Here are just a couple examples of places you could travel to conferences:
http://www.ukla.org/conferences/event/the_48th_ukla_international_conference/ England
http://www.rasa2012.ukzn.ac.za/ South Africa
Here is a copy of the form that is found on the IRA website. Please read through this and consider what you could gain from going to a conference focusing on literacy that is held in another country. Consider how much work you feel would be involved. Post your responses.
Travel Grants for Educators provide support to
educators from any country in attending Association
Sponsored Meetings that are held outside the educators own
continent. Applicants must be members of the Association or one of its
affiliated groups.
Completed applications must be received by June
1 for meetings between July 1 and June 30 of the following year.
Curriculum Vita
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
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April 21 – 24, 2013 San Antonio, TX
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Yes
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No
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Proposal Accepted
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Would you discuss a proposed or
ongoing project with specific groups or members of the International Reading
Association? If yes, please list the area(s)
of discussion below.
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Yes
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No
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Would you make international
contacts for the development of new affiliate organizations in your area?
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Yes
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No
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Please provide a list of all sources of other
funding available with specific amounts from each source (including personal
contributions).
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
Please describe your reasons for attending this
meeting and how your attendance will benefit your work and the teachers with
whom you have contact. Also, include a brief describe of your contact
with teachers, school administrators, deans of education, and/or teacher
educators.
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
Please attach a sign letter/statement of support
from a representative of a recognized institution (e.g. university). The letter
must include the individual's name, position, address, telephone number, and
your professional relationship with them.
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
(Click on 'browse' to locate your document in your files than click on 'upload' to attach to form)
Please provide any additional
information relevant to your application (e.g. training, experience, etc.).
* If your application is approved, you will be required to provide a
follow-up report with four weeks after the meeting has taken place. You will
get specific instructions when you are notified of the Board of Directors'
decision.
Please note by clicking on 'Agree' or 'Disagree' this becomes your electronic signature.
Please note by clicking on 'Agree' or 'Disagree' this becomes your electronic signature.
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Agree
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Disagree
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Going out of the country for a conference sounds amazing!! I would love to do that. I think meeting new people, hearing different perspectives and seeing how other countries are teaching would be incredible. At the end of conference I noticed that you have four weeks to submit a follow-up report, which I think is great. It would help you remember all that you learned and it would help organize your thoughts. Professionally, this would look great on your resume and would benefit other professional development days with your fellow teachers. Maybe you could even do a workshop based on what you learned.
ReplyDeleteI think this opportunity exists more now than ever. I really see the value in learning about education systems in other countries also.
ReplyDeleteI agree! There are many opportunities to go abroad for conferences and even teaching experiences. I wanted to study abroad during my time in college, however, I didn't want to be behind and have to stay an extra semester in college. In addition, at one point I thought about teaching English in another country...like Costa Rica. Then, when I was applying for teaching positions and saw the competition that was happening I was turned away from this experience. It seems as though once you have your foot in the door, it is hard to turn down a year of teaching to go abroad not knowing if you would have a job when you return!
DeleteI think staying with a family in another country while experiencing working with students would be very beneficial. This would allow us to see how students interact in school and how students interact with their family.
I would love to go to another country and see how they teach reading to their students. Having traveled overseas for fun, I saw, from the student perspective, how important schooling was for them and their family. It would be interesting to find out how we could encourage our children and families to see that education is important and something that is needed. I like how the application form asks how you would share the information you learn with other staff members. Sharing information is imperative so we can all be the best teachers we can be.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you feel this way. I wanted to show everyone that there are funding possibilities to fulfill teaching opportunities such as this.
DeleteI was lucky enough to attend the IRA conference in Chicago this spring. One of my favorite moment's of the conference happened during our VERY crowded lunch hours. I ended up sharing a table with a teacher educator from Jamaica and had a very insightful conversation with her about their education system, which I knew nothing about. I wouldn't have even been able to tell you whether they offered public education (they do). So, I can only imagine how insightful it would be to travel internationally to learn more about other educational systems in developed countries. There are surely thing to learn from how others are attempting to solve the challenges within their educational systems.
ReplyDeleteThis is so great! It is also wonderful you went to IRA!
DeleteI would love to travel to a place such as Finland to learn more about their educational system and practices. In today's society, we are comparing our students success on such a broader global level. I feel that other countries have the benefit of being in close range to learn from one another. With a grant opportunity like this, what a great way to broaden our horizons.
ReplyDeleteI fortunately have had the chance to travel overseas. I did 3 months of student teaching in Ireland. It was indeed an eye opening experience. I was there in March-May 2007. Every room had a Promethean board and there were computer labs always available. Not only in the school, but the town as well. Students also spent a good portion of their educational experience partaking in physical activity and being environmentally conscience. Every year, I share my experiences in Ireland with my second graders. They are always amazed by the differences.
I have traveled to Europe and always share the experience and photos with my third graders every year. They love learning about another country and seem to get into it more because they know I have actually been there. I would love to be able to tell them what it's like to be a student in Europe. It would also be nice to show them pictures of students and actual classrooms from another country.
DeleteWow, this is wonderful. As to the physical activity, I counted three times a day that children were out running around outside while we were in England in the schools. And, hold on to your seat, the teachers had break time together because the whole school was dismissed to the playgrounds.
DeleteIreland was the same way. There is no playground, but a big black top. All students went outside for morning break, and all the teachers met in the lounge for tea and scones. At lunch, all the kids went outside again to eat and the teachers all went to the lounge for lunch. In addition, twice a week a professional hurling player would come and give the students lessons on hurling, a game that all of Ireland partakes in.
DeleteWho watches the students when all the teachers are on break? I have two friends (married couple) who are teachers who are seriously considering moving their family of four children to Europe to teach overseas because of the way the school systems are headed in our community.
DeleteThere was no one outside with the students. I did think this was strange. The school I was at had a courtyard in the middle. This is where the blacktop was and the students were at outside. The students were very self motivated.
DeleteSo different from how it is here....
