Teaching Migration in a Transatlantic Classroom: A Curriculum-Based Internet Project

Kerstin Otto

Reprinted from the OAH Magazine of History
14 (Fall 1999). ISSN 0882-228X
Copyright (c) 1999, Organization of American Historians
 

"My father grew up in a village in Taiwan....When he was 14 years old he left his home and went to Taipei, looking for a job....In 1979, my father came to Germany because he wanted to visit one of his cousins, but he liked it here and stayed. He worked as a cook in a Chinese Restaurant and his plan for the future was to be the owner of a Chinese Restaurant. Two years after his arrival in Germany we followed. At that time I was only five years old and I could only speak Chinese....

"Now we were all in Germany, my father worked as a cook, my mother stayed at home and took care of us and we went to school. But we only had visums (sic) for a few months, so we moved from state to state and tried to get a visum there. We moved for about five times until my father got an unlimited visum so that we were allowed to stay in Germany. Eleven years ago we moved to Hamburg and my father opened his own Chinese Restaurant.

"I didn't change my nationality, that means I'm still Taiwanese, but today my whole family has got an unlimited visum, so that we can stay here. I like it here in Hamburg but I think I will go back to Taiwan after I finished an apprenticeship."

--Chih-Chao Yang, eighteen years old, Hamburg, Germany

Chih-Chao's account cannot be found in any history text book. He and his German classmates shared their stories with students in the United States via e-mail, as part of a transatlantic Internet project. Not only did they learn how to write messages, save files, cut and paste, and access the Internet, they also acquired basic skills in research, team work, organization, and strategic reading. They became self-directed learners.

The Transatlantic Classroom

In 1995, the Koerber Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Hamburg, Germany, established a teacher-run e-mail program known as the Transatlantic Classroom (TAC), which serves as a meeting place for American and German high school students and teachers. Over the years, using both English and German, participants have discussed issues ranging from school rules and fashion to the death penalty, the Holocaust, and German Reunification.

In 1997, German and American high school students and their teachers participated in a migration project via e-mail. Although the road was sometimes a little rocky, they concluded that with careful planning, such a project can be very rewarding.

Launching an Internet Project

As one of TAC's facilitators, I was able to follow both student-to-student and teacher-to-teacher communication through all phases of the migration project. Based on this experience and the insights of other teachers, I have devised ten steps for launching a successful migration project using e-mail in the classroom.

1. Consider Your Options. Before you dive head-first into cyberspace, you may find it helpful to take some time to think critically about your goals and resources. What exactly do you want to do? Will the project enable students to do something that is impossible without the Internet? How much time do you want to devote? Do you have time for in-class work on the project? Is the project worth the time, the effort, and the expense in terms of educational gains for your students?

Where is your Internet connection? Will you be able to send messages from home after school, and can students send messages from their computers at home? How much training will you need to give the students?

2. Do Your Research. Once you are clear about time, topic, and technology, look at what others have done in your field. Check the Internet for project announcements (for suggestions, see Online Resources), but don't simply "plug-and-play" somebody else's idea in your own classroom. Redesign projects to suit the needs of your class; then advertise for partners. There are web sites that will help you link with partners (see Online Resources). Your request should include the following data: time frame and aim of your proposed project; number, age, and background of your students; desired partner culture; and project language. Allow at least a week to receive replies.

3. Make Preparations. Contact your partner teacher(s) as soon as you can and decide how many hours per week you all are willing to dedicate to the project. Exchange telephone and fax numbers in case the computers are down, and make sure you exchange vacation times, holidays, and final exam times. Differing time zones can also prove a bit tricky.

You may also think about finding a computer-literate student who can assist you with the technology and the incoming mail.

4. Establish Student Contact. Have your students write short introductory e-mail messages to familiarize themselves with using a computer and to establish the first contact with your partner class.

5. Choose a Topic to Explore. Together with your students, brainstorm possible issues relevant to the topic of migration. Topics might include a simplified version of U.S. migration policy for those who are thinking about becoming naturalized citizens, myths and truths about illegal immigration, culture gaps between first and second generations of immigrants, the process of learning a new language, desires to return, the role of schools in immigrants' assimilation, job opportunities, segregation, push/pull factors, and the American Dream.

6. Assign Tasks. Have your students write a short essay about their own experiences with migration or interview a relative or neighbor on the topic.

7. Distribute Letters. Collect the letters from your partner teacher's class and give one to each of your students to present in class. Let the class arrange the letters according to topics. Letters that touch on multiple topics can be copied and added to more than one stack. If students miss vital information, be sure to draw their attention to it.

8. Field Student Questions. Once the letters are assigned to stacks, divide your class into groups and have each group select a pile of letters to work on. After reading the letters, students usually need some clarification. You may choose to give them this information through class lectures or have them ask their transatlantic partners directly. The student exchange of questions often leads to research on both sides, as students seek to learn more about their own culture in order to explain it to others.

