Kent State University will be serving as host university for the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Media Literacy Program (Fulbright TEA). This innovative program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and implemented by IREX, a nonprofit organization that addresses global education, provides teachers with an opportunity to increase their expertise and knowledge of media literacy. In total, 22 TEA Fellows from 11 countries will be visiting Kent State for approximately 6 weeks in February and March of 2020 to share in the opportunity to learn and take back valuable information about media literacy to their own countries and classrooms. The Fellows will be involved in seminars within Kent State University and in cultural experiences around the Kent campus.
The Fellows will also have an opportunity to learn about U.S. classroom environments and instruct alongside U.S. teachers. Teachers from Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will take special design classes and have a school immersion experience in Aurora, Stow-Monroe Falls, Hudson, Streetsboro, and Kenston High Schools.
Schools in some European countries have mandated media literacy courses or educational requirements, but teachers often lack training to implement the program. Teachers are often the trainers of volunteer organizations to educate the citizens of their countries on the cause and concern of media today. Marty Jencius, Ph.D., co-director of the program at Kent State, says, “It is great to have these TEA Fellows here on their Fulbright State Department Grant. They come with a world perspective and a deep passion for the work of media literacy. They provide us a spark to do our work.”
The Fulbright TEA cultural enrichment and mentoring program has been implemented in over 120 countries since 1968.
For more information about the Fulbright TEA program visit: https://www.irex.org/project/fulbright-teaching-excellence-and-achievement-program-fulbright-tea