Day 11: Presentation day at Banqiao High School, Lin Garden, and Karaoke

Today, Kelly and I did our presentations on teaching methodologies we use in our own classroom.  I showed the Taiwanese teachers how I implement team word-webbing in my AP World classroom.  This year in AP World, I've started implementing a lot of new techniques in my classroom.  One thing I've been doing is using the Kagan methods. I have to give credit to my colleague, Jonathan Rutz, for all his helpful guidence with this.  Kagan is something that Kelly and I both use in our own classrooms and since we are both World History teachers, it worked out well for us to present on the same day.  



Giving my presentation on team word-webbing



I showed the Taiwanese teachers a PowerPoint I had made on the usefullness of Kagan in the classroom.  I also had them do an activity on word-webbing that Rutz and I both used this year. 

One thing I need to point out is that the Taiwanese teach history in a very traditional sense.  It is very teacher-centered.  So, when I introduced group work/cooperative learning to them, they were concerned about how much time it would take.  Just like American teachers, the Taiwanese have to cover a lot of content in a short amount of time.  In Taiwan, tests are very important.  The kids view it as "life and death" - if they don't score well on their college entrance exam, then they don't get into a good college and their parents are very disappointed to say the least. 

The Taiwanese history teachers expressed to us how much pressure is on them to make sure their students are prepared.  



Taiwanese teachers doing the word-web activity





"Two heads are better than one" ... See, cooperative learning really does work!

 After the teachers did their word-webs, I asked for a few volunteers to share what they came up with.  Although reluctant at first, several teachers started to volunteer. Teacher John, seen below, shared his thoughts.  He had some very good inisghts.

Kelly's presentation was awesome! She shared her PowerPoint on Writing To Learn (WTL).  I am going to use many of her ideas in my own classroom as well.

At the end of Kelly and I's presentation, we asked the teachers to do a venn diagram comparing Taiwanese and American education.  We used big hoops and post-it notes (another method I learned from Kelly). 

At the end of the day we had a Q&A session.  Again, we learned so much from the Taiwanese teachers and I think they learned a lot from us as well. Several commented that although cooperative learning is something they tend to shy away from, they were impressed by it's effectiveness in the way we use it.  They really seemed to like the team word-web idea and the WTL.



Venn Diagram: Taiwanese education vs. American education

 The teachers' post-it notes can be seen below.  I thought they were very interesting, especially the first one.



An interesting comment from a Taiwanese teacher on Taiwanese education




This was from the U.S. side of the venn diagram








This is something we all share :) This was in the middle of the venn diagram

 

Jim found a pretty cool newspaper in the men's bathroom - it showcases the two Taiwanese pitchers that play for the Nats and Orioles (Wang and Chen).  In addition to Jeremy Lin, the Taiwanese love these guys!

Before the day ended, we wrapped up and took some pictures with each other and our teacher friends. It was another great day at Banqiao high school.



Jim, me, Jacki, and Kelly





Here with our interpretor for the day.  His name was Dragon - we thought that was pretty cool.  He was so thorough.  He is getting his Master's in translation.



After the school sesssion, we headed to the Lin Family Garden and Mansion.  We were escorted there by Cynthia, who is Kelly's "host sister."  Her friends came along and took us on a great tour of the gardens and city.  The Lin Family Garden was built in 1851 by the Lin family and is currently Taiwan's most-complete surviving example of traditional Chinese garden architecture.


Lin Family Gardens with some great Taiwanese kids





The gardens were so serene

 


The Lin Family was clearly a very wealthy family




Another group shot



Inside the main room of the mansion



We ended our evening with some great noodle bowls, some pretty hilarious laughs, and a night of karaoke at the Kao residence.  The Kao's are Jim and Kelly's host family.  They had a karaoke machine and we all busted out a tune or two.  I have to say though, Anne (Cynthia's adorable friend) and Jim took the reigns and were the best at it.  It was so much fun though!



Cynthia, Cynthia's dad (Principal Kao), and friends




Anne and Jim singing away



Before leaving the house, we tripled checked with Principal Kao about what we would be doing the next day.  We've learned the hard way to always ask several times what to wear and what we will be doing.  The day we went to the Yehliu Geo Park (Day #3), Kelly and I showed up dressed like we were going to be teaching at work.  Little did we know we would be walking around a national park in 100 degree weather for 3 hours! Here's a picture of me below that Jacki took at the end of the day.  I tried to be a good sport about it, but trust me, I was dying inside. Notice, I not only wore inappropriate clothing for a national park, but I also brought my backpack with my computer. Never again! 