DeleteI have heard wonderful things about Ireland's educational system. Wonderful that you had this opportunity -- and I will say I am VERY envious of you! :)
ReplyDeleteI have a fellow colleague that did her student teaching in Ireland. She has told me that the entire experience was amazing. I wish I had done that myself! She also told me since she did that she automatically had some credit hours towards her masters degree. Wasn't sure if you were aware of that!
DeleteWas this at IU?
DeleteSarah, I lived with a Taryn and Lauren... didn't know if they were your colleagues. I did earn master credits, and I am looking into whether they can count. Dr. Walker... yes it was at IU.
DeleteHer name is Amy. She may have gone to IU. I would have to check, but it was an Indiana school for sure.
DeleteI think that it would be really neat to go to a conference focusing on literacy in another country. I think it would be a great experience, since it would be interesting to see what strategies other countries use to teach students how to read. I would like to go to the literacy conference in England, since I feel it is a country that is similar to ours, but I know that they also teach differently over there too. I know that our world is moving to global education, so this would be a great way to learn about how other countries teach their students. Recently, I saw a commercial on television that addresses the United States being low in science and math and that we rank somewhere between 15th to 20th in the world in these areas. If teachers in the United States would start partnering with the other countries that are doing well in these areas, then we could improve test scores here in America. I feel that after looking at the application, it wouldn’t be too hard to get involved with a conference in another country, but it might be costly unless a teacher could get a grant of some sort to help cover the cost of the trip.
ReplyDeleteWow, great creative ideas!
DeleteOne of the things that I have to remember when looking at rankings is that some countries only test their average and high students. They do not count their ESE and low students, whereas in the US we count everyone. I'm not saying that we still might be low to other countries that do, but I think it matters a little. I am also not saying that we shouldn't count all of our kiddos- I was just saying.
DeleteIn my posting I mention getting to know the other school systems in different countries, what you are saying Katrina is the type of thing I was talking about. We always need to look into everything and not just take it at face value. Many countries also "track" their students into specific careers based on their math/reading abilities - much like we concentrate on a certain area in college, these students do the same starting very early. So, just like we, as graduate students wouldn't take a class in chemistry, another country might have a 14 year old that won't take a class in literature. Point is, I agree with you and totally get what you are saying.
DeleteWhen I was in Poland, we stayed with friends who had kids my age and younger. It was amazing the amount of pressure the kids felt to do their best so they could be placed in a better "track". The better they did in school while taking the more difficult courses meant they would be allowed to go for a better job. It was all interesting to me!
DeleteIt's a tough tight rope to walk -- you want kids to be intrinsically motivated but you don't want them to have too much pressure -- they are kids!! There have been implications that the high teen suicide rate in some of the Asian countries is tied to the type of pressure to which you are referring.
DeleteYes, I agree with that, it seems that we our pushing students more than ever before to perform in the classroom, but we as teachers are also pressured to perform based on the new RISE rubric. It seems though that the other countries around the world our kicking us to the ground when it comes to math and science. I feel that a lot of students in America are not as motivated to take the advanced classes and get a good job. I feel that if the government didn't penalize individuals for getting a job, then education would be more valued in America. I feel we in America place more of a value on sports and fame.
DeleteI would absolutely love to travel abroad to learn how other countries teach reading. I would also like to learn how the educators are taught to better understand their teaching methods. The application did not look hard, but it did look time consuming, not to mention I would have to update my expired passport! I traveled to Europe as part of a French trip back in high school and fell in love. Going back to learn about a culture's education system would be such an opportunity. I would be able to view how another country tests, evaulates, and sets up their reading and writing curriculum which would allow me to compare it to how we do it at my school and in the U.S.Submitting a follow up conference would not be an issue at all. I know my colleagues would enjoy hearing and learning about the ideas I could bring back with me after such an experience.
ReplyDeleteOhh, you do have the travel bug. I can tell. It is something you could do down the road, and again if things can be planned to benefit your school and class they can happen much more efficiently I would guess.
DeleteI do have the travel bug. My husband and have travled to 6 differnt travel locations in the last year! He is Active Army so we both hope to be stationed in Germany at some point.
DeleteWith how much you love to travel your husband being active duty will certainly allow you to see a lot of places. I'm sure 20 years from now you will have quite the plethora of knowledge in your teacher backpack.
DeleteAfter looking over the application, I realized it's not as complex of a process as you'd think it would be to apply. Having a contact person from a university to write a letter of support and finding sponsors to help pay for the trip would be the hardest parts. I'd also feel obligated to share my experience with others in my school corporation so I hope I'd have valuable information to share with my colleagues. I think it would be such an enriching experience to see how literacy is taught in other parts of the world. And, with technology it would be easy to maintain contact with the international community once a relationship is formed. How cool would it be if my class could tweet about their daily reading and writing experiences and have another classroom respond from across the world!
ReplyDeleteYes, it would be great to build relationships and include technology. I have learned so much myself from being in other countries and seeing there education systems. I really never thought about it until we took students.
DeleteMy dad and stepmom are actually in China for the next couple of weeks doing a teaching exchange. They work for NDSU so they are teaching two 3-hour sessions a day about our agriculture to the Chinese students. They went to China last year as well and France the previous two summers. They always come back with wonderful stories of the culture and education system!
DeleteI have attended the Reading Recovery Conference each year at OSU. It always has so many amazing speakers and I always come back with so much new information to try in my own classroom and share with my collegues. It is definitely a conference that is beneficial enough to miss a couple of days of school for. In the past our school has been able to cover the cost, but the last couple of years it has been up to us to provide our own lodging. I do think that traveling internationally and seeing how other countries run their schools would be most beneficial. We always have so many students attending our schools from other countries and sometimes it is hard to even know exactly what grade to put them in because of the difference in school systems. We have had many children who come in and their parents say they should be a third grader here and their age is close, but after they enter it becomes apparent that in our system they are a perfect second grader. I think it would be most interesting to see how other countries opererate their schools.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point. Being able to travel abroad would no doubt give us a feel for how it feels to be in a new school in a new country. This could only add to our insights to new student's feelings and cultures as they enter our schools.
