8/3/2019 Mr Diaz Reflective Essay

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Matthew Diaz Employee #809094

I have found that the largest modification to my understanding about topics relating to

Asia is something I have chosen to call triggers. The information from the seminar kept fueling

and triggering thoughts related to material I am already involved in, but it has allowed me to do

in even deeper.

Most notably, as a result of the seminar, I have been investigating the applications of

specific manga, as or Saint Young Men. The manga deals specifically with

Buddha and Jesus Christ in modern day Tokyo and how they live an co-exist and make sense of

each other. I have seen applications with manga in terms of Religious Studies as well as

integrating them across curriculum between History and English.

Moreover, my classroom can become something of a Comparative Literature Class. The

wave of 21st Century teaching is audio-visual technology, and Professor Jung-Kims lectures

about video opportunities has prompted me to find other films from China and Japan to match

similar content. The Korean Film, YMCA Baseball Team, as well as the Chinese Film Out of

Left Field, and finally a bit more comical offering from Japan, Mr. Baseball all offer

perspectives and cultural insights that will help students understand an Asian culture better. And

it sets the groundwork for students to start comparing their personal cultural underpinnings with

those based in Asia. I have found connections to 7th grade curriculum such as the Mark

McGwire and Sammy Sosa and readily approachable short stories in Gary Sotos Baseball in

April. With all the tools added from the seminar, I was able to shade in a broader cultural

aspect to the analysis.

The seminar also helped raise my awareness about imminent issues in Asia today.

Namely, I have chosen to focus on issues such as population which touches nations worldwide

8/3/2019 Mr Diaz Reflective Essay

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Matthew Diaz Employee #809094

but acutely in India and China as well as issues relating to water. After a bit of digging, I found

a film titled Flow, which highlights issues worldwide related to the commodification of water

by Multi-National Corporations and the nations that are affected. I have also delved into:

http://www.pulitzergateway.orgfor several articles that I have already tried to include in my

present unit related to Expository Writing.

This all feels like the tip of iceberg in terms of possibility. I am hoping that next year I

will be able to fully insert the material from the China Seminar. Next year, I plan on using the

information from the seminar to my Narrative Unit and all the units I teach in ESL and English.

http://www.pulitzergateway.org/http://www.pulitzergateway.org/http://www.pulitzergateway.org/