Lesson learned from the day at Yehliu National Park on day #3

 

After karaoke, Jacki #1 and I had to make our way back to Lin Kou which was about 40 minutes away.  So, we braved the Taipei bus system that night.  It was successful, because we found our way back to our host families!



About to board the bus back to Lin Kou
(Jacki, Anne, me, Cynthia)





Day 10: Banchiao High School

Onto to Panchiao Senior High School today.  The school asked us to do our presentations in the morning so today, Jacki #1 and Jim presented.  We started out by all presenting on Fairfax County Schools – required classes, Social Studies curriculum, number of schools, and facts about the school district in general.  I talked a bit about Centreville High School as well.  We had to present to a large group of teachers – about 50 in total.



With Taiwanese history teachers outside of Panchiao High School





Jim and Jacki #1's Presentation



Jacki #1 did a marvelous presenation on her strategies she uses in her AP Government and AP Comparative Class.  She had the Taiwanese analyze voting data in the U.S.  The teachers were very engaged in the activity.  Jim did a presentation on the activities he uses in his AP European class, such as the internactive notebook, webquests, and how he teaches students to value the importance of studying history. 

 

I learned so much from my American colleagues! This has been such a great experience to collaborate with them and see what they do in there classrooms as well.



In the computer lab - you can tell how hot it was in there by the look on my face



We ended the day in the computer lab with a presenation on how Taiwanese teachers incorporate technology in the classroom.  By this point in the day, we were so tired, exhausted, and hot from the day that we started to get very loopy.  We probably started acting like our students sometimes do - unruly and immature. 



With Principal Kao of Banciao High School and some students





With Wu - our interpretor for the day



Our interpretor for the day was named Wu.  As usual, she was so helpful.  Not only was she a teacher, but she did fashion design on the side.  She was the trendiest teacher we have met yet. We bonded with her and she was willing to give us many insights on Taiwanese culture.

We ended our day with a trip to the mall.  Jacki #1 and I helped support the Taiwanese economy with a trip here.  We bought a few things that we couldn't get in the U.S. - we bought matching shoes made by a Taiwanese shoe company.  I can't wait to break them out in the fall!

Jacki #1's host mom is one of the most stylish Taiwanse women we've met.  She took us around the mall and then brought us to store where we could look at some beuatiful jewelry.  I had the chance to meet Jacki's host sister as well.  She gave me a glimpse of what typical Taiwanese teenagers do in their free time.  They are just like American teenagers - they like to hang out at the mall, fashion, and movies.

We also made a stop for dinner at a restaraunt famous for their dumplings.  You can watch them make the dumplings so you know they are the freshest.

Yum Yum Yum.



Hand-made and fresh dumplings



Day 9: Museum Day and Danshui

I started my day with a break out of hives. Boo. I’m not sure what caused it but I had to carry on regardless.  Today was a field trip day - met at Lin Kou High School and then headed off to the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology.  Susan, an assistant principal at Lin Kou, was so nice to organize our day for us.  We traveled to the coast again, weaved through some winding roads and arrived in what is called the Bali District of Taiwan.  The museum is also an official historic site – the residents of Shihsanhang lived during the Prehistoric Iron Age and are the only confirmed example of Taiwanese people possessing the ability to smelt iron.  The museum exhibits the rich culture of the aborigines of Taiwan.  I learned that the aborigines of Taiwan then migrated to places such as Micronesia, Melanasia, and Australia.  The aborigines of Australia are descendents of those that migrated from Taiwan. 



The group outside the museum





Face Vase - a famous Aboriginal artifact from the museum



After the museum, we hopped on a ferry and headed across the river to Danshui district.  Susan and our history chaperones immediately started buying us the best and most famous Taiwanese delicacies.  We had Taiwanese donuts that were out of this world! This was followed by an egg custard dessert, plum juice, fried oysters, fish dumplings, and tofu with noodles.  I was about ready to bust after this lunch.



Views across the river to the city of Danshui





Kelly and I with our fried oysters



Taiwanese style donuts - amazing!!!



We took a walk up to Oxford College (formerly a college but now a high school and elementary school) and Aletheia University. Oxford was founded by missionary Thomas Mackay in the late 1800s and served as one of the first modern educational establishments in Taiwan. The campus was very serene and tranquil with its many ponds, palm trees, waterfalls, and shaded trees. 



