I really enjoyed taking this class- especially since it was a nice continuation of the content I learned about in the spring 2012 seminar, which covered East Asia up until the 1800s. I really enjoyed the debates pertaining to the different Chinese schools of thought. Although we had the same debate in the first seminar, this time was a very different experience since it was a whole different group of people. I was very inspired by these debates so I decided to do my lesson plan on Confucius. I appreciated exploring Confucianism via creating a lesson plan since I really had to delve into the information to make an effective unit. It is much more rewarding than just using someone else's lesson to teach with.
I have started teaching about China, hooking my 4th-6th grade students with connections to the movie Kung Fu Panda (proverbs & virtues). None of my students are Asian, although one was adopted by a Chinese-American man and his caucasian wife. She appreciates learning about China since she and her parents live with her Chinese grandparents. She enriches the lesson with short stories about Chinese New Year family celebrations along with anecdotes about her grandmother's cooking style and choice of home decorations. It is nice to see a student feel like her home life is being validated in the classroom. And it is also invaluable to have someone share their thoughts who has first hand experience living with people from Asia. After Chinese New Year February 10th, I plan on teaching about Japan for several weeks, followed by a unit on Korea. We will then visit the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles this coming spring to make our learning experience about East Asia that much more inspiring and concrete. The students love learning about the rich histories of different countries and they ask a lot of questions that keep me on my toes and help me become a better teacher. I am glad I have the background knowledge in my head from taking the two seminars with the US-China Institute. I am very thankful for this program.
I enjoyed the presenters and I also agree that Clay is a very informative instructor who makes the sessions entertaining. I am hoping we all can cross paths again, but in China on a study tour!
edited by dmedina on 1/18/2013
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