The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia
The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), funded by the Freeman Foundation, is a multi-year initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about Asia in world history, geography, social studies, and literature courses.
Launched in October 1998, this nationwide program is a collaboration of the East Asian Studies programs of five institutions: the University of Washington, the University of Colorado, Indiana University, Columbia University, and the Five College Center for East Asian Studies at Smith.
Since its inception NCTA has established introductory seminars for teachers in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The NCTA Seminars
Each seminar leader or team facilitates a 30-hour seminar on East Asian history and cultures that incorporates primary-source selections from the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditions. Individual seminars are adapted to the needs and curricula of the participating teachers and school districts to promote long-term engagement in East Asian studies by core groups of teachers within schools and districts. NCTA seeks to develop a community of inquiry among educators interested in East Asian studies that serves as a forum for collegial discussion of issues relevant to the teaching of East Asia.
Seminar Participants
Teachers and districts are selected for participation in NCTA based on their commitment to integrating the study of East Asia into their curriculum. Educators who teach courses that include the study of at least one East Asian country are given preference in the application process. Highest priority is given to teachers of world history, world geography, world cultures, world religions, economics, and language arts/world literature courses. In joining a local seminar, teachers make a professional commitment to participate in the full 30-hour seminar on East Asian history and cultures. They also agree to participate in one or two follow-up meetings during the academic year following their seminar. During this period, teachers incorporate new content and materials about East Asia into their own courses and school curricula.
Participant Responsibilities
• Full participation in a 30-hour seminar on East Asian history and cultures with colleagues and Asia specialists
• Completion of an assigned seminar project for incorporating seminar content and materials into relevant courses
• Implementation of appropriate content and materials from the seminar into courses and sharing acquired knowledge, skills, and materials with colleagues
• Participation in follow-up meetings to share experiences in integrating East Asian studies into curriculum
• Assistance in the evaluation of the NCTA program
Participant Benefits
• Quality instruction about East Asia from leading experts in the field
• Professional stipend upon completion of the seminar and seminar assignment
• Excellent selection of seminar materials
• Generous donation of exemplary curriculum materials on East Asia for school library or teacher resource center
• Additional stipend after participating in follow-up meetings
• Opportunities to apply for study tours to China, Japan, and Korea
• Course credit or recertification credit (available in most locations)
• Opportunities to participate in NCTA-sponsored enrichment activities