Alethia College Campus




With theTaiwanese history teachers outside of the university



  After refreshing with some slushies, we jumped back on the ferry and it was time to head home for the day.  Jacki #1 wrapped up our day with sushi and Jim and Kelly went back to their host families for the night. We had a fun-filled, educational day once again!



On the ferry boat with my passionfruit slushie



Day 8: Lin Kou High School

Today we spent our first day at Lin-Kou Senior High School where we met with the history teachers from this school.  It was so nice to be reunited with Jim and Kelly.  Even though we were away from them for only two days over the weekend, it felt much longer. I guess when you spend so much time with someone; it seems like a long time when you don’t see them. They did a presentation for us that outlined the Taiwanese educational system. I will write a follow-up post that outlines the Taiwanese educational system and explain how it compares to the U.S.

We then had a question-answer period where the Taiwanese history teachers were able to ask us questions.  We outlined the Social Studies curriculum in Fairfax County for them.  We also had a chance to ask them questions about how they teach history and what their school is like.



Giving a presentation on FCPS school system


We then took a tour of the school.  The school was very large and resembled a college campus – there were many courtyards and a lot of outdoor space.   Lin Kou is lucky enough to have an observatory and planetarium for the students.  Astronomy at this school is a required course and students have the chance to experience hands-on learning. I had a chance to look through one of the telescopes when we visited the observatory.




Looking through the telescope in the school's observatory



After lunch we participated in a Q&A session with the students from the school.  The students came prepared with questions they wanted to ask us.  After several questions, one student asked us how we teach Chinese history.  I started to explain how we teach our World History students about China and then my colleagues encouraged me to sing the Dynasty Song for the kids and teachers of Lin Kou.  The Dynasty Song is something that several of us at CVHS use to help our kids memorize the Chinese dynasties in chronological order. I was nervous to sing it, but I did it anyway!  I found out that the Taiwanese students and their teachers did not like how the song included the two Communist leaders at the end. I quickly had to explain that in U.S. schools, we only have a brief time to cover Chinese history but that I try to make my students aware of the differences between the Taiwanese government and Chinese government and history, as well as the tensions that exist between the two countries.  



Q&A with the student panel



Then, one of the students offered to sing us a song – this was the real deal version of the Dynasty Song!Taiwanese students have to memorize every single dynasty – not just the major ones.  They are required to start their history of China much earlier than the period of time we start at. I explained to the students and teachers that we teach our students to do a lot of compare and contrasting of civilizations.  They were surprised that I have to teach my students about the ENTIRE world in our World History course. 

Taiwanese version of their Dyansty song

The students asked us if we also had a song to remember all of the U.S. states in alphabetical order.  So, I mustered up enough courage to sing again.  Thankfully, Jim joined me to sing “Fifty Nifty United States” to them as well.  The students got a kick out of the songs – although embarrassed, I did it and it helped create a better bonding experience between myself and the kids.

Again, the students here were amazing! They wanted tons of pictures with us and our emails so they could keep in touch.  The Q&A session with them was so valuable – we learned so much about them and vice-versa.

At the end of the day the teachers from the school took us to another Buddhist temple – Wu Sheng Temple.  We had a little history lesson about Buddhism in Taiwan and then we made our way inside participate in the ritual where we made a wish and then had our fortune read. I was too scared to have mine read after Jacki #1’s fortune turned out to be negative L





Wu Sheng Temple





After our day was over, I had dinner with my host family and then Jacki and I went to Starbucks.   I realized that although in Asia….Starbucks is Starbucks is Starbucks – EXCEPT for the Frappucino.  In Taiwan, anything flavored with Red Bean is a hit.  So here, the Red Bean Frap is very popular.  Jacki and I decided to just stick with the iced coffee but we had a nice night relaxing and working on our blogs.  

Day 6 & 7: Homestay in Lin-Kou, Gold Mountain, and Juifen Mountain

 Although we have been in Taiwan for only one week, it has felt like much more time has passed.  We now had some down time with our host families.  We would return to a new high school on Monday.  Saturday was spent getting to know my host family.  Mr. and Mrs. Yeh are both math teachers at Lin-Kou high school and they have a 10 year old daughter who is in 5th grade. It was nice to have a quieter day today, because I was so exhausted from the past week. 

