Message from mmadruga

[Anonymous]

Michael Madruga
La Familia High School

Reflection on the USC 2016 Summer Seminar

First, I would like to thank the USC U.S – China Institute, and the Annenberg School for Communication for the prodigious experience. The instructors are world class, their knowledge, and their ability to communicate difficult concepts is impressive.
The seminar topics were on point for the subjects that I teach. I will be able to integrate most of the information, materials, and insights from the seminar into my classroom. The sessions that focused on Hinduism, Buddhism, Caodaism, Daoism, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Dao Mau, will be especially helpful as my textbooks are very limited when it comes to Asia, and even less on Eastern Religions. My students will become high-level thinkers as a direct result of the seminar.

The Professors welcomed inquiries during their presentations allowing for student discourse. The unique teaching styles of the professors; was a seminar in itself. Their ability to communicate and shift gears to respond to a question, and then get back on point was notable. The information learned from the seminar has liberated me from the fear of instructing on the aforementioned historical figures and subjects. Attached is a lesson plan formulated specifically for incorporating East Asia into my teaching. I definitely intend on integrating my new knowledge of Karma, Karmic debt, and the cyclical doctrine of existence into my classrooms’ Socratic discourse. Guanxi will become a common vocabulary term, and the strategy of “same message, multiple sources, and multiple times” will be integrated into my school by cross collaborating with my fellow teachers.

The Korean Cultural Center is enlightening! I plan on exposing my students to the linguistic aspects of the Korean language, specifically the phonics element, as most of my learners are ELL and ESL. The Getty Museum speaks for itself.

The institution, the facilities, and the accommodations’ were first class. The campus is clean and safe, and the buildings and landscape are Ivy League. Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in the Seminar. I will look for your newsletters.

Best,

Michael J. Madruga