Other Online Courses

Here are some online training courses run by outside organizations that might be of interest to K-12 educators. For more information, please contact the sponsoring organization directly.

National Council for Teaching Asia:

• Online Film Group: Three Chinese Films (Sept 16 - Nov 3)
• Online Book Group: Japan through Childrens' Literature (Sept 30 - Dec 11)
• Japan: 20th Century Legacies, 21st Century Challenges (Sept 29 - Dec 12)
• China Under Mao: Modernization, Mobilization, and Mass Campaigns (Sept 26 - Dec 26)

National Council for Teaching Asia:

• Online Film Group. The Journey Home: Three Contemporary Chinese Films. September 16-November 3, 2016.  (18 contact hours) During chaotic times, Chinese filmmakers have turned to the concept of home and family in their films. Open to secondary classroom teachers, this group will view and discuss three films--The Blue Kite, Last Train Home, and Coming Home, exploring different “journeys” to reunite with family. The film group will be conducted through three asynchronous online modules, each consisting of film viewing and discussions of the works with colleagues and the course instructor. Participants are responsible for obtaining the three films for viewing and will be provided with a list of online locations for accessing the films through rental, purchase or free viewing in advance of the course start date. Participants may take part in "discussion only" or choose to complete the film group with "full participation for full benefits," which will include a stipend to reimburse for the cost of film purchase. Class limit: 25; registration closes September 8. Details and registration.

• Online Book Group: The Great Wave: Japan through Children’s Literature, September 30-December 11, 2016. (15 contact hours) Tsunami prone Japan and stories of survival are imagined in recent children’s literature Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa and Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz. Open to intermediate and middle-school teachers, this group will discuss these books’ literary forms and techniques, social studies connections, and cross-curricular classroom applications. Course includes participation in a live webinar with author Leza Lowitz. Registration deadline: Sept. 22, or when course fills. Details and registration.  

• Japan: 20th-Century Legacies, 21st-Century Challenges. September 29-December 12, 2016. (25 contact hours) In this 25-hour course, secondary classroom teachers will consider the 20th century roots and current dimensions of four critical contemporary issues: Japan’s demographic crisis, Japan’s intra-Asian and security relations, the Japanese constitution at 70, and Japan’s Nuclear Past and Future. Participants in this course will be eligible to apply for a 10-day seminar in Tokyo in summer 2017 (pending funding). Class limit: 20; application closes Sept 22 or when course fills. Details and registration.

• China Under Mao: Modernization, Mobilization, and Mass Campaigns. September 26 - December 12, 2016. (20 hours). Open to secondary classroom teachers nationwide who teach about modern China, this five-module online seminar examines the social, cultural, political, and economic changes in China under the leadership of Mao Zedong by looking at two of his most far-reaching and impactful mass campaigns: the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. The seminar will provide essential background, contemporary scholarship, and primary sources to better understand and more effectively teach the causes and effects of these campaigns. Details and registration.