Final Reflection

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Final Reflection Essay

Stephanie Howe
East Asia and New Media in My Classroom
Fall 2008 SF Valley Seminar

When I began the East Asia and New Media in My Classroom seminar, I was not exactly sure what to expect. I knew that I would be hearing from professionals and experts in education and Asian studies. I expected to learn a great deal of content about Asian culture. I had a feeling that some of my preconceived notions might be challenged or even reversed. What I did not expect was the extent to which each of these experiences was to be realized.
After this seminar, I plan to incorporate East Asia into my curriculum as much as possible. I currently teach English 9 CP (college preparatory) and AP European History at a private, Catholic high school for girls. As it stands, the literature curriculum at my school is quite traditional. Students read Shakespeare, Greek and Roman myths, The Great Gatsby, and Charles Dickens’ novels. However, there is a growing trend to incorporate newer literature and to take on a more worldly perspective. In the history department, for example, we will add a new AP course in the spring that takes on this very issue: Global Studies. Thus, it is within this growing and changing environment that I am excited to bring my new knowledge, attitudes, approaches, and resources to my students. With the tools that I have gained through this seminar, I am confident that I will be able to bring much more of East Asia to the young women of Thousand Oaks.

Attitudes
One of the key tasks I hope to accomplish is to foster a new attitude towards education about East Asia. This seminar helped me to gain the background knowledge and confidence that I needed to engage in further East Asia study. Before taking the class, I did not know where to start; I did not have enough content knowledge to make sound choices. I realize that, unfortunately, my lack of knowledge translated into a sense of unwillingness to teach about Asia. I became part of the hidden curriculum that denies education about Asia in many American classrooms.
Now that I have taken part in this seminar, I feel confident about engaging in Asian studies with my students. I have excellent resources from which to choose and a more scholarly understanding of some of the main issues in Asian history and literature. With my own transformation, I hope that I will be able to foster a deeper sense of the global nature of our world in my students. Using resources and technology, I can help them to discover current events, global issues, and connectedness with more than just the “western” world.

Approaches
None of these idealistic notions can be made a reality, however, if I do not employ some of the methods and resources that I have gained over the course of the seminar. One approach that I am excited to employ in my own classroom is “historical encounters.” With this approach, developed by Clayton Dube, students are immersed in a period or event through simulation and role play. In my history class, for example, I plan to use this approach after the AP test when we will conduct a model UN session to debate a current issue. This will be a great time to incorporate East Asia into a course that, naturally, does not cover much Asian history. Students can represent world countries and debate a relevant issue, such as human rights. Further, the “historical encounter” approach could easily translate into a “literary encounter” for literature study with my English 9 class.
Another approach that I plan to implement is one that Professor Yang Ye spoke of in our very first session about using film to teach about China. I was fascinated by the various interpretive tools that he discussed in his lecture, such as Russian formalism, which distinguishes between the fabula (story) and sjuzet (plot). For students, one of the most difficult tasks is analyzing how something is created, rather than what has been created. However, this skill is essential to becoming critical thinkers and readers. Using Professor Ye’s approach, I hope to help students look at film more closely, expand their movie bank to include more Asian films, and become more critical readers of the world.

Materials
The final and perhaps most practically helpful piece that I gained from this seminar was the vast bank of resources. I am so grateful that I walked away with anthologies, textbooks, an entire binder, notes, and the promise of even more resources to come. One resource that I am fascinated with is the Pillow Book, excerpts of which we received in book and handout form. This text is so wonderfully rich in voice, distinct in format, and delightful in nature. I plan to use this text as an avenue through which to discuss text features and develop student writing. In fact, I used this text as the basis for my curriculum project about autobiographical writing.
Apart from the literature, another resource which is especially applicable to my teaching is Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, which contains a myriad of primary sources about Chinese civilization organized by both time period and topic. These resources will prove enlightening in my history class as the basis for comparison with western civilization. I also plan to use this resource in my English class as a tool for developing document analysis skills, which is highly emphasized in the CA Standards for ninth grade. Therefore, this resource can serve a dual purpose: meeting state standards and increasing student awareness of Chinese culture.
Through this course, not only did I develop my own scholarly endeavors as a lifelong learner, but I also invested time in a venture that will prove beneficial to my students. As our world becomes increasingly globally connected, East Asian studies become more and more relevant and I am now better equipped to take on this educational challenge.