More grant money may soon be heading for Oxford Community Schools Chinese initiative.
Oxford Superintendent Dr. William Skilling announced that the Oxford School District has submitted an application for a $62,000 a year grant that is being sponsored by the Confucius Institute at Michigan State.
The grant would be renewable every five years.
Skilling stated that the grant is available for schools that have either launched or want to get started with Chinese language and culture programs.
The grant was created by the Hanban, which is the financial arm of the Administer of Education for China. The Hanban funds Confucius Institutes around the world, as well as supporting K-12 education that teaches Chinese language and culture.
According to the submitted grant proposal, the grant would help create an exemplary program for the teaching of Chinese language and cultures.
The grant would also provide opportunities for all students in OCS to become proficient at the Intermediate-Mid level Chinese language by eighth grade and provides chances to interact and problem-solve with students in China.
As a result, students would foster greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of the Chinese culture.
It was noted within the grant that OCS’s Fifth Core program would expand into first grade at Daniel Axford (DA) and Clear Lake Elementaries starting in the 2010-11 school year, with grade advancement taking place every year. Lakeville and Leonard Elementaries would continue to offer Chinese language and culture in grades three through five.
The Middle School would start offering a Chinese IA class starting in the fall of 2010 as well as a Chinese Introductory course for sixth graders. There would be a Chinese one course offered for seventh and eighth graders.
At the high school level, students would take Chinese one, two or three, and would have to option of adding Chinese four and Chinese AP by 2011 and 2012.
The grant sets aside $42,500 for technology that would be needed for Chinese instruction classrooms in DA and Clear Lake Elementary.
Some of the technology purchased would include two smart boards, two widescreen, HD projectors, two printers, two ELMO/document cameras, two teacher computers, two high definition video cameras, two sound systems, two student response systems, ten student computers and software.
In addition to the classes and technology that would be added to the elementary schools, the grant would set aside money to purchase resources from the Confucius Institute for use with the middle and high school programs.
Five-thousand dollars would be used for a subscription to ZON, a massive multiplayer on-line role playing game which would enable students to learn Chinese and culture in order to survive as a tourist, resident or citizen in the game.
The school would also purchase Chinese Your Way, which is self-directed e-text story that is rooted in culture and history. The cost would be $3,600.
Skilling said that in addition to the technology, the grant comes with 1,000 books and provides funding for consultants to come in from the Confucious Institute at Michigan State.
He added that the grant would open up opportunities that were above and beyond what the grant listed; it would provide further opportunities for teachers and administrators to travel to China on study tours.
Skilling added that they are looking into a group of administers and teachers going over to China in June on a study tour. The Hanban would underwrite the cost of the trip.
Skilling also noted that the Hanban would be sending study tours to learn about the American educational system, specifically focusing on how Americans are creative and innovative within the classroom.
‘The Chinese Government has set up an educational system that prepares kids to take tests, and they know how take tests very well,? said Skilling. ‘But when you ask them to do something that is outside the box and work together as a member of a team, to be innovative and creative, they fall way short in that area. Americans have been the best at that in the world.?
The study groups would also take time to talk with teachers about best Western practices and talk with administrators, Skilling said.