Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 3, 1 March 1996 — Training program targets leeward Oʻahu teachers [ARTICLE]

Training program targets leeward Oʻahu teachers

UH Mānoa has begun a teacher training program designed to improve education on the Leeward coast by reducing teacher tumover. The program, Ka Lama O Ke Kaiāulu, is targeting potential elementary teachers living on the Leeward coast, or those who have a commitment to the area. It will emphasize multicultural education and Hawaiian culture focusing on language, literacy, and the teacher's role in students' academic success. An emphasis will also be placed on teaching strategies that improve the academic achievement and self-esteem of students from lower ineome families. Participants will be given the opportunity to observe and teach in the classrooms of mentor teachers on the Leeward coaSt. Program coodinator Dr. Kathy Au says a problem in Leeward coast schools is that many of the teachers don't live in the area; they teach for a short time then transfer to more central locations. She hopes Ka Lama O Ke Kaiāulu will encourage Leeward-based residents, or individuals with ties and a commitment to the community, to eome and teach at Leeward schools, and stay.

Courses will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays and most will meet at Nānāikapono Elementary School in Nānākuli. There will also be some course work at UH Mānoa. To be eligible applicants must have completed the courses required for the elementary education program in the College of Education. Applicants will also be required to write an essay on their ideas to improve education on the Leeward coast. In the essay they will be asked to write about the reasons for their commitment to teaching on that part of the island, and what they hope to learn by participating in the course. The deadline for submitting applicantions is March 15, 1996. Applicants must be admitted as juniors to the College of Education and may request an applieaīion packet by calling the Students Services Office, College of Education, at 956-7915. For more information and interview appointments eall Dr. Kathy Au at 956-7877 or Dr. Margaret Maaka, at 956-4409. ; i k. -ali,; 8 ,5oorfj2 rig.'H Krt*>rrn: — . . i — — — — — — — -