2005 Summer Institutes
In our second year, TECC successfully expanded to three summer institutes on education and technology in China’s Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai Provinces. Each project took place over roughly a 2-week period and emphasized technology usage and classroom English-teaching, drawing upon a combination of free print and web-based materials. With the support of local government and school officials and other nonprofits, TECC successfully implemented its projects in line with its mission of bringing together American and Chinese students to carry out social projects involving technology and education. This year’s projects involved students from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Pudong University, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Hong Kong University, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and Lynbrook High School. TECC’s combined summer institutes graduated 177 rural middle and high school teachers – including 111 English teachers and 66 computer teachers.
Sustained Impact:
Each program was designed to jumpstart a technology-based curriculum for students in the regional middle schools. The materials provided to the local teachers will be used to enhance school courses and college preparation at each middle school, and the focus remains on incorporating technology and practical teaching methods in the classroom. The program leverages existing computer classrooms at these schools to teach computer material and allow the teachers to better utilize this infrastructure. In addition to gaining familiarity with online education resources, program teachers learned to use basic applications such as Google Search, Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, and E-mail – all of which the potential for enhancing their efficacy as English teachers. Key to successful implementation is continued communication through TECC’s site between the participating teachers and TECC student volunteers. Through a system of frequent, Internet-based contact with teachers, TECC enables teachers to pose questions, download curriculum, and communicate with TECC teachers at other middle schools.
The TECC website will also serve as a platform to bring together students for further projects and given the institute’s framework, it is hoped that students will be driven to succeed in the program and create new projects involving technology and education.
This year’s TECC Institutes were organized by collaborative teams of students in the U.S., Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, and generously funded by institutions in the United States, Western & Eastern China, and Hong Kong.
Evaluation of Results:
TECC summer institutes are operated upon the premise that training rural instructors, as opposed to individual students, has a more sustainable impact on the local education quality. In 2005, TECC’s combined summer institutes graduated 177 rural teachers, including 111 English teachers and 66 computer teachers. Instructors typically teach classes ranging from 40-100 students, so an upward estimate would yield as many as 17,700 middle school students impacted in one school year across these three teaching sites. Program graduates gained familiarity with applications such as PowerPoint, Google, Microsoft Office, and e-mail – all of which have the potential for enhancing their efficacy as English teachers. The program’s ultimate beneficiaries are the area’s hundreds of middle school students. English and computer skills are not only necessary for admissions into leading universities, but also vital for survival in social and professional contexts. By implementing these programs, TECC aims to boost the English and technology proficiency in these developing areas, preparing the students for tomorrow’s challenges.
Local students benefit from revised teaching methods that emphasize the use of Internet resources, live classroom dialogue practice, fresh printed resources, and practical test-taking strategies for subjects such as reading comprehension and writing.
The Gansu middle schools saw more than 4,500 books and magazines TECC donated to their community library in 2005 (the number of TECC-donated books has since increased to over 10,000). Finally, 40-60 local students in Qinghai and Sichuan were able to participate in TECC’s Life Forum – open Q&A sessions that included advice on high school and college entrance exams from students at leading Chinese universities.
The locations at each of the sites (Gansu, Qinghai, and Sichuan) were each selected on the basis of having a strong computer infrastructure and supportive contacts with local government officials.
2005 Hong Kong Summit:
TECC held its Hong Kong Summit (August 27-28, 2005) after the year’s projects in order to evaluate project success and apply lesson learned to future projects. The focus of the Summit was a formal review and critique of the 2005 Summer Institutes. Participants from the 2005 sites shared challenges and solutions they encountered and recommended changes for more effective project planning in following years.
The four represented teams (Beijing, Shanghai, U.S., Hong Kong) presented overviews of their regional team’s priorities, structure, and growth prospects. The ensuing conversations helped the participants to delegate regional responsibilities and exchange ideas for future coordination.
As in 2004, several teachers from the 2005 Institutes will be selected based on exceptional performance and dedication to attend a forum in Beijing. The visit is intended to start long-term exchange between inland and coastal Chinese teachers, and the participants had the opportunity to speak with top educators and education field experts on challenges facing middle school education in China today.