DeleteAt BSU, we take undergrads all over the world. I don't know if I have mentioned that we have trips from England to Mexico to Africa. I went to England with students many years ago. We were in the schools for 5 weeks. I cannot tell you how much I learned and how many questions I raised about our education system.
ReplyDeleteToday the world is "smaller" than it has ever been. Taking advantage of this by traveling abroad to a conference would be a wonderful opportunity. Doing research on the school system where you would travel to would help you get the most out of your experience. I know I tend to absorb more when I have some familiarity with a subject. Just like our students do better when armed with background knowledge. Every country wants its students to do well, so every country has conducted research and tried many methods. Learning what they have discovered and putting it into my repertoire could only improve my teaching abilities. The old saying "it takes a village to raise a child" comes into my mind. But now it needs to be, "it takes the whole world to educate a child." The problem often comes from availability of resources to fund such expenditures. With travel becoming so expensive, this type of grant is invaluable. It could provide an experience that could feasibly touch many students.
ReplyDeleteI like your quote. It is so true. With as much diversity in our classroom, it will take the whole world to educate our children. The world is smaller than ever. Children are coming in with little experiences because of the cost of travel and the cost of experiences. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for a teacher.
DeleteWhile reading your post, a question came to mind. Every country wants academic success among their children. I wonder if, in order to cut down on costs, they could do virtual conferences? If you can afford to attend, you can, but if you are financially strapped, you could attend via computer for a lessned fee. Just a random thought.
DeleteI think that it would be an absolutely wonderful opportunity to attend a literacy conference outside of the United States. This would be an amazing way to not only experience another culture, but to learn about their educational system. As a teacher, I am always trying to become better and learn new strategies that will help me reach even more students. I can't imagine how much I could learn about literacy from attending a workshop in another country. The application looks very reasonable and I don't think it would take too much time to fill out. Our world should be considered a community of learners where we can work together, share our strategies, and ultimately best help our youth succeed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last statement. Children are children, no matter what part of the world they live in, and we should want them all to succeed. I feel like countries are always competing to see who has the smartest students. We could all really learn something from one another.
DeleteI think depending on where you would be traveling, attending a literacy conference out of the country would be beneficial in many ways. As teachers, we are always trying to learn new things and bring new ideas into our classroom, and what better way to do that than to travel to another country that might be making significant gains in the content area of literacy. I think to travel to a conference in another country would require a tremendous amount of arranging and preparation, especially if you are not planning on funding the whole trip yourself. You would need to make sure that you research the culture and educational system to make sure that you are a respectful representation of the United States. Personally, I would be interested in seeing how different countries approach literacy, and how they handle their daily instruction.
ReplyDeleteBeing a respectful representative is very important, I hadn't even thought of that.
DeleteI think going to a conference focusing on literacy in another country would be a wonderful opportunity. I think each country has its own philosophies, and best practices in regards to teaching. A fresh perspective on literacy would be something I would welcome. Our educational system is resistant to change in many ways. I think checking out a conference could spark new discussions regarding literacy education. The application process for grant funding seemed very straightforward. The school I teach at requires rationale for professional development opportunities, or at least permission to attend. I thought the grant application seemed brief and straightforward. This is something I will certainly consider looking into for the future. I am excited about the possibility of gaining new perspective on literacy education.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our "system" is resistant to change. I'm not sure (although I have my ideas) where the breakdown occurs, but it is definitely there!
DeleteThree years ago I was fortunate enough to have two foreign exchange students from Germany. Foreign exchange students are always a pleasure to have in class in my experience. Their work ethic is so much better than most of my American students. My foreign exchange students are so mature compared to my American students. I would say we developed a friendship. On numerous occasions we discussed the differences between the German education system and the American educational system. I was shocked to hear the difference which included student expectations, teaching methodologies and teacher interactions with students. I certainly think we can learn from other countries about innovative literacy techniques. I think it might be in the best interest of our country to take a look at countries with higher performing achievement scores and look at all teaching techniques in general.
ReplyDeleteThat would be such a wonderful experience to have foreign exchange students in your classroom. What a great way to learn about another country's educational system!
DeleteStacy,
DeleteI have been very lucky over the years to have at least a couple of foreign exchange students every year. I love hearing about their educational systems. However, it makes me sad our system in the united states seems to be so dysfunctional.
I have attended reading conferences out of state, and I have also taught in another country for 7 weeks. I think attending a reading conference in another country would provide valuable insight in how literacy is being embraced around the world. There is a lot of work involved such as forms to be filled out and approved, making accommodations to get there and have a place to stay, and most importantly, finding a conference that will be beneficial to educators and students. In thinking about how culturally diverse our classrooms can be, learning literacy from another country’s perspective might be insightful in how to better teach our diverse learners. I think this is a wonderful opportunity to broaden our knowledge of literacy and become better educators.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how learning literacy from another country's perspective might be insightful because of our culturally diverse classrooms. What conferences did you attend out of state?
DeleteI think being able to teach in another country would be a wonderful opportunity. I think being exposed to different cultures when we are out of our comfort zone can often times help us open our minds to trying to teaching techniques.
DeleteI already love to travel. I have traveled outside of the US for pleasure two times and both times found the experience to be very enlightening. To travel out of the country for work, to attend a conference, would be even better. This would be a great opportunity! This is a grant which I am interested in looking more into and could see myself investing a lot of time in filling out this grant proposal. Thanks for sharing this! I never knew there even was such a grant available.
ReplyDeleteI love to travel as well. Our district recently sent four teachers to China to learn about their schools. They held a raffle for the opportunity to be a part of the team. I know two of the teachers and I can't wait to hear about their trip once they return.
DeleteWow! What a raffle! I think it would be so rewarding to be sent on a mission like this to learn about another country's schools.
DeleteMy husband and I are both teachers and would love to able to apply for a grant like this! We love to travel and have really been thinking about looking more into and investing time into a grant proposal. Before we have children, we absolutely want to travel and would love to include teaching in the process. I'm so glad that opportunities like this are available for teachers!