9. Continue the Project. Write back and forth as many times as you like, as needed, or as time allows. Depending on what kind of information your students can garner from their partners' letters, they could compare the situation of immigrants in their own country with that of immigrants in the country of their partner class, or they could write a short story or poem (creatively using the information their partners give them) from the perspective of a "newcomer" or from that of a "native" in a given society. Of course, discussing the general political or historical aspects and dimensions of migration and using one or more letters as case studies is always an option.

In order to evaluate the work of each group or individual it would be helpful if students kept a folder of materials related to their project, such as photocopies or printouts of web sites.

10. Create a Final Product. At the end of the project it would be nice to produce something that included everybody's work. It could be a bound copy of each student's initial migration story, together with the finished assignments. Or you could create a web page displaying the class's work (for examples, see Online Resources, under ThinkQuest).

When their teachers asked what they thought about the Transatlantic Classroom project, students said they appreciated the creative, nontraditional aspect of the work. Learning how to develop ideas, working independently and at their own pace, and not being spoon-fed by their teachers was fun. "The work we did was no less but different." They responded that studying other cultures made them reflect on their own. "Finding out where my relatives came from and what they went through makes me want to ask more questions."

Students liked learning in a genuine, direct context and enjoyed seeing a practical application of their learning, something that is often missing in traditional teaching. "You can read texts and learn facts in class but text books or teachers can never convey a person's feelings and experiences." "It's funny how you can get to know a person just by exchanging opinions and interests without having seen his/her picture."

While working on projects, students are often self-motivated and more inquisitive in their research. Most importantly, e-mail exchanges enable students to learn firsthand about differences and similarities between countries and cultures, thus fostering greater cultural understanding.

If you wish to search for collaborative online projects or propose your own, visit these educational web sites:

Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections (IECC): <http://www.iecc.org>. The IECC is a free service to help teachers and classes link with partners in other countries and cultures for e-mail classroom exchanges.

Apple Learning Interchange: <http://ali.apple.com>. This online resource for teaching, learning, research, and collaboration allows teachers to share ideas, lesson plans, and resources for all subjects and grade levels.

Global Schoolhouse: <http://www.gsh.org>. This web site contains, among other things, documents related to classroom use of the Internet as well as an Internet Projects Registry. A note on lingo: WCE stands for "well-connected educator."

International Education and Resource Network (I*EARN): <http://www.iearn.org>. I*EARN offers both structured projects and opportunities to design your own project as well as assistance in seeking partners.

If you are looking for online activities, don't miss the following web sites:

Social Studies School Service: <http://socialstudies.com>. This site allows visitors to search an online catalog of activities. Typing in "immigration" will retrieve links to activities that allow students to simulate the process of obtaining a Green Card, debate the closing of borders, or assess the role of immigration.

ThinkQuest: <http://www.thinkquest.org>. This site contains entries developed and prepared by students and their coaches. You can find projects related to immigration by going to their Library of Entries. Examples include:

• America: The Great Melting Pot, which offers an overview of U.S. immigration history from the late 1500s to the present, immigration legislation, information on the most prominent ethnic groups, and personal stories from immigrants;
  
• The Mosaic of Immigrants to America: Foundation of a Multicultural Society, discussing the voyage of immigrants and their reactions to their new home;
  
• U.S. Citizenship Challenge, which contains the same questions the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) gives people to study when they want to become naturalized citizens of the United States; and
  
• Immigration Museum Online, a collection of photographs and personal stories from families whose ancestors migrated to America.
  

The following web site offers an excellent and exhaustive list of Internet resources in the field of migration:

Migration-Related Links: <http://migration.ucdavis.edu/Migration-Links/Migration_related_Links.html>. This site connects to academic migration sites in North America, Europe, and Asia, as well as advocacy groups, international organizations, and government agencies.

For additional information on migration, the following web sites are useful:

U.S. Bureau of the Census: <http://www.census.gov>. This site contains, among other things, information regarding the foreign-born population.

Immigration and Naturalization Service: <http://www.ins.usdoj.gov>. Electronic copies of the Immigration and Nationality Act are available on this site, as well as recent immigration data and an overview of the legislative history of immigration to the United States.

Migration News: <http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/mntxt.html>. This free monthly electronic publication summarizes the most important immigration developments of the preceding month.

And last but not least, come visit the Transatlantic Classroom: <http://www.tak.schule.de>. We would be happy to help you set up a migration project with German partners!

Kerstin Otto holds a Master's degree in American history from the University of Cincinnati. She is a freelance educator and coordinator/facilitator for two Internet programs, the Transatlantic Classroom and the Asia-Europe Classroom.