We will not be able to implement everything we see, however, we can bring some changes in the perspective of our teaching method and apply various methodological tools and practices.”
“The TEA program has provided a great variety of different teaching methods, skills, techniques, and experiences so far,” says Daniel Gonos, a teacher of English language and philosophy from Slovakia. “I have the opportunity to (learn about) the educational system provided by UW and area high schools and compare it to my home school. I have learned so much about digital and media literacy, critical thinking, and new teaching methods, which can be very useful during my lessons back home. Last but not least, I have met so many amazing people, faced wonderful American culture, tried great meals, and visited so many interesting places. I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks of this incredible program!”
Source: Education WISC