October 18 - Schaberg - Using Poetry

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Hello everyone,

Please share your thoughts about our October 18 afternoon session with Professor David Schaberg's presentation on "Using Poetry" by replying to this post.

-Miranda

[Anonymous]

I really enjoyed the way David led us through the poetry section. We did not just listen to him interpret the poems for us. He wanted us to think about the poems and to talk about them. It was a very positive lesson and one that I will try to duplicate in my reading classes.
I liked the way that he did NOT give us any answers, but kept asking us questions, "What do you think this meant". This is exactly what we are to do with our students.
Thank you David for providing us with a real positive role model of the poetry section.

[Anonymous]

I have not really integrated poetry into my classes as much as I would have liked. However, after our poetry seminar I am ready for a change. I have used music (lyrics, beats, etc.) for some lessons, but I believe I can use it in a more meaningful way. What great ideas to have the kids pick a song that expresses how they feel, their ambitions, etc.

Ohh, and regards to "The Day of the Dead", I should have been more specific. It is very similar to how the Chinese New Year (per details from class) is celebrated. "Dia de Los Muertos" is a Mexican celebration that occurs after Halloween (November 1 or 2). Family and friends celebrate in remembrance of their ancestors.[Edit by="adambra on Oct 19, 7:55:25 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

My journal assignment for today was: "If your life had a theme song, what would it be and why?" We had a fun discussion to go along with it so thanks Maggie for the great idea!

I thought the poetry session was really interesting. I loved how Mr. Schaberg wouldn't give us the interpretation, but kept digging it out of us. Of course, without the proper historical context, we would never arrive at a logical interpretation of the poetry. I guess that is what an effective teacher does...teaches us something (Chinese history) while we think we are doing something else (anayzing poetry)! It was really cool.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

As was mentioned by Clayton as he introduced David, the main reason he spoke to us, beyond his academic credentials, was that he was a very accomplished teacher. As a matter of fact, seldom have I been in a class with an instructor who really listened so well to what his students had to say. He praised often, kept energy flowing, and deftly hurled questions at us. It was one of the best poetry encounters I have had in an academic setting. The Institute continues to challenge and entertain. Nice job!

[Anonymous]

David,

Thanks for an enchanting afternoon. It was lovely and beautiful. I will teach poetry to my students as a part of English and history classes. I will be teaching the poetry of China to my classes because of you. I have already made copies of some of the poems for my teacher friends because I was so impressed with them. Thanks for a memorable class.

[Anonymous]

David was a very solid presenter, I can see how he interprets engagement and has classes that deal with emotions and feelings especially within poetry. It is amazing that we get to have scholars present topics on Chinese Literature and Ancient Chinese history. I am so glad we get the best. Thanks Dube.

[Anonymous]

I don't know if I will present poetry based on a literature aspect, but a I do know that Clay and David definitely have helped me to use ancient poetry and Chinese song as a way to correlate the messages spoken with the ancient kingdoms. Truly fabulous information. As Confucius and Mencius proclaimed education is the key.
MH

[Anonymous]

WoW! You find fantastic teachers. David's style of questioning and having us figure out meaning...and even stating that experts don't know all of the background of some of the poems...was intellectually challenging and fun. I appreciated how he would let us discuss aspects of a poem and then throw out a fact that raised the possibility we were on the wrong track - like mentioning that in the original of "Quince" no genders were mentioned.

Thank you David. Thank you Clay and Miranda. I am so enjoying this learning environment.

[Anonymous]

Ah the quince, a cross between and apple and a pear, yellow in color-sometimes called the Bengal Quince for the three different species in Asia but not related to a papaya which is native to the tropics of the Americas. Please don't ask me how I know, I think those culinary classes are starting to pay off finally in my teachng about Asia class. 😀 😀
MH

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed the class on poetry. It was a every good reminder that student voices are just as important as those of scholars. That the student can add to a conversation about a work or body of works. It is hard to let go of your class and have open forums were everyones opinion is valid. The discussions could be a good into for student writing as well.

[Anonymous]

To be honest, I wish we had time to explore all 300 of the songs.
My interest was certainly peaked. Prof. Schaberg is brilliant and his contextual approach helped us to discover how our kids would approach the same poems.

Knowing the themes were similar with the Greeks and Romans gives us plenty of compariosn contrast options, even though these folks were not aware of each other.

Great class, and I look forward to joining the ucla mailing list.

[Anonymous]

The poetry section was really informative. I wonder if we wouldn't discover - those of us who work with students who have made 'Rap Music' a central premise of their being - I wonder if we wouldn't discover some rap
roots dating back to the chinese...As I examined some of the poetry/lyrics read to us by David, everything seems to hint that we'd find a whole lot there.

[Anonymous]

I think my favorite part of the poetry presentation was the way Prof. Schaberg encouraged us play with the language. He let us think out loud, and even when it was obvious he didn't agree with something someone said, he validated his/her observation before moving on. Sometimes I feel like my students are just waiting for me to tell them what a poem "really" means, and they don't feel comfortable when I push them to say what a poem means to them.

[Anonymous]

I completely agree with John. Professor Schaberg was such an excellent model for teachers. His approach was gentle but fascinating, inquisitive but also informative. As an English (and history) teacher, I often grapple with students who like to make wild leaps, especially with poetry. Schaberg's way of opening up the session to discussion while still providing the appropriate context and clarification was wonderful. I really enjoyed the session and found a new interest in ancient Chinese poetry! Thank you!

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