seminar orientation

[Anonymous]

Are we suppose to reply on this also?

[Anonymous]

I couldn't agree more about the justification for studying East Asia that "students need to understand the context to contact." Most students are aware of the interconnectedness of the world we're living in, but they don't necessarily understand the importance of context in order to be successful in such a world. (That's why we constantly have to defend the utility and necessity of studying history....) As a result, they tend to have a simplistic view of the world and are able to look at international issues/problems only in a superficial manner. It is incumbent on us to point out the continuities and how the past shaped the politics, culture, and attitude of people. I really like the data, arts, and current events that were shown this morning. They illustrate well the connectedness and relevance of studying East Asia.

[Anonymous]

Being a social science teacher, I hate that I know so little about such a huge region of our world. I, like Clay, received very little education regarding any part of Asia during my time as a student. I can't understand why there continues to be so little emphasis placed on this region, that for so long was the economic center of the world and plays a HUGE role in our world today. I believe that one reason for this is that educators feel so ill-prepared to teach about Asia and it is so much easier to teach about Europe and other Western cultures, because they appear to be so similar to us. Let's face it, most people are intimidated by things, people, ideas, cultures, etc. that they are unfamiliar with and that often prevents them from ever becoming familiar with these things. One thing that I got from the session this morning was a good idea of how to build connections for our students. If we help them understand the similarities between the US and East Asia (struggles, beliefs, economics, government, geography, etc.), it will seem less foreign and therefore more relevant and interesting to learn about. The world that our students will live in is becoming more and more diverse and interconnected. If our students are to survive in a global economy, they must know, at the very least, a basic history of East Asia and the role it has played and will play in this world.

[Anonymous]

TChan...isn't it sad that we have to do as you said and constantly "defend the utility and necessity of studying history?" I just had to do this the other day, for a grown adult that works in the aerospace industry...if he couldn't see the point, we have our work cut out for us!! Unfortunately, I think most of our students (and even educated adults who read the news and typically pay more attention to what's going on in the world) are in an uber-ethno and ego-centric place, especially given all the access they have because of technology. It is our challenge to educate them on what interconnectedness really means...
edited by kmoore on 8/1/2011
edited by kmoore on 8/1/2011

[Anonymous]

I was practicing using the editing features to reply a message. The question came to mind as a sentence to use while trying. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

I would like to echo what TCHan and KMoore have both pointed out regarding the necessity of teaching our students about the interconnectedness of our world and the need for cultural awareness. For the past six years, I have been one of the chaperones for our students' Spring trip to Europe. Most of the girls who travel with me have never been out of California, much less out of the United States. It is interesting to watch them go from an almost fearful panic at the newness and difference of a country to trying on its language, food and customs, not to mention learning something of its history, within only a few days. I like to think that many of them learn lessons that I could never teach them in the classroom.
Teaching about East Asia has never been my strongest area. I have always wanted to feel as confident and competent in it as I am, say, in teaching European history. Happily, I am already drawing asterisks in my notebook next to ideas of Clay's which I will be stealing and using in my class this year. For example, seventh graders are really big on maps, and I love the different graphics that have been presented, particularly those which overlay one an Asian country with a geographic area my students (and I) would be more familiar with. Just another way to help them make those connections!

[Anonymous]

The morning session brought up the issue on integrating Asian studies into the curriculum. As a Chinese teacher, I not only feel that I am better prepared for answering students' questions about " why should I learn Chinese?" or "Why should I learn/know this?" in depth, but I'm also inspired in using different resources, media, and cultural and historical related materials to engage students in their language learning. For example, a few minutes discussion on current events in China can help students better understand China in many aspects.

[Anonymous]

I am thrilled for the opportunity to participate in this program and to be a part of the ECHS team as a mentor/teacher in Joe Darrough's International Leadership program. Based on today's presentation, I am now more keenly aware of how my own education has lacked the historical context necessary to begin to vision the future with our kids. As a planner, designer and teacher for over 35 years, I know that past is prologue - that in order to vision the future, one must have an historical context.

