Your Name and Title:
Susan Jacques, Pierson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education
School or Organization Name:
Cabrini University
Co-Presenter Name(s):
Area of the World from Which You Will Present:
United States
Language in Which You Will Present:
English
Target Audience(s):
Teachers interested in global teaching partnerships
Short Session Description (one line):
The presenter will share details of an ongoing teaching partnership begun in person and continuing online
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
Bridges to Argentina is the story of a teaching learning partnership that began two years ago and is continuing through the application of computer technology. Our university has partnered with a Cabrini School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the summers of 2016 and 2017 I had the opportunity to work directly with teachers in the school and also teach English to students in grades 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 during a three week stay in Buenos Aires. This past summer (2017) teachers from the school visited with us at our University and participated in a Teacher Institute also attended by Cabrini teachers from Spain, Rosario and New Orleans. At the present time, I am meeting once a week remotely with first grade children I formed relationships with last summer. We exchange greetings, they sing for me, and I help teach English vocabulary and simple phrases through Internet tools, including Blackboard Collaborate.
During my session I plan to tell the story of our partnership. I will share details of the work I did with students while in Buenos Aires, what happened during the Teacher Institute here in the United States and also talk about how we have set up and carried out our online meetings this fall. I have some video of the children participating in the online classes and also sample materials I have used. Most are original but I have also made use of online resources here in the United States, including Reading A to Z.
I will talk about some problems we have encountered (mostly related to poor internet connections in Buenos Aires), ways we have overcome some of our challenges, our use of dual language resources, and our plans for the future.
I hope to engender conversations among participants concerning the value of international teaching/learning partnerships, building global relationships, and best practices for teaching English using digital tools.
I hope the session will also enable us to share ideas about how best to build and maintain international teaching exchanges when it is not possible to travel and stay long term in another country.
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:
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