UTSA education college hosts visit by Malawi diplomats
(May 14, 2010)--The UTSA College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) recently welcomed a delegation of Malawi diplomats based in Washington, D.C., and representatives of the Malawi Department of Ministry for Education, Science and Technology.
Over the five-day visit, the delegation visited area schools to learn about bilingual education programs, visited with UTSA deans and vice presidents and also had a chance to experience San Antonio's Fiesta spirit by attending the Texas Cavaliers River Parade.
One of the schools the delegation observed was San Antonio ISD's Bonham Academy, located just west of downtown. The bilingual curriculum at Bonham is recognized around the state for producing students that master both the English and Spanish languages.
The delegates visited Ms. Sanchez' fourth grade class where students were creating video "trailers," similar to those seen in movie theaters to promote upcoming feature films. In Spanish and education-based, the students illustrated and narrated the videos with background music to promote books they enjoyed reading and would recommend to their fellow students.
"We are learning how the schools teach language, more specifically about reading at the earliest age possible," said Rafael Agabu, deputy director of the Ministry for Education, Science and Technology. "In Malawi, we have Chiccewa, our local language, and English, which we teach separately. Here, they are interchanging the languages and this is an area we are interested in and can learn from."
Down the hall in Ms. Rosales' first grade classroom, the students amazed the delegates with their knowledge of English, Spanish and Chinese.
"We want our students to be prepared for the workforce to compete in a global market," said Janet Perez, Bonham Academy principal. "These students have so much to contribute and these experiences are going to only enhance that preparedness."
When the tour was over, as a memento of their visit, the students presented and pinned homemade Fiesta medals on the delegates to take back home with them on their 31-hour flight.
The visit was in conjunction with COEHD's "Read Malawi" project, an international humanitarian effort with the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide educational materials and teacher training to improve literacy rates of children in Africa. The three-year, $13-million cooperative agreement between UTSA and the Republic of Malawi will provide 120 book titles in both English and Chichewan, the native language of Malawi, to 1,000 of the country's 5,000 public schools.
Events
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.