[Amy Chen]

At our STEAM magnet, teachers try to incorporate art into lessons. The source book, “Why Teach About Korean Art and Culture?”, discusses how Korea is often in current news but the sophisticated arts and culture of Korea did not gain global recognition until the 1950s. I teach Mandarin so I found the fact that Korea used the Chinese written language in Aristocrat society and still with scholars into the 20th century very fascinating. Another art aspect that I did know about is how famous Korean paper is. This sourcebook showed many examples of Korean paper with fans, furniture, utensils, and other common use items. Confucian values influenced the simplicity of these items. Lacquer and porcelain are other popular materials used for vases, jewelry cases, and other vessels. Through colors, animals, and plants, symbolism decorated Korean household items and art. Symbols are a great way to bring math and art into an art history lesson. When I teach world religions, I could use images of Shamanism to compare and contrast with images of Hinduism and Buddhism. The school I teach at has a significant population of Korean students as well as other East Asian students. With this resource, I gathered many ideas to bring attention to Korean history through art to find commonalities between Asian cultures.

[Amy Chen]

This week's readings gave me ideas for my 6th grade History class especially for the unit on world religions. Buddhism was introduced by the Baekje to Japan during 552AD. In the current textbook we use, Buddhism in Japan is not a focus. During the Asuka Period, Buddhism was promoted as the philosophical, religious, and political foundation by the Yamato state. By the Heian period, two factions of Buddhism developed: Shengon and Tendai.

 

I personally learned something new about the inhumane treatment of the natives in NIhon Shoki. According to the article by Kenjiro, the natives were treated with contempt and executed by both Kumaso and Yamato armies. The tales of duplicity form a pattern throughout the rule under the Yamato court. This article brought my attention to a significant part in Japanese history that I did not know of before.

 

[Amy Chen]

I am a poor merchant woman and recently found out my father broke a law. He knows he broke a law as well. My father will be judged by Heaven and universal love. The well skilled judge and makers of law will decide my father's fate. They will look at his crime from all aspects and give him the most fair sentence.

[Amy Chen]

I've seen that Black Mirror eipsode. So scary! The rating system made me think of how students are influenced by social media (YouTube, Instagram, vloggers, and influencers) and how they are judged by their peers or try to mimick their online role models.

[Amy Chen]

A common trend in all five articles is that changes are occuring and necessary in East Asia. The lower fertlity rate, environmental crisis, and aging population are creating a cultural shift in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Governments are encouraging more childbirth. In order to facilitate this, services for childcare are more available to allow women to work and raise children. Women no longer have to choose career or children. In addition, fathers are more willing and expected to participate with housework and child rearing  (Banyan). In the article about environmental crisis in China, the conditions became so dire that civilians took the roles of monitoring industries by reporting their activities through an app. The wave of participants regulating businesses is a new occurence in a country like China where citizens historically refrained from activism. The article about bride schools in Vietnam was particularly interesting because it covers how two countries and cultures meld through mail order marriage. Two complete strangers have to learn each other's language and customs. Two countries that had little social interaction before are now joining in accelerated relationships toward marriage. All of these topics are ones I would discuss with my students, especially the one on the environmental crisis. I would use it to encourage my students to find solutions to local environmental issues through active community impact.

 

[Amy Chen]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Amy. I currently teach 6th grade English and History at Thomas Starr King Middle School located in Silverlake. I also teach Mandarin as an elective. At this magnet school, I teach in the Environmental STEAM magnet. This is my 6th year teaching as a full time teacher. I've worked with students for over 10 years. During my undergrad at UC Irvine, I studied International Relations with a focus on Asia and Latin America. Looking forward to meeting you all in person!

 

[Author]

Posts