January 20 - April 28
All seminars are on Tuesdays from
5:30-7:30 PM unless otherwise noted.
The Institute was established in 1998 and is affiliated with the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. It is a partnership between the University of Houston and the Houston Independent School District whose purpose is to increase subject matter skills for public school teachers. All seminar leaders are senior faculty members at the University of Houston. Fellows must be classroom teachers in the Houston Independent School District. Applications are due by October 30, 2008.
The Institute wishes to acknowledge its gratitude to the following foundations for their very generous support:
Houston Endowment Inc.
The Powell Foundation
The Simmons Foundation
The Rockwell Fund
Washington Mutual
What are the Benefits to Participants?
For additional information on these seminars and an application to become a Fellow in the Houston Teachers Institute, visit our website at www.uh.edu/hti and attend our Open House on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 4:30 PM-7:00 PM at the Rockwell Pavilion on the second floor of the M.D. Anderson Library.
This Rough Magic: Teaching Shakespeare\'s Plays
Sidney Berger, University of Houston School of Theatre
Meets on Monday evenings 5:30-7:30 PM
The objective of this seminar is to give teachers a new way of exciting students about Shakespeare's works by utilizing the techniques of those who produce and direct these plays. In teaching Shakespeare I want to engender in students a life-long enhancement from his works rather than a life-long avoidance of them. As the founding director of the Houston Shakespeare Festival, I want to share my experience and deep love of Shakespeare with teachers who will in turn share it with their students. I have found that the most effective use of our time is giving the Fellows a set of tools by means of which they can crack the text, make it theirs, and then adapt it to their particular use. In my past experiences with HTI, I have found that this seminar has been a success for teachers ranging from those instructing gifted children to those who work with ESL students.
* Note: In this seminar we will have the opportunity to attend a play in lieu of one of our regularly scheduled meetings.
Health Issues of the 21st Century
Joseph A. Kotarba, Department of Sociology
Meets on Monday evenings 5:30-7:30 PM
The purpose of this seminar is to survey a range of contemporary health issues that affect our students and their families. These issues include (among others): childhood obesity; vitamin deficiency; ADHD; mental illness; recreational injuries; cigarette smoking; environmental illness; stress; and vision and hearing deficiencies. A series of health care experts from the Texas Medical Center will join our seminar to discuss health-related situations in the classroom of which teachers should be aware; the impact of childhood illness on teaching and learning; and strategies for communicating with families. Accordingly, Fellows will develop curriculum units on health issues relevant both to students and their families. Special attention will be given to the location, selection, and use of Internet resources by students and teachers.
The Middle East: History, Geography, and Culture
Dina Alsowayel, Women\'s Studies Program
Meets on Monday evenings 5:30-7:30 PM
This seminar introduces the history, politics and societies of the modern Middle East. We look at the great transformations of the past 1500 years to see how these have shaped current affairs. We consider the impact of colonization, imperialism, and nationhood on the current social and political structures. In addition to these important factors we examine the role of Islam in the development of the region as well as the economic and political consequences of oil. What is the relationship between Islam and politics and what has that historical trajectory been? We identify the challenges and the hopes of this diverse region of the world. In addition to historical materials we also explore artistic and literary traditions and their connections to the societies of the region.
How Many Kinds of English Are There? Standard Written English and Its Siblings, Spoken and Written
Michael R. Dressman, Department of English, UH-D
A major responsibility for language arts teachers, as well as for teachers in other fields, is helping students become successful users of Standard English. This seminar is an examination of the grammar(s) of English and a look at what it means for language to have rules. Every human language has some rules that are extremely important; if these rules are violated, there may be no communication. However, there are other "rules" that are matters of fashion or style. Violation of these rules actually may show conformity to a different set of rules, as the speaker communicates meaning and possibly projects multiple additional signals.
We will explore presuppositions about school English and other forms of the language and focus on registers of language-appropriateness of usage and style in various circumstances. We will identify the characteristics of Standard Written (American) English, one variety that is very important in a school context, but we will also look at how other varieties of English work and how language changes in various settings, including literary examples. Teachers from all levels are welcome.
The Genius of Leonardo in the Context of Renaissance Italy
Carolyn C. Wilson, HTI Visiting Scholar of Art History
Renowned in his day for his extraordinary talents and boldness of thought and now hailed as a prophet of the future, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was trained as painter and sculptor in vibrant Renaissance Florence. There, and in Milan and Rome, he practiced these arts, incorporating his study of mathematics (proportion, perspective) and natural science (human anatomy and movement, animal and plant life, geology, hydrology, meteorology), and soon earning status as the initiator of the "modern manner" (High Renaissance style). Leonardo's career extended to include art theory, architectural design, urban planning, cartography, engineering, hydraulics, and the invention of war and stage machines. His notebooks demonstrate ingenious experimentation in constructing diving equipment, an automaton, and most famously, machines for aviation; they also reveal engagement with codes and mathematical puzzles.
The scope of Leonardo's thinking and achievement readily provides many avenues of exploration for various grade levels and subjects. Against the rich background of Italian Renaissance society, thought, and art, this seminar will survey all aspects of Leonardo's career with a focus on the master's paintings, drawings, and sculpture. Our goal will be the understanding of his innovations within the context of his times and recognition of their subsequent influence.
Making Geometry: How Geometry Can Help Us See the World
Mike Field, Department of Mathematics
Geometry is everywhere: in architecture, the symmetries of crystals, car wheels, textile design, painting, and sculpture. Although we all respond, at least unconsciously, to this structure, most of us cannot see the geometry that surrounds us. Part of the problem is language - how does one describe symmetry or perspective? What are the right words and thoughts? One aim of this seminar is to develop ways of seeing and experiencing geometry and finding the right words to describe and talk about the experience.
As part of the process of developing geometric intuition, seminar members will be making some geometric "objects" to illustrate geometric patterns and mathematical solids. Apart from the advantage of having geometric objects which one can touch and really see the geometry, these objects provide useful materials for the classroom (including at the elementary grade levels). A key component of the seminar will be the making of some mathematical models of regular polyhedra. Other topics will include symmetry and repeating patterns, Mobius bands, soap bubbles (not the round sort!), hyperbolic geometry, and geometry in painting and sculpture. We will study artists like M.C. Escher, Albrecht Durer, and Charles Perry, and everything from industrial design to Islamic patterns and Persian carpets.
Going Green
Rives Taylor, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture
Due to rising gas prices and growing evidence of the damage done by global warming, energy and conservation matters are more important than ever. This seminar will examine some of the ways we can "go green," including developing alternate sources of energy, improving the design of residences and office buildings, using more energy-efficient appliances, and changing the patterns of our energy use. We will investigate the advantages and disadvantages that Houston has in "green" matters. A Fellow may investigate ways that his or her school could conserve energy and encourage students to get their families involved in similar efforts at home.