ReplyDeleteKrissy,
DeleteI think you should definitely travel and include teaching in the process before you have children! Once you have kids it seems like time starts to slip away from you. I think it would be an amazing experience for both of you. Think of the great stories you could then tell your children in the future!
My husband and I are also both teachers. We have been talking about applying for grants and offering as an added bonus that if they chose one of us to offer the opportunity to, it would be like getting "two for the price of one," as we would take our spouse with us for the experience. Definitely try before having children. Ours are now in high school, so we can finally get away!
DeleteIt would be a great educational experience to travel to a different country for a conference. After looking at the examples of places to travel for conferences, I think it would be so exciting to go to the 48th UKLA International Conference. It would be amazing to meet different people from around the globe and listen to their stories about education. Anyone would gain a great deal of information just by listening to other people and their teaching practices. I definitely think I would learn about different approaches and strategies to teach literacy.
ReplyDeleteThe grant application did not seem too overwhelming to fill out, but I think the Additional Information section would take the most work to complete. I would definitely need to put in some thought about the reasons for wanting to attend an international conference. If I received the opportunity to attend a literacy conference outside of the U.S., I would make sure to share all of my experiences and what I learn with my colleagues.
It would be a wonderful opportunity to attend a conference out of the country. I think it would be interesting to learn about another country's perspective on reading. It would also be wonderful to meet other people from around the world. I have never been out the country, so this would be a great learning opportunity. This would definitely be a great conference experience to share with colleagues. The grant application didn't seem too difficult. It would be worth the time and effort for such an amazing opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be very intersting to attend a literacy conference in another county. I enjoy attending local conferences and was chosen to go to an effective schools conference in Arizona a few years ago. Attending conferences is a great way to learn new ideas and perspectives about education. I was surprised to see that the grant application did not appear to be nearly as complex as I would have thought.
ReplyDeleteI would love to attend a literacy conference in another country. I have only attended a few large conferences, including the Reading Recovery Conference. It is a great time to get inspired. I can't even imagine how much you could gain, in terms of educational philosophy and worldly knowledge, by attending an international conference. To hear about new philosophies, studies, and practices from around the world would be a great experience. While looking at the application, I can't help but think that it would not be that much work to get a grant to do it. How do you make yourself stand out in a grant process like this one?
ReplyDeleteMrs. Millus,
DeleteI too wondered since the application seems relatively easy how one would make themselves stand out from the rest of the educators applying. If you get any good advice I am anxious to hear it!
I believe International Reading Association would provide more detailed information regarding this. There members website has so much information for teachers and provides detailed explanations of grants and other opportunities.
DeleteIn college, I lived with a host family for 5 months. My experience there was interesting, since the father was German and the mother was Spanish. At any moment of the day, I could hear three difference languages spoken by the family, German, Spanish, or French. I'm not sure where the French language came from, but knowing everything that I know now about education, literacy, and English Language Learners I would definitely approach an abroad experience in a much different way. I am very curious about how other countries conduct public education, and what expectations they have on their children. When my family was on vacation several years ago, we met a couple from New Zealand. Our daughters were the same age, 5. I was commenting that my daughter would start Kindergarten in the next few weeks, and the other mother shared that he daughter had already been in public schools for 2 years. They require all children to begin attending school at 3 years old. Wow, that shocked me then. Now, after reading a bit about the research surrounding the Head Start program; I can see where that would be a benefit. I also have read through a book called, The Third Teacher, which shares evidence for providing a specific kind of school atmosphere particularly through the environment. Many, many of the schools that are referenced in this book are school outside of the United States. While reading, The Third Teacher, I began to wonder if attention to the school environment is truly as big of a focus as this book describes or have they pulled the "needles out of the haystack" so to speak? I also think that looking at education abroad is important for education's current political position. The government is really pushing achievement, and our nation's educational rating in the world. I'd like to see and hear about another country's educational approaches, and their student's ability levels compared to my own. One thing that I definitely would want to know more about is how the parents value education in the home, and how that compares to our families in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteI have been attending a local reading/writing conference in Northern Indiana for the past 4 years. It would definitely benefit my teaching to hear about literacy the perspective of teachers from around the world.
Thanks for sharing about that book--The Third Teacher. This is something I would like to read if it shares other school environments. It is always interesting comparing.
DeleteI too would like to see how parents value education in the home compared to those families in the United States. Too often, parents are too consumed with their careers and hire babysitters or nannies to "help with school work." Or there are parents who think it is solely the teachers responsibility to teach their child during the day and when the child gets home it is their family time. Unfortunately, since our expectations are rising in education, we need parents support. It seems as though children who are not meeting grade level expectations also have the parents who do not help with homework at home or do not value school.
I currently am tutoring 2 boys who moved here from China last October. They both spoke VERY little English. One boy was in 2nd grade and reading at a beginning of the year level for kindergarten. The other boy was in 4th grade. The younger child was able to pick up on the language much quicker than his older brother. The parents of these boys would do anything to help their boys at home. They wanted extra "work" and ideas in how to help them at home. Weekly, they would "check-in" to see if there was anything else they could be doing at home to help enforce what was being taught in school and during the tutoring sessions. To me, this family values education more than the typical "American" family. Then by the end of school when summer was about to begin, the parents wanted to know of educational camps or sessions that their boys could attend. They didn't like the idea of their boys not learning over the summer months. From where they are from, school is part of their daily life and they have high expectations for their children. Which is paying off! The boys are excelling and doing great and have managed to be above grade level for their reading achievements.
Here's another "wrench" to throw into the mix of parents "valuing" education.....you mention parents who are too busy -- there are also those parents that want to do everything they can so they purchase all those "make-your- baby-smart" type products not realizing the best thing they can do is interact WITH the child and READ, READ, READ!!!
DeleteWow Michelle,
DeleteSounds like you have had some wonderful trips abroad. I wish I had taken the opportunity to study abroad.
I was surprised to hear that students start school in New Zealand at age three. It definitely makes sense the sooner you start kids in school the sooner you are going to see any disabilities or other issues.
