Published Case Study Features Classes Duo Paris/ Knoxville International Exchange Program

PARIS - Sept. 11, 2019 - PRLog -- Coinciding with the beginning of the fourth consecutive semester of operation for the Classes Duo Paris / Knoxville program, the journal Theory and Practice in Language Studies (TPLS) has published a case study that examines the implications of the success of this initiative.

The Wells International Foundation (WIF) and the CASPE (Circonscription des Affaires Scolaires et de la Petite Enfance) 6/14 office of the City of Paris launched the program on January 12, 2018, bringing together sixteen students from Jean Zay Elementary School in Paris, France and sixteen students from Nature's Way Montessori School in Knoxville, Tennessee through video conferencing.  The life and art of Knoxville-born, expatriate painter Beauford Delaney provided the springboard for discussion among the 7- to 10-year old students.

Delaney was born in Knoxville in 1901.  He left his hometown in 1923 to settle in Boston and undertake formal schooling in art.  He moved from Boston to New York City in 1929 and from New York to Paris in 1953.  Delaney lived in the French capital for twenty-six years and died there in 1979.  The French government and the Pompidou Center Museum own works that he produced during his Paris years.

Kathleen Stein-Smith, co-author of the TPLS article, conceived of the case study and created the interview questions to which study participants responded.  Stein-Smith is a dedicated foreign language educator and advocate. The French government named her a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes académiques, which is an order of merit bestowed upon distinguished persons who make major contributions to French national education and culture.

The interview questions for the case study were designed to define how this travel experience impacted the participants and explore whether it had been truly transformational, resulting in an embrace of the possibility of new artistic, cultural, and international learning and experiences beyond what may have existed before.

Classes Duo demonstrates the power of the arts and language in developing appreciation of other cultures and intercultural understanding.  It includes art, writing/literacy, foreign language, and technology.  Additionally, it highlights the role of the arts in addressing ethical and moral issues, in developing empathy, and in recognizing and examining complex social and global questions.

CASPE 6/14 and Dr. Monique Y. Wells, WIF's founder and CEO, are proud of the results that Classes Duo is producing.  Dr Wells says, "It represents the perfect fulfillment of our mission, which is to cultivate global citizens through education and culture.  We are extremely fortunate to be partnering with CASPE 6/14 to connect children across cultures at such a tender age."

View the case study here:

http://www.academypublication.com/ojs/index.php/tpls/article/view/tpls090910651073/2069