Train teachers from rural areas in China to unleash their students' potential and creativity in building their communities and preserving their culture. Donations in 2016 sponsored more than half of the 90 teachers in Conference: Makerspace: Creativity in the Library. Design Thinking workshop in 2017 will strengthen their experience to build their respective schools foundational capability.
Students in rural areas of China need to be better prepared for their future and preserving their culture. A significant number of students in the area are from ethnic minorities with no exposure to anything outside of school curriculum. Students' parents are often less educated than their children. Thus, students' potentials, creativity and future are severely limited, with possibility of loss of their culture.
Bring education opportunities to High School teachers in rural areas of China. Expose them to best practices pertinent to their environment and that of their students. Collaborate with them in applying their learning and working with students on their projects relevant to them and their communities. The skill sets so acquired will equip the teachers to better prepare students to create their future.
In general contact with the outside world through previous ITIE conferences has encouraged a paradigm shift towards a more open inquiry and project based learning model and encouraged a greater student centered orientation for teachers and librarians. For example, ITIE 2014 on Oral History built teachers' capacities in guiding students to develop their potential and creativity in preserving their history and culture.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
