nov. 8 - session (china/us to 1842)

[Anonymous]

First, I love the photo of the Temple of Heaven. Thanks for sharing it -- it is so beautiful, and I definitely want to visit it someday.
Second, I've been thinking more about the article on language learning. It seems that the issue, at a deeper level, isn't that American students aren't learning Asian languages. It's more that American students aren't learning *any* foreign language well. In many schools, the kids may have 2 years of Spanish, but they don't actually learn enough to be able to communicate in it. The fact that foreign language learning is devalued in general at the moment puts the US at a serious disadvantage in terms of international relations and business as well. Think about stories of the government unable to tell what is going on in conversations that took place under surveillance because the CIA doesn't have enough translators. Learning a language is hard and takes a long time, and in an era when people often want to be spoonfed information, you just can't take shortcuts and still be able to learn languages well.

[Anonymous]

In the article BACK in TIME pictures worth a 1000 words,it shows show how China and the west have some sharing of cultures. The photos also tell us about the foreshadowing of trade between the east and west .As mentioned in the article photos can be used to catch a students interest

[Anonymous]

I inadverently typed my Subject in Lamkie's box ---

In the artricle BACK in TIME PICTURES WORTH A 1000 WORDS, it shows how China and the west have some sharing of cultures. The photos also tell us about the foreshadowing of trade between the east and west. As mentioned in the article photos can be used to catch a student's interest.

[Anonymous]

The discussion of Marco Polo in the November 8th session was fascinating. I wasn't even aware that some scholars doubted Marco Polo's travels to China. It is interesting that there is no written record in China or Mongolia about Marco Polo. Often when I teach about European explorers such as Marco Polo, I mention that he was a magistrate for Kublai Khan. However, if there is no written government record on this, this statement must be false.

[Anonymous]

After the November 8th session, I feel I am more prepared to teach my unit on Medieval Chinese history to my 7th graders. When I introduce my unit on the Mongols, Ming, and Qing Dynasty I can provide more insight. For example, I did not know that most Chinese respected and admired Kublai Khan as a ruler though he was a foreigner. I also did not know that the traditional Chinese hairstyle of the cue or the queue originated in the Qing dynasty. I was not aware that it was forced upon the Chinese by the Manchus as an act of submission

[Anonymous]

One article that caught my interest in the Education About Asia Magazine was- Back in Time Pictures Worth More than 1,000 Words. As the article suggests, showing pictures to students either as a warm-up activity or deeper analysis strategy to learn more about a culture and its people sparks discussion and reflection. Students can divide a picture into quadrants and analyze what the picture indicates about a place, its people, and culture. Pictures often tell more stories than words.

I also agree with the author of the essay- Advice to Students Choosing a Foreign Language Go ASIAN that Mandarin is probably the most marketable and influential language to learn. Since China has a booming economy, it is very important for us Americans to communicate in the language of power. If we want to compete in the current economical market, we need to learn Chinese instead of expecting the world to be centered around English. Living in Los Angeles, Spanish is also a desirable language to learn. However, since there are so many Spanish speakers in America both native to the language and those that have learned the language, knowing Spanish no longer adds to the competitive edge in the job market.
edited by fmakhani on 11/15/2011

[Anonymous]

Reading Mark Rice's, "Dean Worcester's Photographs and American Perceptions of the Philippines," I couldn't help but think about a photograph that a tour guide showed my tour group when I was in Manila this past summer. The picture shows a young Filipina woman dressed in a cheerleader's uniform, standing atop of a globe, arms raised with hands behind her head and with American flags draped in the background. One foot lunges out as she suggestively looks off into the distance. The picture was at once distasteful, absurd, and extremely telling about American perceptions of Filipinos in the early 20th century. Commenting on the American colonial presence in the Philippines, our tour guide discussed the imperial aims of the U.S. and its various reasons for occupation. Though strategic and economic imperatives were rarely discussed in public, the moral argument was always at the forefront of colonial justification. This common-held and highly publicized idea that, as the article states, "Filipinos were much too backward for political independence” and that they were "unfit for self-government" was one reason why many Americans supported colonial intervention in the U.S. - this view of colonization as a civilizing mission. Seeing this young woman in Western garb and posed as if on display, I was saddened by America's hubris, arrogance, and insensitivity; this idea that culturally we were superior and it was thereforeour responsibility to change the world into our image.
edited by bdeleon on 11/15/2011

[Anonymous]

Think of 20th century US only, you are going to Chinese HS. Identify 5 essential things to teach in a Chinese HS about US in the...

