Korean family structure and gender relations

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

As promised, here are some general statements made today to summarize this afternoon's lecture. The discussion began talking about generalizations about Koreans and thier culture. Some of these included:
* Koreans are very politically motivated and like to express thier opinions and beliefs
* Although they are ambivolent to foreigners, there is anti-American sentiment
* Very technologically oriented people
* People have many sources of pride streching from family to school to town, etc.
* Koreans are huge sports fans
* They value education greatly
* Social views are changing rapidly

The discussion continued to talk about Confucianism and how it is defined as a philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius. There are several bonds and relationships that support the family structure. Many of these are male dominated but recently changes have been made to give women more rights. As of 1999 gender discrimination is now prohibited although there are lingereing gender stereotypes.

Also mentioned were some generalizations about North Korea. Apparently the northerners feel that they are the ones who are free because of their independance from other world countries unlike the south which they feel is controlled and dependant upon them. It is also believed by the North Koreans that they are the most civilized country in the world.

These are just some of the key points discussed in today's lecture on Korea. Hope it fosters lots of discussion!

[Anonymous]

I just want to say, Amy, we're all so proud of you. So. Very Proud. Look what you did, and how well you did it. You rock. Yes you do.

I have to say all the cultures are beginning to run together for me. Am I the only one?

I got some good insight to my students families today and my students. I do many creative type assignments and shy away from straight forward testing and I can see why my students look a little bug eyed and annoyed sometimes. I make scoring guides and samples, but the parents don't get to see these, so I've gotten a few phone calls that hinted that their students projects looked so pretty why didn't they get A's. I could ramble on with more personal anecdotes, but I'll just leave you with the simple- my students' behavior makes more sense now, and I have this urge to go to South Korea.

[Anonymous]

This emphasis on testing and performance, can have a very negative effect on creativity. The problem now here is that we are pushing the same thing in California. We have the Cat tests and the pacing tests. We have the AP tests and the SAT tests. On top of this teachers have tests and the grade the student gets can determine whether or not they go to college. College bound students have a lot of pressure on them, especially if they don't have $ for a private University.
I'm not saying that our emphasis on grade is as heavy as that in Korea. What I am saying is that some of this testing stuff is really going to have the same effect later.
As a math teacher I would rather do more projects and fell that a deeper level of math is found with these projects, but I have to prepare students for the tests. You need Creativity in math and science to create new things and to understand the world.

Melody

[Anonymous]

It is true that creativity is lost from pushing test scores. But the alternative with doing too many projects is exactly that, over 50% of economically low kids are failing basic algebra 1. Which one is more imperative right now?

[Anonymous]

My comment is for Dean...

Even though my family lived in Brazil and left Korea very early, strong educational values were emphasized in my family just like Native Koreans. I went to a Humanities Magnet for high school and in the beginning I had a difficult time with projects that required creativity. I would have rather been in my math and science courses because it was a lot easier for me to understand. I also knew what I needed to do to get the right grades. However, after adjusting and taking Art History, Philosophy, Aesthetics, as well as other courses, it really helped me to look beyond "the box." My teachers really encouraged creativity and wanted to hear our opinions. I also really found these classes to be a lot more interesting than my other classes in high school.

[Anonymous]

Some interesting articles about preparing for marriage and weddings in Korea... My friend sent these to me today through email. He sent me these articles as a joke, but I found them to be quite interesting considering the things that we've been discussing in class.

http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=663

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3535854.stm[Edit by="gkim on Aug 5, 3:37:44 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I think that it's positive that Korean families encourage their children to study music. Well, since I'm a music teacher, of course I do! 😀
Professor Jung-Kim referred to it as the Beethoven effect, but it's actually called "The Mozart Effect." Quite simply put, people who are exposed to classical music are smarter! There is scientific proof that music and the arts actually re-open neural pathways that lie dormant in the human brain. For more information, check out

http://www.mozarteffect.com/

Anyway, this seems to speak to the fact that Koreans value a well-rounded education. Although their society seems to place too great an emphasis on testing, perhaps a more well-rounded education would better serve our students here in California.

After looking at some information on The Mozart Effect, I doubt that anyone would disagree.

[Anonymous]

To answer Dave's question...Which one is more imperative right now? I think the objective is to teach children to think critically. We should emphasize on basic knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (Yes Bloom's taxonomies! 😀 ). I don't think one is better than the other...we can ask children to memorize an algorithm but if they don't understand how that can apply to their own lives then that isn't necessarily complete understanding.
Geny, the articles are quite interesting...I thought it was funny that they have a "marriage school" to "train" Koreans to be more traditional.

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed reading all the comments about creativity vs. analysis and which is more important. I personally think that we test our kids too much. However, as teachers we have to make sure our kids are ready for the tests.

At my school, we are always willing to do whatever it takes to ensure our students score well on the tests and in life. We focus on both the importance in testing like teaching our kids how to take tests and to be ready for tests. We also focus on creative projects and group projects. I spent part of the summer working with our Smaller Learning Community, and we are developing a journal that all ninth and tenth graders will be able to enter artwork, writing, music. I think it will be successful.

I think that creativity and testing are interrelated. They go hand and hand. When we put them both into play in our classrooms, magic happens.

Also, regarding Korean family structure, I found it very helpful information. I was glad to learn so much on how the family works. It will be useful to me when dealing with parents of my Korean students.

[Anonymous]

I feel I am starting to be able to differentiate some of the similarities and differences between the different Asian countries and cultures better. The presentation on Korea was straightforward and I loved the was our presenter brought in so many personal stories to illustrate the ideas. Her examples of how autism and deafness in young children were denied shows to what extent the importance of conformity and acceptance plays a role in the culture. I wonder what programs exist for the citizens, young and old, who do not fit the mold--either in Korea or other countries. I remember reading or hearing about a child with seizures being thought of as special in a Shamen-like sense, and that the parents were terrified at the idea of administering the medication (was it epilepsy, was it set in Korea?).

[Anonymous]

Geny, thanks for the links. The article from the BBC was especially interesting!
Although a "marriage training" school seems so old fashioned, I think that many people who get married today would benefit from marriage training sessions! Maybe it would better prepare people for what marriage really is, and perhaps it would curb the divorce epidemic in our country. Just a thought!
Miriam

[Anonymous]

Creativity is an avenue for children (adults) to express themselves. With all the emphasis being place on test scores, I am quite concerned that we are no longer looking at the "whole child." One cannot argue that academic structure is essential, however, let's provide children with an outlet that enables them to express how they feel. This in turn may help to alleviate stesss and childhood depression.
Janice

[Author]

Posts