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TEA's online curriculum modules highlight strategies for teaching with primary sources.

Welcome to the Program for Teaching East Asia

The Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) at the Center for Asian Studies conducts national, regional, and state projects designed to enhance and expand teaching and learning about East Asia at the elementary and secondary school levels. Specific projects focus on curriculum development, professional development for teachers, and curriculum consultation and reform related to Asia in K-12 education.�� TEA projects are currently supported by a generous grant from the Freeman Foundation and grants from the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco, The Japan Foundation, New York and the CU Office��for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship.

The Program for Teaching East Asia is conducted under the auspices of the University of Colorado Boulder Center for Asian Studies. Our Center's statements on Institutional Racism in the US and the University of Colorado Campus Land Use may be found at /cas/center-asian-studies-statements.

Current Programs

Summer 2026

Layers of History and Identity: Summer Study in Taiwan. June 21 - July 5, 2026, in Taiwan. During these two weeks, 14 participants will learn about Taiwan’s history and culture while visiting multiple cities and sites. Application is open to full-time, in-service K-12 NCTA teacher-alumni nationwide. Applicants must have completed at least 20 hours of NCTA programming. This program is full and no longer accepting applications.��

East Asia Under Mongol Dominance: Subjects, Allies & Adversaries. July 19-25, 2026. Six-day summer institute on the ̽��Ƶ campus examining how the Mongols dominance impacted China, Japan, and Korea in different ways in the 13th and 14th centuries. This program is no longer accepting applications.

Fall 2026 - In-person Workshop

More workshops coming soon!

Fall 2026 - Online Courses

Teaching Chinese and American History through Worthy: The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce. October 1-28, 2026. Read the story of Joseph Pierce, born in Canton, China, in 1842. Sold as a child, he arrived in Connecticut in the 1850s and later enlisted to fight in the American Civil War. In this course, you will explore the Canton trade through MIT’s Visualizing Cultures resource, examine the conditions in China that prompted migration to the United States, and learn about the challenges Chinese migrants faced upon arrival. You will also discover the little-known history of Chinese soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The course includes two mandatory webinars: October 14 webinar with Professor Madeline Hsu on the push-pull factors that led many Chinese to emigrate to America in the 19th century, and October 27 webinar with Andrea Wang, the author of Worthy. Application coming soon.

More courses coming soon!

Fall 2026 - Webinars

Museum as Crime Scene: Contested Histories, East Asian Art, and Interventions. September 15, 2026, 7pm ET. Join Melanie King for a discussion of objects in museum collections that have been acquired through looting or purchase during times of distress or war. Using sites and objects from East Asia as a case study, we will discuss objects held by museums outside of their original context and trace how they came to reside in a museum. By examining objects with contested histories we will ask questions of these objects and institutions while also generating ideas for interventions for students to engage. Application coming soon.

Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl with Author Erica Lee Schlaikjer. October 13, 2026, 7pm ET. Join author Erica Lee Schlaikjer as she discusses her book Wild Greens, Beautiful Girl, published in 2024. On the eastern plains of Taiwan, a young girl and her mother pick wild greens before a rainstorm drenches them and their garden. When she goes to pull at the roots of a spiky, stalky weed, she learns that the plant is not what it seems. A lyrical story that shows young readers how to appreciate the bounty of nature and the beauty of identity. Chinese and Pinyin translations are included in the pages, and backmatter features additional information on the indigenous Amis people of Taiwan. An Own Voices, Own Stories award winner and Junior Library Guild Selection. Application coming soon.

East to America: Chinese experiences of Manifest Destiny. October 14, 2026, 7pm ET. Through the experiences of Joseph Pierce (1842-1916), a Chinese immigrant who fought in the Civil War, this webinar with Madeline Hsu explores how and why Chinese migration to California increased and became systematic as US westward expansion led to the rapid economic development of its Pacific coast. Topics include the decline of the Qing Empire, the coerced integration of China into Western-dominated political and economic systems following the Opium Wars, and the economic prospects drawing Chinese to migrate to America. Participants will explore migration patterns and systems, Chinese experiences of the US's developing western frontier, and the racialized development of immigration regulations aimed at quelling their quests for fortunes and opportunities. Application coming soon.

Worthy: The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce with author Andrea Wang. October 27, 2026, 7pm ET. Join award-winning author Andrea Wang as she discusses her meticulously researched book Worthy: The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce, published in 2025. Born in Canton, China, Joseph Pierce's was sold as a child. He embarked on a months-long voyage to Connecticut, where he was raised by a ship captain and his family in the 1850s. Despite facing discrimination and racism, Joseph was determined to prove his worth. He enlisted in the Union Army, fighting bravely in key battles such as Gettysburg, Antietam, and Appomattox, and ultimately became an American citizen and a true American hero. Application coming soon.

More webinars coming soon!

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Resources from TEA

TEA's NCTA Video Project. TEA's NCTA "Short Takes" is a collection of 40 video lectures designed for use by classroom teachers as professional background or classroom use. Each video focuses on a timely topic or “best practice” presented by an NCTA consulting scholar, seminar leader, teacher alum, or author.