The primary goal of the Cuba for Educators course is to provide educators with an immersive experience that enhances their cultural understanding, and teaching inspiration while fostering personal growth through speaking with Cuban educators and the people of Cuba in general.
Course Objectives:
- Understand Cultural Context:
Gain deep insight into the history and traditions of Cuba and foster positive relationships with the people of Cuba.
- Create Innovative Lesson Plan:
Develop an engaging lesson plan and classroom activity inspired by the education system and the cultural experiences encountered in Cuba.
- Network Professionally:
Establish Connections with other educators and professionals, fostering collaborative opportunities for future projects or exchanges.
- Enhance Teaching Authenticity:
Build authenticity in teaching by sharing personal experiences from Cuba, creating a richer environment for students.
- Increase Spanish Fluency for Those who Teach Spanish:
Spanish is not a requirement for the course, however, for students who would like to improve their fluency they will have ample opportunity to improve conversational skills through direct interactions with the people of Cuba.
Course Schedule:
SESSION 2 SCHEDULE (April Trip)
Week #1: 3/9/2026
Introduction to the course on Cuba. Reading assignment: How Does the Cuban Educational System Stack Up Against the US? and The Cuba Education System: Insights Into Its Successes & Challenges
Insights into the Cuba Education System: What You Need to Know
Written reflections. Due Monday, March 9, 2026.
Week #2: 3/16/2026
Video assignment: The Secret of Cuban Education and How the Cuban Education System Works. Written reflection. Reading assignment:Cuba: an American history, chapter 32 Special years. Written reflection. Due Monday, March 23, 2026.
Week #3: 4/23/2026
Reading assignment: The Cuba Education System: Insights Into Its Successes & Challenges. Written reflection. Due Monday, March 30, 2026.
Week #4: 3/30/2026
Video assignment: The Cuba Libre Story, Episode 1 – Sugar, Slavery & Colonialism and The Cuba Libre Story, Episode 2 – US Economic Dominance. Written reflection. Due Monday, April 6, 2026.
Week #5: 4/6/2025 Reading assignment: Choose an article from Belly of the Beast and El Toque and write reflections using the format the instructor will provide you. Due Monday, April 12, 2025.
Week #6 In Cuba: April 18-25, 2026.
*Interview Teachers/Educators. Conduct interviews with Cuban educators throughout the trip and document these conversations in either written or audio formats.
*Networking Activity: Create a professional network map by connecting with Cuban educators, fellow participants and document potential collaboration ideas.
*Peer Teaching Sessions: Organize small group discussions or impromptu teaching sessions with other students on the trip, sharing insights and teaching strategies inspired by Cuba. Brain storm ideas for the lesson plan.
*Organize pictures for the audio/visual presentation.
Week #7: 4/27/2026
Creative Lesson Plan Development. Due Wednesday, 5/6/2026.
Week #8:
5/6/2026 Creative Lesson Plan due. Begin audio/visual presentation/reflection. Due 5/8/2026
Week #9:
Friday, May 8, 2026. Audio/visual/reflection due.
Required Readings
Costs of required readings, if any, are not included in the course tuition.
Belly of the Beast (https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/)
Bronck, J. (October 2024) The Cuba Education System: Insights Into Its Successes & Challenges. Insights into the Cuba Education System: What You Need to Know. The Bronx Daily.
The Cuba Education System: Insights Into Its Successes & Challenges
Caswell,C. (2017) How Does the Cuban Educational System Stack Up Against the US? International Journal of Education and Social Science. Vol. 4 No. 2; February 2017
www.ijessnet.com
El Toque Español (https://eltoque.com/en) El Toque English
Ferrer, A. (2021). Cuba: an American history. First Scribner hardcover edition. Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc. Special Years chapter 32 Cuba: An American History
Netflix (2017) The Cuba Libre Story, Episode 1 – Sugar, Slavery & Colonialism. Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1uP5DuOTU4&t=5s
Netflix (2017) The Cuba Libre Story, Episode 2 – US Economic Dominance. Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pBDyWduYkY&list=PLlEasczOZBc8ifQxteK1ec0ILmg-MgTl3&index=3
Prof. 01KIM Lab (March 2025) 004 The Secret of Cuban Education. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBDuXnSo5Hc
Román, Iván (March 2025) A Timeline of US-Cuba Relations. History. A&E Television Networks. https://www.history.com/articles/timeline-us-cuba-relations
Solidarity Post (March 2023) How the Cuban Education System Works. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNJcLs1Je1s
