THE WYOMING-BOLIVIA PARTNERSHIP: PROJECT THE WYOMING-BOLIVIA PARTNERSHIP: PROJECT CITIZEN AS A VEHICLE FOR CROSS-CULTURAL CITIZEN AS A VEHICLE FOR CROSS-CULTURAL

INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION BETWEEN INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION BETWEEN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMSTEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Dr. Carolyn J. Taylor | University of Wyoming | ctaylor@uwyo.eduDr. Carolyn J. Taylor | University of Wyoming | ctaylor@uwyo.edu

Presentation at the Idaho Association of Teachers of Languages and Cultures

Conference

Boise, ID ♦ October 2, 2009

PURPOSE…PURPOSE…

• This presentation examines the collaboration among members of the Wyoming-Bolivia Partnership through Project Citizen. Project Citizen promotes education for democratic citizenship and teaches middle and secondary-level students to monitor and influence public policy. This session highlights Wyoming Spanish language and Bolivian ESL pre-service teachers' collaboration in exploring their own, as well as middle and secondary students' civic dispositions in meaningful, linguistically-rich socio-cultural contexts.

PRESENTATION OVERVIEWPRESENTATION OVERVIEW

• MOA among partners in Wyoming & Bolivia

• Bolivian Context

• Project Citizen

• Project Citizen Projects

• Pre-Service Teacher Exchanges

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENTMEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT

• Signed in November 2008 in Laramie, Wyoming, the MOA established a partnership among:

– Wyoming/Bolivia Partnership (under the auspices of Wyoming Partnership for Civic Education);

– University of Wyoming College of Education;

– Instituto Normal Superior Simón Bolivar; and

– Educadores para la Democracia.

MOA HIGHLIGHTS: FOUR PRIMARY GOALSMOA HIGHLIGHTS: FOUR PRIMARY GOALS

1. to enhance multi-disciplinary collaboration in the preparation of pre-service teachers;

2. to support the Spanish and English language proficiency and cultural knowledge of Bolivian and Wyoming student and faculty participants;

3. to promote and examine the civic engagement of educators in the context of Project Citizen and service learning projects; and

4. to contribute to the research agendas of Wyoming and Bolivian faculty members, and in-service teachers affiliated with Educators for Democracy and Project Citizen.

BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION FOR UW MODERN BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION FOR UW MODERN LANGUAGES SECONDARY EDUCATION STUDENTSLANGUAGES SECONDARY EDUCATION STUDENTS

BenefitsBenefits

• Enhance Spanish language proficiency (OPI & WPT)

• Experience Bolivian culture first-hand gaining deep insights into its 3Ps

• Connect with/befriend Bolivian pre- and in-service teachers

• Integrate Project Citizen into their teaching practices

• Connect their future secondary students with Bolivian peers

• Home stays with Bolivian families

• Teaching internships and service learning projects in Bolivian schools

• Completing coursework at a Bolivian teachers’ college

OpportunitiesOpportunities

ACTFL FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDSACTFL FOREIGN LANGUAGE STANDARDSInternational experiences foster deep first-hand knowledge of other cultures and promote second language proficiency.

SITUATING BOLIVIASITUATING BOLIVIA

EVO MORALES, PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIAEVO MORALES, PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIA

Elected 2005 ♦ Socialist Party

CBCB

CBCB

CBCB

WHAT IS PROJECT CITIZEN?WHAT IS PROJECT CITIZEN?

• Education for democratic citizenship• Teaches students to monitor and influence public

policy• Interdisciplinary instructional program for

adolescents– Focuses on state and local government– Applies learning to real world issues– Uses cooperative learning– Serves as a model performance assessment

PROJECT CITIZEN GOALSPROJECT CITIZEN GOALS

The primary goal of Project Citizen is to develop in students a commitment to active citizenship by

– Giving them knowledge and skills required of citizenship

– Allowing them to practice citizenship

– Letting them experience the importance of citizen participation

PROJECT CITIZEN AND THE PROJECT CITIZEN AND THE POLICYMAKING PROCESSPOLICYMAKING PROCESS

• Project Citizen is intended as a “hands-on” description of what comes out of the political process. It’s not particularly neat, but it is an approach to explaining how political life really works.

PORTFOLIO AND DOCUMENTATION PORTFOLIO AND DOCUMENTATION BINDERBINDER

• Explanation of the problem• Evaluation of alternative policies• Presentation of proposed policy• Presentation of an action plan

EXAMPLE: PROJECT CITIZEN IN BOLIVIAN SCHOOLSEXAMPLE: PROJECT CITIZEN IN BOLIVIAN SCHOOLS

•Participate as active citizens by proposing public policy•Develop research, critical thinking, and decision-making skills

•Achieve and explain a conceptual understanding of issues affecting their community

•Construct and exercise knowledge about what legislation already exists or is needed

PROJECT CITIZEN PROJECTSPROJECT CITIZEN PROJECTS

Students performed a mime to convey the central issue of their Project Citizen Project: The impact of alcoholism and domestic violence on families.

Students present their Project Citizen proposal.

