2003 Fulbright Hays Group Project Abroad Exploring the

2003 Fulbright Hays Group Project Abroad Exploring the Cultures and Social Issues of Contemporary South India Center for South Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Our project took fifteen teachers to South India for five weeks of structured curriculum development work from June 19 – July 24, 2003. Photo by Denise Roseland

The mission of the project was to improve and extend the integration of South India-specific knowledge and materials into classrooms in multilevels, and across state standards.

Exploring the Cultures and Social Issues of Contemporary South India was designed to accomplish three major goals: n to increase teachers’ knowledge of South India, and especially of Tamilnadu; n to enhance teachers’ ability to create new teaching materials and to integrate learning about India into the curricula of American schools; and n to deepen teachers’ understanding of educational thought and practice in India, as it exists in urban and rural settings.

South Asia The South Asian subcontinent is a region as vast in size as Europe. South Asia has 40 percent of the region's population and one of the highest rates of population growth. However, South Asia remains underrepresented in the curricula of schools in the United States. The major nations of the region include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. The region has many diverse physical variations which greatly influence the way people live and the society they create.

India Many important facets of South Asia can be understood by focusing on India, which is the largest democracy in the world, and is often in the news in connection with global economic, political, and security issues. In recent years, India has also played a key role in the world market, highlighting the necessity of building understanding between our two nations. These reasons make it a powerful learning context for American educators and students today.

South India The southern Indian state of Tamilnadu was chosen as the site for this project because it provides a necessary antithesis to the dominant K-12 textbook presentation of India, which tend to be largely onedimensional and oriented to a classical view of India, with an emphasis on North India.

Tamil Nadu Tamilnadu situated in the south eastern side of the Indian peninsula, is bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal, in the South by the Indian ocean, in the west by the Arabian sea, the States of Kerala & Karnataka and in the north by Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh. Tamilnadu is the 11 th largest state in India.

Chennai is the largest city in southern India. It is the center of the Tamil Nadu government. Up until several years ago it was called Madras. This city was one of the earliest cities set up by the British. The city has marvelous buildings - many of which are along its beautiful sea front - The Marina Beach, famous holy sites, and growing businesses especially in the technology sector. Photo by Denise Roseland

First Impressions The teachers were ready for their first excursions in Chennai, sightseeing and shopping. Here they are waiting to go!! Eating Indian food was a new experience for some of the teachers – but learning to eat with their right hand was a new experience for all! Photos by Kathy Kozub

Children’s Literature Seminar Organized by, Tulika Publishers, Chennai http: //www. tulikabooks. com/home. htm Topics Included: v. Overview of Children’s Literature in India v. Influences on Indian Writing in English v. Role of Children’s Books in the Classroom v. Social Organizations Creating Interactive, Child-centered Curriculum v. Impact of Technology in Rural Education v. Exchange between local school teachers and writers Other publishers: http: //www. tarabooks. com/

Madurai is another of Tamil Nadu's ancient cities, situated on the Vaigai River. Two thousand years ago, Madurai was the capital of the Pandyan kings and a center of Tamil Culture and Learning. Today, it is a lively bustling city and a commercial center surrounded by suburbs and villages. Many of the outerlying areas are agricultural. Photo by Kathy Kozub

CESCI The Center for Experiencing Socio-Cultural Interaction center was our home, 20 kilo from Madurai, surrounded by paddy fields, mango groves and rolling hills. This is where we stayed, held lectures, and had tutorials. CESCI is a retreat center where social activist come together for trainings and share their experiences from social movements all over the country. www. solothurn. ch/cesci

Tutorials Kalamkari Resist Dying Pottery Mridangam Drumming South Indian Cooking Teachers were exposed to various art forms, first-hand, during group tutorials.

