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WEAC's Professional Development Academy co-sponsors the visits
From the Department of Public Instruction
An estimated 16,000 Wisconsin students will learn about the language, geography, history, culture, and daily life in contemporary Japan this fall from Japanese teachers visiting their schools as part of the Japan-Wisconsin Education Connection.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction selected 13 schools to serve as hosts for the six visiting teachers from Japan. This year's teacher delegation arrived in September and will be in Wisconsin through December 9. Visiting teachers will spend three to four weeks in each host school district. They will live with host families and participate in daily life in their host community.
The teachers will spend a two-week orientation period in Madison and the Lakeland area, learning about Wisconsin's educational system, designing lessons on Japanese language and culture, visiting classrooms, connecting with Native American students, hiking northern forests, and harvesting cranberries.
"We welcome these teachers from Japan who will share lessons with our children and take home insights to their own students," said State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster. "By learning and sharing with those who speak a different language and come from a different culture, we embrace how much we are the same. We build bridges for understanding and peace, commerce and prosperity that enrich our lives, our states, and our nations."
The DPI and WEAC's Professional Development Academy have had an exchange program with Japan since 1997, funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The Japanese Ministry has sent 147 teachers to Wisconsin during those 11 years to learn how Wisconsin schools meet the needs of diverse student populations, how schools use new technologies, how the curriculum is designed and tested, and how Wisconsin families live.
"The education our students receive must ensure that they learn to embrace diversity, both in their own communities and in our interconnected world," Burmaster said. "This exchange program contributes to our international education and global literacy efforts: part of the 21st century skills our students need for a successful future."
Visiting teachers and the subjects they teach in Japan are Noriyoshi Hosoda of Shizuoka City, all elementary subjects; Sonomi Yamaguchi of Fukuoka City, social studies and geography; Arata Kodan of Kyoto City, science and biology; Kayoko Mori of Gifu Prefecture, Japanese; Yukako Suzuki of Shizuoka Prefecture, English; and Jiro Asahi of Ehime Prefecture, English.
The participating schools for October visits are Grand Marsh Elementary School, Adams Friendship Area School District; Deerfield High School; Madison Elementary School, Marshfield School District; Jack Young Middle School, Baraboo School District; Waterloo Middle and High School; MHLT Elementary School, Minocqua J1 School District; and Arbor-Vitae-Woodruff Elementary School, Woodruff J1 School District.
In November, the Japanese teacher delegation will visit Lodi Middle School; Menasha High School; Fernwood Montessori School, Vieau Elementary, and Milwaukee School of Languages, Milwaukee Public Schools; and Osseo-Fairchild Middle and High schools.
Posted October 4, 2007