I am really interested in the book you mentioned the third teacher. I think this is something I will need to look into purchasing.
Jenny,
DeleteI agree many parents I deal with think teaching their children is not their responsibility, the school is completely responsible for their child's academic success. I just don't understand what parents are thinking.
I think we need to rethink education in the united states and certainly make it clear parents and students are equally responsible for making sure they take advantage of the education provided.
When my son started kindergarten, he had had two years of preschool and was extremely prepared for school. There is something about parents working with their children and valuing education!
DeleteThanks for sharing your experiences! Very cool. I worked at a summer camp in California during college with many Australians and "Kiwis" (New Zealand). They all seemed extremely educated, but what I found so interesting was their different opinion on secondary education. Many of them thought it was much more important to travel the world and learn rather than go to college. The American society expects you to go to college immediately after high school. I thought that was interesting and even now as a teacher, I think about that often.
DeleteI can see the benefit of traveling to another country and learning how they teach. I think any opportunity that can help me grow as a teacher would be wonderful. Now I must say, I hate to fly and travel, so this would probably not be something that I would want to do. I do not like being away from home (I've been on a miserable vacation for the last 2 weeks and wish I had never came)and I am thankful that we have wonderful conferences in Indiana! I would like to learn more about teacher training in other countries and how parents respond to education.
ReplyDeleteDebbie,
DeleteI think it sounds great to travel to a different country to see different teaching theories. However, I to hate to fly or travel...and like to be in my own bed...very valid practical point you have brought up!
Yes, that could definitely affect one's learning experience in another country. Conferences in Indiana are definitely usable information and a lot less expensive!
DeleteThis would be a great experience for me! I love to travel and to learn about how literacy is taught in other places would be pretty amazing. When I have traveled overseas before, natives of the country discuss and talk about the education system when you're on a tour and the bus passes a school. It is always fascinating to me to listen to them speak about the importance of education and how it is structured. Sometimes I think they have a better handle on it than we do! Usually education is taken very seriously and is considered a privilege rather than a right. Understanding and learning about how teachers are trained as well as how they teach would be very interesting. I think much could be brought back and applied to our classrooms here in the United States. I also think the other countries could learn from us as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm really going out on a limb here...this is just a thought on my part ---- You mention the "structure and importance and privilege vs. right" --- you also mention they can learn from us.---- Now here's my thought/question....do you think they are "ahead" of us because they do have parental support? Then, when you look at the teaching methods and the dedication of the teachers, do you see that we have them beat? I think teachers work very hard to educate our children....sometimes I think we have a missing link with some parents.
DeleteI agree with you that we do have a missing link with many parents. Some parents are fabulous and work very hard to do what is best for their kids, but many parents of students that I teach do not even read my newsletter. They seem to do the bare minimum.I believe that with more parental support our students' advancements could be much greater.
DeleteI feel many parents do not feel as if it is their responsibility to help their kids at home, or take responsibility for their children's academic status. When my son goes to preschool this fall, I know I am going to be a nervous wreck wondering if he is where he needs to be. If he is ever behind, I feel it will be my responsibility as a parent to help him get where he needs to be. I'm not sure why parents won't even read our class newsletters!
DeleteHopefully someone will read this since I am posting close to the end. In other countries, it is often a a privilege and not a right to go to school. This does impact data of academic achievement. Often, we are made to feel like our children do not achieve as in other nations when in reality those nations are not educating all children.
DeleteDr. Walker,
DeleteI remember a story about blueberries my professor read to us as wer nagan our students teaching. It explains that we take all kinds of blueberries, no matter what, and we use them to their potentia. In other countries many is the time that only the teachable are taught. I remember learning in school that there is a placement test that determines if a child will "use a mop for the rest of his/her life, or go to university". This is mainly in Europe, but we can expect to measure up to countries that teach who they feel is teachable, and posses an entirely different education system. I completely agree with this and I go to bat for this motion every time it is brought up, and debated about.
I too thought the four weeks was a well-thought-out time line. It's enough time to "recover" from the trip, really "digest" what you learned, and prepare the presentation but not too much time that you might forget something.
ReplyDeleteI would love to travel abroad and learn more about how literacy is taught around the world. I have never been out of the country and this would be a great experience for exploring and widening my teaching perspective. The travel would be very expensive, but there are grants that could help pay for expenses. I love attending conferences and always come back feeling refreshed and ready to share what I have learned with my students and my colleagues. I think that attending an international conference would open many doors for me.
ReplyDeleteI feel that attending a reading conference in another country would be an amazing experience. I thoroughly enjoy attending conferences and can't imagine how much knowledge I could gain when attending a conference in another country. Just to be able to listen to other people's teaching perspectives and how teachers run their classrooms would be amazing. I did not feel that the grant was that difficult of a process, just a little tedious. I also think that other teachers would learn so much from their colleagues experiences. Coming from a small community I think people and companies would help out greatly with the cost since this is something that is very uncommon.
ReplyDeleteGrant writing may not be tedious for all, but it is tedious for many. Sometimes it is just a put your head down and push through process.
DeleteThe ability to travel outside of the country to learn about educational systems would be a valuable experience. Many other countries have advanced beyond the United States in how they deliver education. In recent years, publications have commented the US no longer leads education in areas such as math and science. By traveling and learning abroad, educators could have a chance to learn firsthand some techniques that are used in other countries. These techniques could then be shared with students and colleagues state side which would allow for a wide spread of information being shared.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree that we could gain a lot from other countries by sharing ideas with each other. We really wouldn't have to travel to another country to hear the workshop because they could be use google hang out or another form of technology to bring the conference to the US or we could share a conference with another country the same way. Just a suggestion that may happen soon in the near future.
DeleteGood idea!
DeleteI think it would be an amazing opportunity to travel to another country to learn about their educational system. There are so many different places that have wonderful educational systems that we could benefit from. Seeing a different perspective and way of doing things only makes us better at what we do. I would love the opportunity to do this. I can only imagine all the insight you would be able to take away from something like this. Talking with teachers from other school district in the same state is very insightful so, think about the knowledge that could be gain from another country.