Social Issues Visit to CCD Visit to CRIF The Covenant Centre of Development is a decade-old development organization active in the drought-prone areas of four southern districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. CCD focuses on promoting Community Based Organizations (CBO), for addressing the issues of urban migration and the evils attached to it by capitalizing on local resources and traditional skills. CCD aims at utilizing local resources and traditional skills for income generation by promoting enterprises for sustainable development. The Centre for Research and Rehabilitation of Infants and Females is a Non Government Organization whose volunteers are undertaking projects on HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness, nutrition and treatment counseling for people living with HIV/AIDS in Madurai District, South India. CRIF has been working to combat the discrimination of HIV/AIDS by raising awareness on the facts of the disease, by dispelling myths about the disease, and by speaking out on social tolerance, human rights and government responsibilities. http: //www. ccd. org. in/ http: //www. crifindia. org/about. html

Gandhi Seminar Photos by Judy Freund The teachers attended an all-day seminar on Teaching Non-Violence: The Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi at the Gandhi Museum in Madurai. The session was led by Dr. Jeyapragasam and several other imminent Gandhian scholars and educators. http: //www. gandhimmm. org/

Team-Teaching The teacher’s spent time at local schools, in Madurai, sharing and exchanging ideas about children and education.

Women’s Studies Seminar Lady Doak College Madurai Hosted a 2 -day residential seminar with their women's studies faculty and students, allowing the teachers an opportunity to experience a college campus in India. The teachers were exposed to many different subjects including: Women and Employment, Contemporary Social Issues, and Higher Education and Women.

Performing and Traditional Arts Children’s Theater Silk Weaving Bharatanatayam Dance Kolam Design

Impact

The Guide will be available May 15, 2004 Exploring South India A Teacher’s Guide Complete with video, and online resources! Lesson Plans for your Classroom

Lesson Plans Joel Anderson (Jefferson Elementary School, Wausau) Geography of India Brenda Betz-Stoltz (Menomonie Middle School, Menomonie) Market Simulation Nonviolent Leaders Randall “Randy” Colton (Weston Elementary, Schofield) Human Power or Machine Power? Water: Access and Use Sara Cujak (The Glenholme School, Washington, CT) The Sounds of India A Hindu Temple Marjorie Fendt (Kindergarten, Appleton School District) Indian Motifs and Kalamkari Money in India/Comparison Shopping Judith A. Freund (Global Educator Consultant, River Falls) Mapping India Jean Hoffmann (Wauwatosa East High School, Wauwatosa) Peace and Non-violence: The teachings of Gandhi Women in India: Tradition vs. Modernity Jacqueline "Jackie" Kaplan (SL Clinician, Kennedy Elementary, Madison) Trash! How Cities Work: Dealing with Garbage in the U. S. and India Lesson Plans for your Classroom

Lesson PLans Sandra Kowalczyk (Reading Specialist, Patrick Marsh Middle, Sun Prairie) Kolam: A Living Art of South India Kathleen Kozub (Westside Elementary School, River Falls) Introduction to South India: for your Kindergarten Class Scott Miles (Wausau West High School, Wausau) A Potter’s Story Stone Quarry Workers A Case Study of Non-governmental Organization Amy Morgan (Belmont Community Schools, Belmont) Democratic Government Comparison India Power Point Presentation Ideals of the Constitution: A Comparison Folktales of Indian Time Capsule Stacy Ohnesorge (Verona Elementary, Verona) Yoga Tamil Nadu and Wisconsin Weather Forecast Butterflies: Wisconsin and Tamilnadu Denise Roseland (Kettle Moraine High School, Kettle Moraine) Microfinancing Works for Local Citizens and Foreign Business Organizing a Business Trip: A Technology-integrated project Lori Woitalla (Westside Elementary, River Falls) What Makes a House? How Many Languages Do You Speak? What is Democracy? Lesson Plans for your Classroom

www. wisc. edu/southasiaoutreach

Appreciation The Center for South Asia would like to thank the U. S. Department of Education’s Fulbright Hays Group Project Abroad for the generous grant, without which none of this would be possible! We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the teachers who participated in the year-long project, sacrificing much time to collaborate on a very exciting project. The support from many associates in India helped to make this project not only successful, but memorable for all: Dr. Eveline Masilamani-Meyer for her guidance, Dr. Jeyapragasam for his wisdom, the CESCI staff for their hospitality and care, to all of the tutorial gurus, to all of the performers, to all of the institutions that arranged seminars: Tulika Publications, Lady Doak College, Gandhi Museum, Dakshina Chitra, and lastly to all those unnamed people we came across and interacted with – if even so briefly – whose faces have not gone unforgotten – and whose spirit lives on. We hope that this project reflects some of what we learned and experienced and will encourage others to look beyond. ~ Rachel Weiss, Project Director