June 19 – June 24, 2017
SIPHU is a free week long program designed to give linguistic and cultural knowledge to senior high school students.The instructional goals of the program are for the students to acquire linguistic and cultural competency in order to communicate successfully, and acquire other learning strategies and skills through learning a foreign language. The goals of our program are aligned with the goals outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st century, focusing on the three modes of communication, as well as connection, culture, comparison, and community (the 5 Cs). Class instruction will be student-centered learning and standards-based instruction. Our program will also differentiate curriculum and instruction to accommodate a range of learners with different linguistic and cultural competencies, backgrounds and ages. Curricular contents will be drawn from various disciplines which will help students broaden their perspectives and expand their knowledge.
The program will stand virtually alone when it comes to public engagement activities that are geared towards language acquisition and cultural instruction for students on the margins of their own culture.This project will bring U of M units and the public together for common goals that truly require efforts on both sides.
SIPHU was made possible by the Joan Aldous Innovation Grant.