The Teaching Excellence and Achievement program (TEA), now in its seventh year, brings teachers from other countries to Appalachian State University to enhance their skills in teaching science and English as a foreign language.
From mid-September through Oct. 30, this year’s TEA Fellows are in the High Country learning about:
- student-centered teaching approaches that are highly engaging
- project-based teaching
- instructional design and assessment
- teacher-leadership throughout their careers
The TEA Fellows spend four weeks on Appalachian’s campus engaged in discipline-specific workshops. Then, they spend two weeks teaching in regional schools alongside a U.S. partner teacher.
Also visiting campus as TEA Fellows are, from left, Luciano Valencia Iman of Peru, Sophea Sar of Cambodia, Rita Tiwari of Nepal, Hasmik Dibaryan of Armenia, Doli Chaudhuri of India, Maria Alejandrina Casa Coba of Ecuador, Gunay Babayeva of Azerbaijan, and Kamonrat Chimphali of Thailand. Photo by Marie Freeman
The local community benefits from the program, too, as the visitors share their culture with local students and spend one weekend with host families.
“In coming to Appalachian and Boone, these master teachers greatly impact our campus and the local community. They contribute to global learning by meeting with hundreds of Appalachian students and local school children during their six weeks here,” said Dr. Maria Anastasiou, executive director of the Office of International Education and Development (OIED).
“More importantly, we hope the teachers will continue working with our students and faculty once they return home using the amazing technologies that they learn about during their time here.”
TEA is a program of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX. At Appalachian, it is cosponsored by OIED and the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Natalia Borta of Moldova leads an English class at Watauga High School, one of eight regional schools hosting TEA Fellows. Photo by Marie Freeman
TEA Fellow Natalia Borta of Moldova works closely with a student at Watauga High School. Mainov partnered with Watauga High School teacher Amanda Wallace during her fellowship. Photo by Marie Freeman
TEA Fellow Kamonrat Chimphali of Thailand works with biology students at Watauga High School, one of eight regional schools hosting TEA Fellows. Photo by Marie Freeman
Said Laaroua of Algeria talks with a student about a physics project at Watauga High School, one of eight regional schools hosting TEA Fellows. Photo by Marie Freeman
Said Laaroua of Algeria, second from right, discusses physics with students at Watauga High School, one of eight regional schools hosting TEA Fellows. Photo by Marie Freeman
TEA leaders at Appalachian
TEA’s core team at Appalachian consists of Dr. Beverly Moser and Dr. Maria Anastasiou, project co-directors; John Spagnolo, technology coordinator; Dr. Linda McCalister, field experience coordinator; Dr. Rachel Potter and Dr. Leslie Bradbury, science teacher coordinators; and Mallory Sadler, social/cultural and logistics coordinator.
About the Office of International Education and Development
The OIED is responsible for spearheading the internationalization efforts at Appalachian. The internationalization mission of Appalachian is to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences in both domestic and international contexts in its students, faculty, staff and the surrounding communities. The university is also dedicated to creating a campus environment that builds the theoretical and practical skills needed to interact effectively in a global society.
About Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, Appalachian enrolls about 19,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
