- CMENAS–CSEAS Teacher Training Workshop
- East Asia National Resource Center
- GPASS
- LACS Teacher Training Workshop
- LACS–CMENAS Teacher Training Workshop
- MENA-SEA Teacher Program
- Midwest Institute for International / Intercultural Education (MIIIE)
- U-M/UPR Outreach Collaboration
- World History & Literature Initiative (WHaLI)
- Resources for Educators
World Cultures: Religious Diversity in MENA and SEA
2019-2020 MENA-SEA Teacher Program / University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Teachers today increasingly need expertise and innovative ways to teach about world cultures and global issues. This program builds a community of Grade 6-12 educators who together will enrich and revitalize their teaching. The 2019-2020 topic will be “World Cultures: Religious Diversity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and in Southeast Asia (SEA).” Throughout the school year, the cohort of teachers will participate in expert-led workshops, discuss assigned readings, attend world-class artistic performances and cultural events, visit houses of worship and museums, and meet with religious leaders and representatives from local MENA and SEA communities. Activities also include exploring classroom strategies for teaching about the topic and developing curricular components and units about MENA and/or SEA.
The cohort will assemble all day on a Saturday once a month between September 2019 and June 2020 (excluding December); it will usually meet on U-M’s Ann Arbor campus; transportation will be provided for site visits and other group activities.
Intended Participants
- Grade 6-12 teachers from public, private, and charter schools
- Grade 6-12 school leaders, librarians, and other school-based educators
- Teachers in the profession for five or fewer years are especially encouraged to apply
- Educators who teach (or plan to teach) about the rich religious diversity in MENA and/or SEA, in a wide range of curricula, including courses in global studies, comparative religious studies, world history, literature, the arts, and other fields
Applicants not currently teaching should use their essays to describe the impact their participation in the program will have on teaching and learning at their schools (for example through curriculum development or programs for students).
Application Requirements
Application materials should include these five components:
- Online data-intake form, via this link »
- Résumé or CV: Not to exceed five pages, detailing your educational qualifications and professional experience
- Application Essay: Should not exceed four double‑spaced pages in length and should address all of the following questions:
- What motivates you to apply for this program?
- What qualifications and/or international experiences equip you to make the most of the program and to contribute to its learning community?
- How do you plan to incorporate what you have learned in the program in your teaching and with fellow educators?
- Lesson Plan: A lesson plan and a one-page reflective response about the execution of the lesson plan. (The lesson plan need not teach about one or either of the two regions.)
- Recommendation Form, via this link: Should be written by a senior colleague or administrator at your school (e.g., your department chair, assistant principal, or principal). The form will be submitted independent of the rest of the application materials. Please give your recommender ample notice of the deadline.
An application without ANY of these five components will be considered incomplete, and will NOT be reviewed.
Selection Criteria
The selection committee will evaluate applications based on evidence of:
- effectiveness and commitment as a teacher/educator;
- motivation and commitment to international education;
- perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the program’s learning community; and
- evidence that participation will have a long-term impact on your teaching.
Successful applicants will be notified via e-mail of their selection by Friday, March 15th, 2019, and they will have until Friday, March 31st, 2019, to accept or decline the offer. When choices must be made between equally qualified candidates, preference is given to those who would enhance the diversity of the program’s cohort.
Tenure Conditions and Benefits
Program participants must attend and participate in the all-day workshops, meetings, site visits, etc., held on a Friday or Saturday every month between September 2019 and June 2020 (excluding December); additionally, they must share publicly their educational resources resulting from the program. At the end of the program, participants will submit evaluations of the program.
Each educator will receive:
- $1,000 honorarium award to educators successfully completing the program, and
- SCECH eligibility from the Michigan Department of Education or from the departments of education in the states wherein they teach
- Tickets and fees to cultural events, artistic performances, and museums as part of the cohort activities
- Reimbursement for travel to/from U-M, Ann Arbor; group transportation; and overnight lodging (under special circumstances)
Application Deadline: Friday, February 15th, 2019, by which date complete applications must be submitted online, by e-mail, or by post.
If submitting online: Materials may be uploaded via the data-intake online form. If you prefer to not have your materials uploaded via the data-intake form, please email your files to:
Rima Hassouneh, rhassoun@umich.edu; subject heading: “Application to 2019-2020 MENA-SEA Teacher Program.”
If submitting by post: Please print your completed data-intake form and attach this to the rest of your application materials. Send your complete application to:
Rima Hassouneh, International Institute
Weiser Hall, 500 Church Street, Suite 500, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
Please note: An application without ANY of the five requirements will be considered incomplete, and will NOT be reviewed.