ReplyDeleteWow! Traveling abroad for an educational conference? What a great experience. I think that most educators would LOVE to be able to go somewhere international for a conference and the experiences had when visiting another country. The possibilities one could take from attendance are never ending. As with any conference, though, I believe you can take from it what you put into it. When looking at the information from the given websites, I think that I would have to do a lot to prepare to attend such a conference. Besides the packing and preparing for life in a new country for a few days- educationally, there would be a lot that I would want to mentally prepare for.
ReplyDeleteThe diversity present in a conference abroad would be conducive to really learn differences in teaching practices. At one of the conferences linked to websites above, I would have to prepare myself to be as open minded as possible when it comes to teaching literacy. One would learn many different approaches and styles of teaching literacy. I would also have to feel comfortable with sharing my own practices. Specifically, conversations about teaching reforms, social and diversity changes, policies, etc. would all be ones that I would actively engage in. Learning how others (from different areas of the world) approach teaching literacy would bring forth new ideas to implement into my own classroom. I think that attending a conference like this would be a wonderful opportunity- definitely worth any of the papers one would have to fill out in order to be able to attend!
ReplyDeleteI think traveling out the country for a reading conference would be amazing. I also think it would be an incredible experience to be able to take part in with a colleague. I can only imagine how much learning you would be exposed to, in addition to being immersed in a new culture and surrounding! If you were able to take part in the conference with a colleague you could share deep conversations about your experience and also share easily with the faculty at your school. I can also imagine that it would be a trip that would be an excellent learning experience to share with my students. They would love to hear about the trip and view photos too!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is the time outside of the conference, the immersion into the actual culture, where so much learning takes place!
DeleteKristine,
DeleteI agree with you. Often times it is what we learn outside the walls of a classroom that makes all the difference.
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ReplyDeleteI think attending a reading conference in another country would be an amazing experience. It would be extremely interesting to learn what other countries are doing, compare with what we're going and share those ideas with other teachers after attending. I also think that it would be a great experience to meet other teachers from other countries. The grant did not look to difficult to fill out. The hardest part would be raising the money to go. I think seeing a different perspective would be beneficial to any teacher and what better way to do that than to travel abroad for a conference.
ReplyDeleteTraveling to another country for a reading conference would offer a teacher great rewards. I think in collaborating with other teachers and making connections with them regarding the similarities and differences in the students, schools, learning styles, etc. it would be quite valuable to a teacher. Between developing a deeper understanding of the methods that are shared between the two environments as well as the learning of new techniques, a teacher would have to develop a much deeper understanding of the learning process. The amount of work in the application looked time consuming, but perhaps not as involved as I might have thought.
ReplyDeleteI agree that being introduced and somewhat immersed into another culture's learning techniques could be extremely beneficial. I always love learning new things and approaches to try in my classroom!
DeleteI had never thought of attending a conference in another country. Talking to people from other countries/cultures would give a much better understanding of not only literacy instruction but their views on education altogether. Every country has their own view and it would be extremely beneficial to discuss and compare their approaches and ideals to what your school is doing. I really like that this conference promotes reflection and sharing of the information gained. Too many times teachers attend conferences or other professional developments and don’t do anything with the information. The whole school can benefit from your shared experiences.
ReplyDeleteI would absolutely love to go to a conference out of the country. I think it would allow me to see what teachers in different countries think work best for their students. Then, I could compare these philosophies to our philosophies. However, I do believe it would be very difficult in several different aspects. First, transportation and housing would be difficult to find. Lastly, I don't think I could do it alone. Therefore, I would need someone to go with me. Although I have been to Europe, Israel, Africa, Mexico, and Central America, it has all been with different groups of people. I would feel more comfortable going with a group as well. However, it would be completely worth the struggles to get there!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some really good points! If you could get connected with another teacher in that country, that would be the way to go. The only time I've traveled abroad we stayed with friends. They helped to navigate the roads and language!
DeleteIt would be interesting to go to another country and learnabout their educational system. I agree with another post--Finland would be interesting. You always hear about how well Finland is doing in education.
ReplyDeleteMy nephew just returned from Ghana. He was a foreign eschange student there his entire senior year. How brave! I can't wait to speak to him and find out how he acclimated to the educational system in another country
I have heard SO many good things about Finland as well - I do not know enough about their system to know whether it is all hype or actual reality.
DeleteI would love to go to another country to a conference as I feel it would be valuable. The application surprisingly does not appear difficult to fill out so I wonder how many millions of applications they will receive and how you would make yours stand out in a crowd. However, I have another take on this as well. I feel they should want you to spend more than just a couple days at a conference; to really get the feel of an educational system you need to see it and be able to be a part of it/ask questions. I may feel this because I do have a very unique advantage - a week in the schools of Jamaica after high school, student teaching in Australia, 2 weeks in schools in Kenya, and lastly currently teaching in the UAE - but I do not feel I would have gotten as much if I were not able to step foot in the schools to see the children learning, to see how the actual education system works. I feel to make this the most beneficial you should be required to attend the conference and go to a couple different schools, so you would be there for probably a week. That way when you come back not only will you have the experience but you will also be able to share it with your fellow teachers. Plus, seeing the system will let you see what you feel works and does not work and gives you a chance to talk to the staff and students of the schools. But, of course I would love to go to a conference somewhere out of the country! Amazing opportunity!
ReplyDeleteHeather, I must say that I am a little jealous!! It sounds like you have had so many great experiences. I love traveling too, I lived in Madrid for summer and took one course (which I had already taken). It was an amazing time for me, I love that city. I agree that a few days is not enough, but it bets nothing.
DeleteWhat an amazing opportunity each of these conferences would be! I had never considered the possibility of attending an education conference outside of the US, but after reading about each I realize how beneficial they could be. It seems as though here in the states we often compare ourselves to the educational systems of other nations. As I read the descriptions, it appeared that no matter one's location, we face similar demands and obstacles. It would be an incredible experience to meet with people from around the world to discuss and learn about new strategies and approaches.
