[Taylor Bub]

I love the idea of Zakkyo buildings.  I wish that we had some sort of concept here in Los Angeles that was similar.  In terms of walkability and accessibility to different places, I think that these buildings are so helpful.  I know that in Los Angeles county there are regulations on what area can be residential versus areas that can be for businesses.  The area that I live in currently is fairly close in terms of walking to some small places, like coffee shops, laundramats, and restaurants.   It is so nice to not have to rely on a car to get to where I need to go, but if I need to go somewhere that is a little further I HAVE to rely on my car, and when gas prices are as high as they are currently, it is so nice to have the option of public transportation and walking to where I might need to go.

[Taylor Bub]

In class you mentioned how some different words have different roots that come from different places.  I believe the example you used was the word "monsoon" and how it comes from the Arabic word mausim, which means weather.  In my Physiology course, my students are exposed to many new and complex vocabulary words.  I have students as an exercise and warm up, break down more complicated words into their smaller prefixes, suffixes, and roots.  This way, students start to identify things that they recognize and how those words come from different places. It gives students a new way to appreciate the language that they speak and to also make connections between their home language.  This works very well with many Spanish speaking students, but I wonder if there are similarities in some different Asian languages, as I do not have many examples currently

[Taylor Bub]

Candace, 

I think your question about how we can have students start to conceptualize possible solutions to climate change is so important.  We look at these things in my Biology course, and at my school we are lucky enough to have a magnet that is centered around leadership in environmental advocacy.  The teacher leading this program has fought to create a community garden on campus that the students have become very involved in.   One thing that often comes up in my classroom when students are exploring solutions is creating green spaces, but a huge misconception that my students have is that they think that just adding any plants or even worse adding grass will be helpful.  It is important to discuss with students why planting things that are native to the area and will help sustain the local ecosystem is so important.  I think it would be a great idea to have students start to research cities that are doing the best at fighting climate change.   Students could explore different ways that these cities are approaching the problem and brainstorm what ways would be the easiest or most helpful to implement in their own city.  You could also use this discussion as a way to discuss cultural differences in the different approaches.  For example, in the article linked below, you would find a small summary of 10 cities that are doing excellent work fighting climate change.  Students could explore how Munich is looking into renewable energy, while Tokyo is creating regulations on CO2 emissions, and Mexico City is focused on creating better air quality.  This way studnets could look into what issues their city has that are most pertinent and pull ways from these model cities to determine what might be the best course of action for their own city.

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/10-cities-tackling-climate-change/178136/

[Taylor Bub]

One thing that also struck me during our in class discussion today came from the idea that Alisa pointed out in the chat that because so many workplaces are allowing for people to work remotely, it is opening up new potential for what might be built there.  I wonder if it would be possible for these spaces to be repurposed into green spaces.  I thought of a park that is open in New York called the High Line Park.  This park used to be train tracks and since they were not being used, the space was converted into a 2.4 km long green space.  It would be interesting for students to explore how we might transform abandoned buildings or empty spaces into more green areas; particularly utilizing native plants that are not invasive to the areas.  I've linked the website below for everyone to check out.

 

https://www.zinco.ca/articles/the-high-line-park-in-new-york-the-longest-green-roof-in-the-world

[Taylor Bub]

This would be such a cool idea to share with students in architecture classes.  It reminds me of a project that I did when I took AP Physics in high school, where we were asked to build a bridge using specific materials and then it would be put onto a machine that wuld try and break the bridge.  Obviously it would be much more difficult for students to build something as strong and sturdy as the Forbidden City, but it would be a really great example to teach in those courses, for students to be able to see how these buildings could be created.

[Taylor Bub]

In class we discussed how in architectural designs in East Asia, by having no walls or large openings will allow for the size of the room to be extended into nature.  It struck me when professor Bharne discussed how many students in East Asia previously would spend most of their day walking through the forest to small cabins where they would be taught.  It makes me interested in finding ways to bring my students outside to find areas where we can be in nature during their school day.  Currently our school is under major construction, so in terms of green areas or areas in nature we are very limited.  One teacher at our school has started a commnity garden that is wonderful for students to spend time in, and this might be a place where students could be brought to be in nature instead of inside of the classroom.  I also have thought of ways to bring plants into the classroom that might allow for students to learn about concepts (things like photosynthesis, etc.) but also to learn about the importance of nature.

[Taylor Bub]

Hello, I would like to receive one salary point for LAUSD.

