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The Center for School Development developed the CultureQuest program in 2001, supported by a two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). CultureQuests are project-based activities that integrate technology with student investigations of other peoples, countries and cultures. CultureQuest projects are inquiry-based and rooted in students' questions and interests. Students understanding of the different peoples of the world is enriched by exploring not only geography, demographics and history but also by looking at art, music, history, religion, language, daily life, customs and traditions. Each class that participates in CultureQuest uses the Internet for finding up-to-date information about a country and for communicating with other students and knowledgeable adults from that country. As a final project, each class puts their final work on a web site for a worldwide audience.
The Center provides workshops for teachers in doing CultureQuest projects and over the past five years has trained more than 250 teachers in the approach. CultureQuest seeks to promote better understanding and appreciation of other cultures, strengthen student literacy and research skills, and provide both teachers and students with the technology skills they need for the 21st century. While our focus has been on k-12, CultureQuest is just as appropriate for college level students. To learn more about CultureQuest see our website at http://www.culturequest.us
The Center has obtained support from the America India Foundation to start a CultureQuest program in New Delhi and, most recently, the JPMorganChase Foundation has provided strong support for our effort to expand the program to other states within the US and to other countries around the world. This year (2005-06) we started CultureQuest programs in Kansas, Michigan, Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania and Alaska as well as in India, Japan, Sweden, Chile, The Dominican Republic, and Israel.
Contact Dr. Sheila Gersh for information about providing professional development to teachers in your school or school district or for information about becoming a CultureQuest partner. CultureQuest partners will create local CultureQuest programs in cities and countries around the world. Dr. Gersh is the Associate Director of Technology and International Programs at the Center for School Development (212) 650-5792, sgersh@ccny.cuny.edu
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