Altai Cultural Study Topics

We can't learn everything about this ancient region in 5 weeks, but we can have fun trying!!!

Some of us were specifically told to narrow down our focus, others of us have been allowed to let our minds roam FREE!!! 

I love learning with no boundaries.

but...

 A little structure might help me transform my learning into a sharable fund of knowledge.

Most evenings on this exchange we have guest lecturers coming to an open salon where we can discuss these topics. We are encouraged to practice Russian, but translators will be part of our daily routine.

1.  Joan: Education - structure and more:  How do they educate?  What is the importance of education in Russian (Siberian) society and culture?  How do they prioritize and allocate available resources in their society, given their geographic location?  Is education compulsory and if so, thru what grade level?  What is their curriculum - civics?  civilian responsibility?  ethics class?  comparative governance?  history?  If so, at what grade levels are these topics covered?  How does Russian (Siberian) education differ from American education?  What role, if any, does the Orthodox Church play?  Testing prevalence?  Alternative education efforts?  Is study abroad encouraged?  At university level?  To Cambridge and Oxford, Harvard or Stanford, or to Bejing (Peking)/China?  How do they work in extracurricular programs - athletics, the arts - ?  Teacher prep and perspective…  What do teachers see as top concerns?  Education as common denominator in culture of diverse people…
2. Alex: food traditional meals
3. Alison: sustainability in daily life/habits
4. Madeline: fashion( women’s), statues, art (more specific), tourism
5. Jordyn: the role and status of women in Russian (Siberian) society and culture - traditions, norms, etc.
6. Natalie: food and drink, street food, contem popular music, US influence Russian/American fast food, drinking habits, smoking habits, exercise habit
7. Christine: Nature, American cultural impact in Siberia
8. Jonathan: Museum Design
9. Jenna: teaching of other languages at the primary level, school meals, prevalence of outdoor/active play during the school day
10. Ryan - Advertising practices in Russia; print and digital.
11. Kristine- Russian folk music and instruments vs Altai regional folk music; Traditional herbal medicine and healing; Indigenous peoples of the Altai and influence in local Russian culture; gardening and herbs for cooking, healing, and survival; English teaching, texts, and testing in Russia, new regulations and teacher perspectives; any visible artifacts of gulags or Solzhenitsyn.  Shamanism and the Shambhala myth in Altai.
12. Sebastien: water systems, mountain ranges; geography and culture.
13. Jim: soviet remnants in the Altai Krai
14. Tonya: how Russian children spend their time (cultural games, pastimes, school life, home life, etc…) especially in regards to children/people with disabilities

WHY ALTAI?

This blog might be a good way to record our group project results in the 

"Siberian Culture in the Golden Altai" exchange

Department of Education's Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program 

For our group of teachers and students to study Russian language and culture

in Altai region of Russia.

Fulbright Grant Information
Why Altai is the name of another website about environmental and cultural projects in the region.
Why Altai?

What Should I pack? Unpack? What will fit in these two bags?

Posing "Big Questions" is part of inquiry-based learning.

I struggled with selecting one Big Question in my coursework last year

I feel the same lack of decisiveness in this exchange.

 I have lots of questions. 

I feel like a giant  

?

Big Questions about the program:

• Why is the Altai Region an important region for Rochester/ Geneva Teachers to visit? 
• Why was the HWS grant approved and funded by the state department? 
• Why does USDOS/ BECA want to expand knowledge of Russia in schools of our NY area? 
• Why is it exchange? What do we give back? (small thinking or big picture thinking)

Big Questions for personal growth:

• Why do I want to do another exchange in Russia? 
• Is this like going backwards or am I really expanding regional expertise? 
• How can I make this growth rather than nostaligia for my Peace Corps experience? 
• How can I tap into the nostalgia and my existing schema to grow my understanding of Russia and this region and to add depth to my reflections?

Research Questions- These should be answerable, achievable withing the given time or resources and contextually meaningful to the learners. As group participants, we have all been asked to come up with some topics that we can gather information about during our exchange and present about to the group at the end. Stuff we like to know about. Our audience will include our language instructors and guides. Maybe even our neighbors or cooks. Two of us are expected to present in the target language. Maybe that will turn into a video, for laughs.

Next I will share the list of topics we are all interested researching, these are called our expert areas.