20th Century

1. The Civil Rights Movement: Malcolm X, Dr. King
2. Modern Inventions: Automobile, Airplane, Telephone, Light Bulb, Atomic Bomb, etc.
3. Labor Unions versus Big Business:
4. Progressive Era: Prohibition, Women’s Voting Rights, Food Safety, Political Reforms etc.
5. New Deal
6. 1960’s Counter-Culture

Today

1. The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
2. The War on Terror- Afghanistan/Iraq
3. Educational Reform- Charters versus Public
4. Foreclosure Crisis and Bank Failures/Bailouts
5. Advent of Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace
6. The War on Drugs

[Anonymous]

Looking at the cover of the "Education about Asia" magazine the image that immediately stood out for me was the picture of Thoreau. After reading the article on the "Asian Soul of Transcendentalism" it makes sense that Thoreau's concept of civil disobedience would stem from Asian philosophy/religion. I found it fascinating how in the world of transcendentalists the conversations of receiving Asian literature was dubbed a 'godsend'. The chart on pg. 14 listing the books found in Emerson's possession was eye catching. Logically the question I asked as I read this was, how come I was not aware of this? The article answered my question, Americans were definitely not accepting of non-Christian beliefs and when something was published giving credit to Asian philosophers it was not well received. Therefore these transcendentalist had to create this "new" movement of esoteric life. This reminds me of the European Renaissance which would not have occurred had the Moors in Spain not preserved the teachings and literature of Mediterranean antiquity. I did not learn this until I was in college. Today I had a similar experience but this time it was the U.S. and Asian philosophy/religion.

[Anonymous]

Some of you may be interested to read this article in today's Daily Breeze. It describes the involvement of the Confucius Institute in setting up Mandarin classes in Manhattan Beach. Sounds like an interesting program, and the district jumped through a lot of hoops to ensure it wouldn't be too controversial.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_19368300

[Anonymous]

I teach my US history class in a Humanitas team. The curriculum in a Humanitas team emphasizes a theme taught across multiple subjects, which lends itself to team-teaching and a team-learning approach. A few weeks ago I ended a month long unit looking at civil and uncivil disobedience as the focus for the American Revolution. For the culminating task, students were to write an essay using sources/events they had learned in my class along with the literature they read in their English course. Students were given readings on Thoreau, Gandhi, MLK Jr., Comandante Ramona, and Malcolm X. After reading the article on "Asian Soul of Transcendentalism" I will definitely work with my colleague to add to our reading list specific readings from Asian religion/philosophy.

[Anonymous]

It is amazing what we learn sometimes about history, it cannot be historical!

[Anonymous]

The article in the Asian magazine (U.S.Founders and China ) explains the existence of a long term relationship for centuries between the U.S. and China.
Confucianism and its basic teachings of moral principles has had a substantial influence on mankind which our “Founding Fathers” had the foresight and intelligence to understand, the Confucian teachings of “virtue “is a foundation for a strong flourishing empire/country. In a Confucian way of life, rulers were always to display exemplary behavior.

[Anonymous]

As a History teacher, the information I am learning is so interesting, that it gives me a challenge to create ways to incorporate my new and improved ideas into my History lessons.

[Anonymous]

As a Mandarin teacher myself, I have to tell how challenging it is to teach Mandarin to public school students. As we say, the culture and language goes hand in hand. Our students are capable of the language but it is going to take them a while to learn the culture and appreciate it. Learning Mandarin (any Asian language that is not based on alphabet) takes a lot of practice, a lot. As a level 4 language, meaning it is 4 times harder to study Mandarin than to study Spanish, it scares our kids away. Hard working isn't highly valued in the American school culture (correct me if I am wrong), perseverance isn't "smart".

Another reason that we don't really teach the Asian language here is that we don't have highly qualified US trained teachers. It took me a while to buy into the US education philosophy. It has taken a even longer time for me to develop my teaching skills to cater to our students' need.

[Author]

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