Here at Moravia's Millard Fillmore Elementary School, we have taken advantage of professional development to offer our students an insightful way to learn about our fellow world citizens.

Two years ago, Jocelyn Senter, a sixth-grade teacher, learned about a grant funded program called the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. She applied for, and was awarded, a grant to attend six seminars in Rochester. Senter worked with other colleagues who were also interested in broadening their understanding of Asia's history and culture.

Senter states that her own education and preparation as a teacher was predominately centered around European culture and history. New York State Learning Standards require that sixth-grade social studies focus on world history. Senter wanted to broaden her own knowledge to give our Moravia sixth graders a rich experience in Asian history.

Each participant could use the wealth of information to develop their own way of integrating their new knowledge into their own curricula. The Freeman Foundation, which funds this program, also gives each teacher a stipend, to be used to purchase materials and resources for building programs back in the teachers' home districts in Asian studies.

Senter chose to build a program using her new Asian awareness and knowledge by introducing literature that would give her students an insight into the human experience, from an Asian perspective. She purchased sets of books that could be used as literature circles. This educational approach gives small groups of students, chosen by interest or ability, an opportunity to work together. Each student in the group takes turns being the facilitator, the culture guru, the summarizer and the discusser.

Senter uses this format because it goes beyond the textbook approach to challenge each student to think and respond in more insightful ways. She also chose this approach because she recognizes how integrating English language arts and social studies gives her students the best learning experience possible.

Her students are also benefiting from another grant program that we participate in here. Last year, she joined a number of teachers to participate in a Tech Co-hort. You may remember a previous article I wrote about this innovative approach of integrating technology in our BOCES region schools.

Senter uses the equipment for students to develop their own technology-based presentations. Each student is required to research a particular subject in Asian history and then expected to present their research to their peers, using the projection unit, PowerPoint and images taken from the Internet.

Senter purchased “Dragonwings,” a story about a Chinese boy who immigrates to America, as one book to study. Senter uses this book because it provides an excellent springboard for increasing sensitivity to a different culture from our own, while giving students a way to compare our own culture to another. The book chronicles a boy's entry into American culture from an Asian perspective. The boy, Moon Shadow, sees milk and cookies for the very first time and is horrified. He believes that the milk must be cow's urine and that the cookie must be a small pile of cow's dung! Our students read this with mixed glee and yet, learn that the world does not always see things the way we do.

Students were asked to reflect upon these life lessons in final essays. Malorie Jones states, “Chinese have their own way of doing things and their own culture just like we do.”

Woven into “Dragonwings” are a number of other life lessons. Casey Michas writes, “My life lesson about dreams is that nothing can stop you from accomplishing your dream. Your dream is personal and untouchable and no human being should say you can't do something or stop you from doing that dream or goal.” Tyler Sampson writes, “When I meet one of them, I will greet them in their custom ways with their drink (tea).”

Clearly, these students are reflecting on important life issues. I have a sense that Malorie will have an appreciation for our fellow human beings, that Casey will be indomitable and Tyler already understands true hospitality and friendship.

Part of our mission here at Millard Fillmore is to prepare our students to become world citizens. This new millennium will bring many changes, including a shift from previous Euro-centric perspectives. Senter has taken this goal and made it a reality in her challenging and insightful way of building her curriculum. This deeper understanding of Asian history and culture will also help our students' perspective when dealing, as citizens of the future, with learning to work with Asian countries through our economic practices and policies and with the complex immigration issues facing our country.

Pat Kinney is an art teacher at Millard Fillmore Elementary School in Moravia.