East meets west in Cherry Creek classrooms this fall after one teacher studies in Japan and another in Europe

Kids in Cherry Creek Schools are benefiting from the world travels of two of their teachers. Barbara Moore, a fifth grade teacher at Willow Creek Elementary in Centennial, and Jeff Poland, a social studies teacher at Campus Middle School in Greenwood Village, studied abroad this fall as participants in prestigious programs that help teachers gain new knowledge, acquire new skills, and develop better ways to reach and teach their students.

In October, Moore spent three weeks in Japan as part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program, which promotes greater inter-cultural understanding between Japan and the U.S. Moore was one of 400 teachers selected from 1,700 applicants.

She traveled first to Tokyo where she met with Japanese educators and government officials. Then she visited Sakai City, which is on Osaka Bay in southeastern Japan. There, she worked with students and teachers at Mikuni Minami Elementary where she learned about the kamishibai tradition that incorporates the reading of folktales using illustrated storyboards.

Moore brought original kamishibai examples back to Willow Creek where her students are retelling and illustrating the Japanese folktales as well as writing their own. Then they visit other classrooms to perform kamishibai. Moore says her students are improving their literacy skills while learning about Japanese culture and history, including World War II.

"The lessons about Japan are helping students understand how people who were once enemies can become friends," said Moore. "The ideas of forgiveness and moving forward in a positive way can relate to friendships and playground disputes. The study of Japan also helps students appreciate the differences and similarities between cultures."

In September, Poland traveled to Bucharest, Romania to take part in a one-week workshop sponsored by the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE). Poland was one of 24 educators from around the world chosen to participate in the NCEE Training of Writers program, which helps build a pool of economic educators who produce their own economics lessons. Other participants hailed from Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, the U.S. and Uruguay.

The Training for Writers program encourages the development of active-learning instructional materials, offers guidelines for writing lessons using a variety of instructional strategies, and provides participants with intense writing practice, feedback and guidance in improving writing skills.

Poland has already written and field-tested an economics lesson that uses a hands-on activity to help students understand economic issues in developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. "It gets students thinking about both human and natural resources in their own and other countries," said Poland. "I think kids need to understand trade and economics so they can be competitive in the global economy after they leave school."

Poland is sharing his experiences with a professional learning team of seventh grade teachers in the Cherry Creek School District, and with educators across the country and around the world through NCEE.