I teach at John F Kennedy Senior High.  My employee number is 01140767

Thank you!!

Taylor Bub

[Taylor Bub]

I also found the comparison of Yin and Yang to be particularly interesting.  In science we teach students "cross cutting concepts" which are a set of sort of standards that go across different courses.  One of these is structure and function.  We focus a lot on this specific concept, especially in physiology where students have to determine and explain how the structure of something is related to its function, because they are almost always related.  I never made the connection that yin and yang also correlates to structure and function.  I think it would be helpful for students to relate the two to one another in class, as they are all familiar with at least the symbol, and by using something they are familiar with to explain this standard I think students would definitely benefit.

[Taylor Bub]

I found Professor Bharne's descriptions from the first video so interesting.  I loved the balance that can be found in the architecture of the different buildings to be particularly fascinating.  At my school we have an architecture program, and I think that it would be cool to have students explore and compare the differences between the architectural aesthetics of these ancient structures, compared to more eurocentric structures.  Students would be able to identify the value that many East Asian cultures place on nature and demonstrate how this is dipicted in the artchitecture of these cultures.

[Taylor Bub]

I love your idea of incorporating the use of wood in Japanese architecture in your teaching practices.  I have never taught elementary school, but I imagine if you discuss positives and negatives of using wood, you could tie it into a small unit on conservation in science.  Students could potentially explore the benefits of utilizing other materials instead, and maybe they might brainstorm how they might create a different design that is more sustainable for larger cities.  I also was thinking about your idea for field trips, and there is a website https://virtualfieldtrips.org/ that allows students to view videos and go on a virtual field trip to different locations.  They only have a few locations in Asia, but this might be a cool resource for you!

[Taylor Bub]

During our discussion in class we revisited last week's mention of the Japanese temples and comparing them to Eurocentric works of art liek La Pieta.  Professor Bharne mentioned how in Japanese paintings, we are able to see the subject from many different perspectives as opposed to only one viewpoint.  I think it would be interesting to discuss this with our students and how they all come from different backgrounds and different perspectives, and how we can see, experience and understand what we are learning from different angles.  I'm thinking of when I teach Psychology, maybe having students hold an in class discussion where they share what they understand about a particular topic (like mental health) and then at the end we can put together a whole class view of the subject that incorporates each different perspective.

[Taylor Bub]

Candace, 

I love your idea of creating an inquiry based discussion regarding climate change and Western influences on Asian societies and how they might relate to our own communities.  This could even be the focus of cross curriucular activities where in history courses, students identify the influences and answer the questions you had provided, and then work in math and science classrooms to develop/engineer solutions to those issues that were identified.  We often use inquiry based learning in our science classrooms, so it is really awesome to see ways that it can be utilized in other subject areas.

[Taylor Bub]

The second reading (Behind the Culture of Wood) was fascinating to me.  I found it so interesting that throughout their history, Japan used almost exclusively wood to build shrines and other structures.  To see how they were able to construct such delicate features within their structures, like the sliding doors that can be moved with only the tip of a finger, and the shoji being made of extremely thin rice paper and wooden boards to seperate spaces within rooms is so interesting.  It makes me wonder, why if the ability to create such delicate and beautiful designs existed back then, why have we not seen it adopted into modern society; and it reminds me of the idea that older furniture/structures are much better constructed when compared to modern equivalents.  It was also fascinating to see that even today at the many Shinto shrines, only hand tools are used to rebuild within the sacred grounds, while outside of these areas, modern tools are used for cutting and preparing the wood to be used demonstrates a great balance of old and new.  

[Taylor Bub]

In class we discussed the changing structure of cities and how cities like Los Angeles can learn from cities like Hong Kong, that are more polycentric to create a more walkable and accessable city.  I read in an article about how relying less on personal transportation and more on public transportation can have a positive effect on the socioeconomic polarization. Essentially those cities that could be considered more walkable might allow for a more even socioeconomic distribution.  I ma curious to compare this information to some of the more walkable and accessable cities in East Asia, (thinking Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc.) to see if this statement holds up.

[Taylor Bub]

Hi Amy,

I also found the connection and discussion of the Pieta and the Ryoanji Temple.   I think that so many people look at these types of art differently and might respect art like Michelangelo's Pieta more than the art created by the Japanese artist because they perceive the level of difficulty as being different.  Even though they were created at the same time.  It might be interesting to have students look into how much time, effort and understanding of nature actually goes into creating the Temples and other art more focused on nature.  

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