ReplyDeleteThe application process did not seem overwhelming by any means. I appreciated that the UK conference was held in the summertime, which would make it easier to attend than the October Africa conference. As someone who has never traveled outside of the US, I think I would definitely try to find a co-worker that could make the journey with me.
I have never given any thought whatsoever about travelling outside the country for a conference. This idea is very intriguing to me, however, timing-wise, it's not feesable with my family situation right now, so it will just have to be a dream!
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the idea of the overseas travel for a conference. When reading through the posts, I also noticed that I thought the same thing about the follow up of the conference. Although sometimes it can be a pain to write another paper or do a presentation, this is very helpful for remembering what we learned - and this would be an experience I would want to remember!
I agree Tricia...the follow-up looked more involved the the application itself, but I agree that the experience itself would make whatever paper or presentation is required well worth it! :)
DeleteI have never had the opportunity to travel overseas, but would sure love to, especially on someone else's "dime!" As I put in last week's blog, one grant that I have always wanted to apply for is the Lilly endowment grant-to travel to the Panda Rescue Center in China. At my school we have hosted student teachers that have done part of their student teaching in places like Kenya and Scotland. It is so interesting to hear their stories and get insight about education in other countries. My husband and I once visited the island of Dominica where the tour actually stopped at one of their elementary schools. It really made us thankful for what we have here. My most recent student teacher just accepted a teaching position in Honduras. I am looking forward to discussing with her the experience she has there in the upcoming year and hope that our classes can become pen pals as well. Still, just hearing other teachers' experiences could never compare to actually visiting first-hand!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to add that although funding is partially provided if awarded the grant, there are so many other expenses involved to consider. Although it would be an awesome opportunity to learn more about literacy and enhance what I am learning through my BSU grad work, there is no way we could afford any extra cost!! The BSU fees leave us "financially wounded" already and we have two kids preparing for college soon. Maybe someday down the road...
ReplyDeleteI agree that travelling would be challenging because of family. We have two small children that would probably delay an opportunity like this for me too.
DeleteI just want to mention that often monies can be cobbled together from a number of sources. That is part of the process.
DeleteI had no idea there were such opportunities out there!It definitely would be amazing to see the the world while attending conferences that are beneficial to education!! I think that the application doesn't look too intimidating. As for the second question on the form, about having to have a contact from a university -- I am getting ready to go to a conference in Indianapolis for No Excuses University. All of our teachers' classrooms next year will represent a different university and through this experience, I will have a contact person from my university. This could definitely come in handy if I were to fill out an application such as this!
ReplyDeleteSomething that I would struggle with is leaving my family behind. I would my husband right there with me -- so he could experience the world too!
Like many others, I had never really thought about attending conferences in other countries! Wow, how wonderful that would be! Aside from actually getting to go to another country and enjoy that experience, I think it would be amazing to be able to collaborate and learn from teachers from all around the world. The American system of education is just one small piece of this big world, and I would love to learn from other cultures and how they approach education. As a Kindergarten teacher, New Zealand has been one of the countries that I have read much about in my undergrad classes, and I would love to experience their Kindergarten classrooms. And I know there are many other countries that are becoming leaders in education that I could learn so much from. However, I agree that other expenses would definitely add up to make it an expensive (but well worth it) trip. My biggest issue would be being away from my famly, but I think it would be a great example to my daughter of how to take advantage of learning opportunities even when you're an adult. Plus, I want to instill a love of travel in her life as well. And the application process looks much easier than I had imagined it would be. As for the follow up after the conference, I'm sure I'd be brimming with excitement that it wouldn't be hard to write up a report about the conference. Besides, I have a feeling my principal and colleagues would want a full report of the experience too! How fun would it be to go with a colleague though!
ReplyDeleteEvidently my post from last week was not successfully published, so I will share it now. In regard to grant experience, I have had very little experience. My school has a small staff and most grant writing has always been assigned to those teachers or staff without classrooms to attend to all day (resource and special education teachers, title one instructors and administrators). Classroom teachers were always considered too busy with students to be invited to work on the grant writing team as they would meet during regular school hours. I did assist another teacher at my building in editing and adding music and photos to her grant proposal one year. She earned the grant for funding to travel to Alaska to video, photograph, and study bald eagles. This was through the Lilly Endowment fund. Each year I consider writing my own grant proposal to travel to the Panda Rescue Center in China. I usually talk myself out of it for time, family, or financial reasons though. Maybe this year will be the year! In browsing through sites (doe, reading.org, and even my school system's own website, I saw many opportunities for grants. I bet it is not as hard as we all might think to earn one, especially if applying for many!
ReplyDeleteA conference out of the country would be fantastic. I would so be there in a second! I love meeting new people of different diverse backgrounds and experiencing their culture would be great too. Sharing information about teaching would be the icing on the cake. I have often thought about teaching for a bit overseas or in another country. I have never applied, however it’s never too late. The follow–up report would help me to reflect and assess my experience and help me to benchmark what I could utilize in my school or classroom. I feel like a conference like this would and could benefit my colleagues and myself because I could share my experiences and what I have learned with them. Perhaps this posting will light a fire beneath me and I will pursue this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of travel grants before this module. I never even thought about attending a conference in another country. But, I have traveled to different conferences within the U.S. They were wonderful experiences. I am definitely up for a conference in another country. What I could learn from such an experience! Plus, the paperwork doesn’t look to complicate or a ton of work to complete. It would be well worth it to attend a conference overseas. I think teachers are going to have to write more grants so they are able to receive professional development since the budgets are tightening up.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I have never really given much thought to actually traveling to another country to attend a literacy conference. However, after thinking more about this idea, I think it would be an amazing opportunity as an educator! I think it would be interesting to hear other people's opinions and other people's understandings/interpretations/focuses within literacy. I think it would be really interesting to hear and compare the focuses and information from another country's literacy programs and our own here in the US. I think it would definitely take some work to travel to another country for a conference, but would also be worth it for the experience, knowledge, and comparisons. I think you could bring back the information you gained and share it with colleagues, schools, and even possibly your district or other districts. I think we all have so much to learn from each other and this would be an amazing learning experience for all involved!
