Melinda Kozó`s presentaiton

HAToG – Conference, Sept. 21-22 , 2013, Atlanta
Presenters: Katalin Beck and Melinda Kozó
Proudly presenting:
MEMBERSHIP
• 116 and growing
• Members: teachers, parents, students
• Membership is approved by organizers and teachers
• Members have to answer profile questions
• Members apply with photo/cartoon/symbol
• Private club:
-Protects the privacy of members
-Provides a safe platform for communication and team work
-Allows individualized feedback
OUR METHOD
• 2013/14 is our 4th year
• Regular classes on Skype every Sunday evening
(synchronous learning)
• Our subjects:
-History (Magyarország Története, MTV)
-Hungarian Grammar and Literature
-Math
-Ethnography (Hungarian Folklore and Traditions)
+ celebrations (e.g. March 15th – see pic.); game days
• Reading (KMCSSZ Olvasópróba)
• Our projects:
•Duna project
•Hungarian Castles project
•Hungarian Inventions project
OUR METHOD (cont.)
• online school is augmented with face-to-face
classes at our camps and other events
(blended learning)
• fall camps have a theme from Hungarian
historical periods
(Hungarian Settlement, King Matthias’s
court, Turkish era – immersion learning)
• the website has learning materials to enrich
the class experience
(used independently – asynchronous learning)
• projects and homeworks are posted and shared online
• kids can open their own discussion topics online
EVALUTION, FEEDBACK
• Teachers keep track of students’ progress
• Students evaluate each other’s work
• Students earn badges
OUR TEACHING PHILOSPHY
(What have we learned form the last four years?
What works and what doesn’t work in a diaspora community?)
- Distance education, online learning works
- Team work in online education works
- Following Hungarian academic curricula might not work
for everyone
- Focusing on cultural learning works (immersion!)
- Adopting Hungarian textbooks doesn’t work for all students
- Specific teaching and learning materials tailored for diaspora kids
work (simpler language, rich in visual materials, interactive)
THE FUTURE
teaching kids in diaspora communities=online
education
What we need:
• Curriculum for diaspora communities
• More teaching materials
(for both self-paced, asynchronous learning and
instructor-led, synchronous learning)
• Access to digital learning materials developed in
Hungary
• Online, proctored exam options
• Professional and technological development for
teachers
• Integrated online course systems