PROJECT CITIZEN RESEARCH & RESOURCESPROJECT CITIZEN RESEARCH & RESOURCES

Center for Civic Education Websites

http://www.civiced.org/

http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=research_evaluation

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGESPRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGES• Spring 2007

– Franz Quispe Tola & Ingrid Tambo Chambi• ESL K-12 pre-service teachers

– Instituto Normal Superior Simón Bolivar ♦ La Paz, Bolivia

• March 2009

– Rebecca Brazzale & Brian Brisko• Spanish 7-12 and ESL pre-service teachers

– University of Wyoming ♦ Laramie, WY

• April 2009

– Viviana Mariel Barra Soto & Jhovana Mamani Cruz • ESL K-12 pre-service teachers

– Instituto Normal Superior Simón Bolivar ♦ La Paz, Bolivia

FRANZ, JHOVANA, REBECCA, MARIEL & INGRIDFRANZ, JHOVANA, REBECCA, MARIEL & INGRID

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGESPRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGESFRANZ & INGRID

Sharing Bolivian music and dances with

UW Lab School students (Laramie, WY)

Discussing Project Citizen with students at CY Junior

High (Casper, WY)

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGES: PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGES: REBECCA & BRIAN

Visiting Instituto Normal Superior Simón Bolivar

Visiting the ruins at Tiwanaku

PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGES: PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EXCHANGES: MARIEL & JHOVANA

1313THTH ANNUAL SHEPARD SYMPOSIUM FOR ANNUAL SHEPARD SYMPOSIUM FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE SOCIAL JUSTICE ♦ ♦ UW CAMPUS, LARAMIE, WYUW CAMPUS, LARAMIE, WY

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.- Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, United Nations General Assembly

Concluding SSSJ remarks: Our theme this year, “Greet the dawn, not the setting sun: shining light on human rights”, encourages all of us to reflect on our rights as people on this earth. We also may wonder about who has these rights and how do we protect each other's rights with “a spirit of brotherhood.” When thinking about human rights, I am reminded of the saying “with rights come responsibilities.” What are our responsibilities to ensure that all have human rights? We hope your time at the symposium is reflective and renewing. It is a time to reengage your pursuit of social justice and to shine light on inequity and injustice.

PRESENTATION AT THE 2009 SHEPARD PRESENTATION AT THE 2009 SHEPARD SYMPOSIUM FOR SOCIAL JUSTICESYMPOSIUM FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

“Student Voices Considering Human Rights: Students Speak out on Community Justice and Vigilantism in Bolivia”

University of Wyoming Student Presenters:Rebecca BrazzaleRebecca BrazzaleBrian BriskoBrian Brisko

Instituto Normal Superior Simón Bolivar Presenters:Jhovana Rozsi Mamani CruzJhovana Rozsi Mamani CruzViviana Mariel Barra SotoViviana Mariel Barra Soto

with support from Franz Quispe TolaFranz Quispe Tola and Ingrid Tambo ChambiIngrid Tambo Chambi

SELECTED COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AMONG SELECTED COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AMONG UW FACULTY IN PROJECT CITIZEN CONTEXTSUW FACULTY IN PROJECT CITIZEN CONTEXTS

• Medina-Jerez, W., Taylor, C. & Bryant, C. Examining Social Issues through the Eyes of Bolivian Children: Project Citizen’s Role in Empowering Bolivian Youth to Find their Voice. [Submitted to Interamerican Journal of Education for Democracy (IJED)].

• Medina-Jerez, W., Bryant, C. & Taylor, C. The Implementation of Project Citizen in Bolivian Schools: Perspectives from Three Teacher Educators. [Submitted to the International Journal of Progressive Education].

• Bryant, C., Taylor, C., Medina-Jerez, W., Mealla, A., Kean, R., & Collins, T. (2008). The Wyoming-Bolivian Partnership: Understanding Civic Education through a Civitas Latin America Exchange. Paper presented at the International Assembly of the 88th National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Houston, TX, November 14-16, 2008.

• Bryant, C., Mealla, A., Taylor, C., & Medina-Jerez, W. (2009). Using Using Project CitizenProject Citizen in in Cross-cultural Pre-service Teacher Exchanges. Paper presented at the 13Cross-cultural Pre-service Teacher Exchanges. Paper presented at the 13thth World World Congress on Civic Education, Cape Town, South Africa, May 27 – June 1, 2009. Congress on Civic Education, Cape Town, South Africa, May 27 – June 1, 2009.

QUESTIONS…COMMENTS…INSIGHTSQUESTIONS…COMMENTS…INSIGHTS

PROMOTING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND LANGUAGE PROMOTING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IN CULTURALLY AUTHENTIC LEARNING PROFICIENCY IN CULTURALLY AUTHENTIC LEARNING

CONTEXTSCONTEXTS

…for attending and participating in today’s session.

PPT Presentation accessible at: www.wflta.orgwww.wflta.org

CONTACT INFORMATIONCONTACT INFORMATION

Dr. Carolyn Taylor

Modern Languages Secondary Education

ctaylor@uwyo.edu

307.766. 6854

Dr. Carol Bryant

Social Studies Secondary Education

bryantcj@uwyo.edu

307.766. 6320

Dr. William Medina-Jerez

Science Secondary Education

wmedinaj@uwyo.edu

307.766. 5521

RESOURCESRESOURCES

https://www.cia.gov/ibrary/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html