UTC education major E.S. Chandrasekaran will participate in the summer Science and Math Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program, offered through the U.S. Department of Education. A chemistry and physical science teacher at Howard School of Academics and Technology, Chandrasekaran was one of 16 educators from around the country selected for the seminar in India, his homeland. The seminar will run from July 1-mid August.
Chandrasekaran, who speaks five Indian languages, holds a doctoral degree in chemistry and teaches on an alternative license, granted because there is a critical shortage of chemistry teachers in Tennessee. This license allows him to teach while pursuing his teaching licensure at the University.
Chandrasekaran began the process of acquiring the teaching licensure a decade ago, however, career demands put his efforts on hold until two years ago.
School will be in session in India when Chandrasekaran attends the Fulbright-Hays Seminar. Schools in India adjourn for summer vacation during the months of April and May, the hottest months of the year there. Teachers will focus on mathematics and science and be introduced to the broader understanding of India’s history, culture and society.
“I am interested in ways teachers in India motivate their students to stay interested in math and science,” Chandrasekaran said. “Students there are more internally motivated.”
The academic program will take Chandrasekaran to New Delhi, while the field visit phase will take him to Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Agra. Chandrasekaran will observe the entire process of curriculum development, from creation to implementation.
An Indian counterpart will be paired with Chandrasekaran to assist in the creation and implementation of a curriculum project, to be produced as a result of the program.
In the UTC College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, there are many education programs available that lead to Tennessee licensure. Read more…
