Graduation day !!!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Graduation Day!!! All the good memories, all the emotions, all the people that were next to us during this semester melted into a wonderful and memorable day. The speeches from the Department of State, AED, UMD and our group filled the meeting with a warm and friendly sense of accomplishment and friendship while the snow was peacefully leaving a thick white layer on the campus. All of us got our certificates of completion of the program and memorable presents. The group had also brought some presents for the organizers and had prepared a song and a photo montage for the audience, everything was an unforgettable celebration. Later on, a lunch at the Stamp Union,  dinner with PDS coordinators and an emotive goodbye to Dr. Jim.

Although it was the official end of the program, we all feel that a new stage of the Fulbright experience has just started!

Second day of presentations

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Today we had the second round of presentations.

Sashi, Cooperative Learning: An Investigation of an Innovative Instructional Practice for a Diverse Classroom.

Lindi, Applying Alternative Theories, Policies and Practices to Improve the Performance of African Students Taking Matric (Grade 12) National Examinations in South Africa.

Li Heong, Formative Assessment- The Way Forward.

Indrani, Transforming Education for Peace in the Indian Curricula.

Raj, Where do we differ? A Comparative Study of the United States and Indian Schools with Particular Reference to Classroom Management and Teaching Strategies.

Eija, Comparing the Conceptualization of Learning in the United States and Finland.

Aurelia, The Incorporation of ICTs into Task Based Language Learning.

Mikko, Physics Toys.

"D" day

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Today was  the “D” day. Everything was arranged to start very early with the presentations. The morning started with a white carpet on the ground. Last night snowed and the day was quite chilly. As  everything had already been programmed, the first round of presentations started at 10 a.m. according to the following schedule:

Kavita, Teach to reach (about MI)

Carmen, Inclusive Education or Diverse Learning Needs English Language.

Hwa Phaik, Inquiry as Pedagogy: Developing Better Thinkers in Geography.

Oscar, The Role of Technology in the Language Learning Classroom in American Public Schools.

 Sudha, Toying with Minds: Analysis of the Impact of Conceptual Learning in Physics through Toys.

Sergio, Teaching English Pronunciation in ESL/EFL Contexts

Lashmi, Vedic Mathematics: Vedic Intervention for Positive Reinforcement in School Mathematics.

Lala, Brainy Ways to Teach Kids Through Stories.

Arasi, An Inquiry into Reading Comprehension Strategies and the Integration of Formative Assessment.

 

Countdown

Monday, December 13, 2010

Last day to rehearse and prepare everything for tomorrow.

Last three days

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Last three days of concentration and polishing for final presentations.

Last seminar with snow

Friday, December 10, 2010

Last Friday seminar, more papers to sign, final directions for next week and more things to adjust. Everything had to be arranged for the presentations. Today in the morning we had the first snow showers of the season.

Printing

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Today, the new challenge was to learn how to operate the printer at Mc Kieldin Library because the shared printer was running out of ink. The first step  was to get a new printing card and once you have it, just swap the card to print, it´s that easy!