EDUC 628-Spring-08

 My edition of the Opening Bell, from NEA this morning had an article from the Chicago Tribune about students from China visiting a high school in Illinois.

Chinese performance troupe visits Illinois school.

The Chicago Tribune (4/18, Canfield) reports that “members of a children’s performance troupe” from China visited Naperville North High School in Illinois as part of a cultural exchange organized by the Xilin Association, “which offers Asian culture, language and art programs to promote heritage awareness among Asian descendants and cross-cultural experiences between Asian and non-Asian populations.” The troupe “toured Naperville North and spent about an hour chatting with students in Piling Chiu’s Chinese language classes after entertaining pupils…with displays of a Chinese folk dance, martial arts and magic.” Chiu explained, “I want our kids to get a firsthand experience of what school and life is like in China.” She added that the students in the troupe “have never been to an American school, so this is a very rare opportunity.” The Tribune notes that the school district “is developing a dual-language Chinese class for kindergartners beginning in 2009.”