ReplyDeleteTeaching/studying abroad is a wonderful and exciting opportunity. I would assume that England's education system is similar to ours. I have been to England in the past, so I would choose to submit my application for South Africa. Looking at the application, I can see that there would not be a lot of upfront work on the part of the applicant. However, I can see that when the applicant returns, there would be a lot of presentations and collaboration. That is what we normally do in education anyway, but it seems that it would be more structured and lengthy.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought much about attending a conference in another country, although I have thought about traveling to another country to learn more about their cultures and traditions. Learning from other educators, no matter their country, I think would be beneficial. The different school set ups and cultures could prove to introduce many new strategies and ideas to put in your arsenal of teaching experiences. As far as the work involved, the application didn’t seem to be complicated. I think the commitment to the follow up would be a little more involved. In looking over the application I read into it that you would have to make a presentation at a conference. The presentation may not be the case, but I would think that to bring back what you learned and share with others in your own country would be important. Although, the amount of personal funding for some could prove to be an issue, the opportunity could prove to be priceless.
ReplyDeleteIt would be incredible to travel outside the country in order to attend a conference. I certainly wouldn't mind attending the conference in South Africa! I think it's great that the IRA provides the opportunity for a traveling grant. So often, that's the most expensive part of the trip. It would be very interesting to see what educators in other countries do to motivate their students. How do they challenge their gifted and talented? How do they remediate their below grade level students? Sharing with colleagues is such an important part of teaching. Why not share with colleagues from around the world? The form for the grant looks pretty straight forward and doesn't look too involved. Definitely something to look into!
ReplyDeleteThe research is fairly well known about how other countries have surpassed us in relation to scores on standardized testing. What better way to learn from other countries to see what they are doing than to actually travel and learn from them in their home! The application doesn't seem too daunting when compared to the 'reward' of receiving support.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that type of grants were out there! How fun! I also know that other countries are far superior to us in many areas- I think there is a lot that we can learn from other countries, and like Dr. Walker said...who wouldn't want to travel and learn at the same time?! I am surprised at the applications- they don't seem that difficult.
ReplyDelete-Sarah Beiler
I have never thought about attending a conference in another country. What a unique experience that would be! It would be so great to be able to share that experience with students as so many of them don't even know what opportuities there are out there for them. Others countries have outstanding educational programs and it would be amazing to get ideas and teaching strategies from places that are making it work much better then we are. I do wonder though if I going to one of these conferences would give me so many ideas that would need to be whole school and with all of the new changes going on they wouldn't be applied. I guess it would be a great way to be an advocate and for me to take more of a leadership role in my school with any new information that I could gain. I think that an opportunity to go to another country would be wonderful. It's definitely something that I'm willing to look into!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize these grants were available until this year when I was speaking with the Art teacher that I frequently substitute teach for. She actually got a grant to go to Italy and study the artwork there. She said it was amazing. The process of filling out these applications and supplying all of the documents to be approved for the grant could be overwhelming, but the benefits of being able to travel to another country, experiencing the culture and bringing back the knowledge of what you saw and learned there for your students would definitely outweigh the process of filling out the application for the grant.
ReplyDeleteI think traveling to another country to see how they deliver instruction would be a great experience. I love going to conference to see what new ideas I can incorporate into my classroom. I would then be able to come back and share with my team members on what I gained from the experience. Not to mention to be able to travel to see other parts of the world. Who could ask for more? I wish I would have known about this prior to starting a family. With a new baby soon to arrive I don’t think this is something my husband will let me sign up for even though the application looks too easy to fill out! Traveling, learning, and talking “teacher talk” sounds like a great time to me.
ReplyDeleteI had no clue there was so much assistance available to teachers for this type of travel. Again, I think more than anything I feared even filling out the paperwork for a grant, so I never went any future. When I was right out of college, I did visit Mexico with Dr. Clark and a group of teachers. Great trip and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as an educator. I do think, I would enjoy and value the trip so much more now from being in the classroom and schools for many years and having the experience. We visited several different cities and my memory serves me,that their educational system was pretty poor. We also visited several poor areas as well. I do recall working with the children, but there were little to no resources avail. for the classrooms. I would love to visit another country, my ideal place would be Australia, I'd love to see this country and learn about their educational system.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through the IRA application and looked at the conference in South Africa, this would be the one I would chose. I have always heard how beautiful it is there and to me, if I am going to put the work forth to leave my family and be away from work, I want to be in a beautiful place as well. This conference to me looked extremely organized and it is in its 7th year. I do feel it would be an experience for sure, just putting it all together and being gone from my job and family is huge, but I am sure it would be worth it...I still had no clue all the opportunities out there and assistance avail.
ReplyDeleteI think that being able to go overseas to a conference would be a very cool experience. I've seen a lot of clips and read a lot of journals about different education systems and it would be neat to actually hear about them. I'd like to be able to share some of the things that I think work and hear new things that I could try. Plus, just being somewhere so far from home would be great!
ReplyDeleteJust to comment on the post above...I would also LOVE to go to South Africa! I have always wanted to apply for a grant to see the Amazon Rain Forest in person, but I think it would be just as great to attend a reading conference in another country. I feel like our government is constantly talking about how far behind we are as a nation in education. If that is so, why don't we send our teachers to other highly ranked countries to observe and get ideas. I saw a 20/20 about the education system in Finland not too long ago. I can't remember the exact statistics, but I want to say there are approximately 2 teachers to every 15 students in their classrooms.Wouldn't that be super! Supposedly they have one of the best education systems in the world.
ReplyDeleteI would love to attend a literacy conference in another country. I have heard of teachers writing grants to travel, but I have never looked into how to make it happen. There is much to be gained from learning about other cultures and teaching strategies. When the United States was at the top of international test categories, teachers from other countries traveled here to learn about what we were doing. They took what worked and built upon it. This research and development has paid off for them and I think it is beneficial for us to do the same.
ReplyDelete