That said, history has never been a subject of interest to me personally; I have never had a teacher or a professor who was able to make history come alive for me. Today marked a change in my own education. Although I have worked professionally in Japan, Korea and China in the past, and intend to design programs for grades 6-12 in the US in the future - I am certain that the resources provided in the next two weeks will result in significantly broadening my perspective and in turn, of the teachers and students I will be working with in the future. I will be happy to share whatever I learn with colleagues and am interested in helping to spread the word about this very important program.

The morning's presentation set the stage for beginning to understand where the US stands in today's geopolitical landscape and I am excited about what the next two weeks will bring. Of the many statistics presented, a huge opportunity for teaching is in the fact that China has always had 17 neighboring countries to deal with. The complex psychological, sociological, geographical and political implications of having so many diverse neighbors is fascinating - it makes a great starting point for research in a number of areas. Much to still process, but a great start to a program I'd like to see more educators exposed to; I look forward to being an evangelist for the program.

[Anonymous]

On my drive home, I listened to the following program on NPRhttp://www.npr.org/2011/08/01/138837512/china-aims-to-renew-status-as-scientific-superpower" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> that seemed apropos of today's discussion. This underscores the importance of having our teenagers understand that they may be commuting very long distances for jobs in the 21st Century. Enjoy,
Arana
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/01/138837512/china-aims-to-renew-status-as-scientific-superpower

[Anonymous]

During todays session you mentioned that it is very important to understand cultural differences in dealing with individuals and situations that arise from dealing with people from other cultures. I have always tried to understand the other persons perspective when interacting with them. Your point is well taken and was driven home to me when I brought a very high level respected futurist consultant to China to discuss mutual economic opportunities. The consultant drove home very hard on the fact that China needs to respect Intellectual Property if it wants to become a true world economic power. The Chinese seemed to accept his premise, but said that it will not happen overnight. It became really clarified when a Chinese friend of mine who accompanied me on the trip explained that the Chinese has been ruled by the communist for centuries as a people who did not own Intellectual Property, so it was not an easy concept for their culture to assimilate. It gave me a different perspective on the subject made me better understand why it was taking such a long time to enact laws and police Intellectual Property rights.

[Anonymous]

Why Learn Chinese?

為什麼學習中國文化和中文?

Here are some reasons:

1. China is the second largest economy in the world.
2. China is the second largest trading partner of the United States.
3. Many US companies do business in China and have long-term investments there.
4. China is the most populous nation in the world, with 1.4 billion people/consumers.
5. China is one of the world’s oldest and richest continuous cultures, over 5000 years old.
6. One fifth of the planet speaks Chinese. Mandarin Chinese is the mother tongue of over 873
million people, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world.
7. In addition to the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, Mandarin Chinese is also spoken in the important
and influential Chinese communities of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Mongolia.
edited by wchu on 8/1/2011

[Anonymous]

The morning session opened the entrain gate for us to explore culture, history, politics, and governments in East Asia. Same like agreenberg, history has never been a interest subject for me. And for many incidents which happened in that area, such as the tensions in South-Sea of China, I only know superficial. However, from Clay's presentation today, I gained much insight. And I feel more confident when talking with my students about the history, culture, and people.

[Anonymous]

Clay on Youtube

[Anonymous]

After the first day's session, I came away with a renewed appreciation of why my students MUST learn about East Asia history. In my experience of teaching at two middle schools, when time was running out, my fellow colleagues felt that it was okay to cut short the unit on China in 6th grade and the China and/or Japan unit in 7th grade. Never again will I stand for that. There is such a need to learn the culture and history of East Asia as it emerges as a strong economic world leader. My first encounter with East Asia was in a history class in college in the 70s! My own education about East Asia began in my 13th year of teaching when I began teaching about ancient China. This seminar has given me a shot in the arm.

[Anonymous]

I think Day 1 was my first lesson about Korea ever! It's shaped like a rabbit (never noticed that before). It is 70% mountainous (reminds me of what my students learn about Greece, 80% mountainous). It's pretty amazing that half of South Korea lives in Seoul. The night-time map of East Asia was very intriguing; it really drives home the idea of development. North Korea is so dark compared to the lights of South Korea and surrounding countries. My students would love looking at a map like that.

[Author]

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