On Saturday I went to the local fruit market, watched Sherlock Holmes with the family (they were so nice to let me watch it in English, while they read Chinese subtitles), and then I joined them at a dinner hosted by their friends.

On Sunday we took another excursion.  Jacki #1 joined me and my host family as we traveled about an hour away to Jinguashi and nearby Jiufen Mountain.  As with many areas of Taiwan, we had to travel up a very winding road - my dramamine has come in very handy.  As some of you know very well, I DO NOT do well with motion sickness, ugh. Before going up the mountain, we stopped a beautiful waterfall to take pictures.



Gold Mountain Waterfall with my host family


Jinguashi is a town in northern Taiwan, known for it's gold and copper deposits.  Jinguashi is home to the Gold Ecological Park. The Park preserves some of the area's Japanese era buildings (Emperor Hirohito's living quarters and a shinto shrine amongst others) and contains a museum which tells the story of gold mining in the area.   I had no idea that Taiwan had so much gold.  The gold is what once attracted many Europeans to Taiwan and during the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese set up a very profitable gold mining business.  Even after WWII and the Japanese left, Jianguashi remained open. In 1987, the mine officially closed and now remains a tourist hotspot.

We had a wonderful lunch with spectacular views high in the mountains, went through a gold exhibit and I was able to touch a block of gold worth $10 million dollars, and then traveled through the remains of the gold mines wearing our hard hats.



Views from our lunch




Jacki had the best herbal tea - so soothing





Touching the big block of gold!

 


Inside the mines




Sitting in an old mining cart on the railway


 Next we went to nearby Jiufen Mountain.  Here, we got to experience much of Taiwanese culture with it's quaint streets, awesome views of the Pacific ocean,plentiful tea houses, street vendors, and snacks galore.



Inside the narrow streets of Jiufen




An extrememly popular dessert in Taiwan - flour balls with red bean. They go crazy over this stuff!

 



Amazing views of the Pacific Ocean from a teahouse we stopped at

 On our way home that night, we drove along the coast and captured some great pictures of the sunset and scenery. Jacki and I chatted in the car while the family past out from our busy day. We returned home that night to eat some pizza and Taiwan beer.  It was nice to have a little slice of life from home. Back to the grind tomorrow with our first visit to Lin-Kou high school.



View from our drive along the coast back home



Day 5: Student Presentations

Today was our last day at the Bed and Breakfast in Shuangxi. We were sad to leave this wonderful place.  We met with our teacher friends for breakfast one last time and then jumped in a van and headed once again to Xiufeng High School.




Students hard at work on their presentations

 



Jacki, Kelly and I working on our own presentation

 This was also our last day at Xiufeng.  Today, students were required to do a 10 minute presentation on their findings at the Geo Park and the National Palace Museum.  They would also learn a computer program called Xmind.  We spent the morning in the computer lab with them learning the program and putting together our own presentation for later that day.  We would be presenting and sharing our observations of the last two days.

After the presentations, we took a walk to grab some yummy bubble tea.  Bubble tea is a must in Taiwan.  Taiwan is where bubble tea originated and no one does it better.  Bubble tea is flavored milk tea with tapioca pearls.  Although I have had bubble tea many times in the U.S. - I was happy to try my very first authentic Taro flavored bubble tea in Taiwan.  It was delicious.



Bubble Tea

 After lunch, we went to the auditorium to watch the student presentations.  We had to grade them on their English language speaking skills (pronunciation, fluency, and vocabulary).  The students had to speak in English for three minutes of their presentations.




About to rate student presentations with my evaluation sheet

 The student powerpoint presentations were excellent.  I was so impressed and entertained.  Students were creative and innovative in how they chose to present what they had learned the last two days.  They combined powerpoint with skits, music, and humor.  The Taiwanese really know their powerpoint! The students were highly motivated and no requirements were given for the presentation, except that it had to be 10 minutes.  However, the students went above and beyond.




Students presenting with their powerpoint and skits


After we gave our own presentations to the students and teachers, a panel of teachers rated the student presentations on content and examined our English speaking evaluations.  The room was in suspense as the winner was announced, the winning student group won 130 U.S. dollars as their prize.  The awards ceremony was very official and the students were so respectful and supportive of their peers throughout this whole seminar.

By the end of our time at the school, I had grown very attached to some of the students.  Some of them have already emailed me saying they will take me around the city to show me where the good food is!





The winning group presentation

 After group pictures and saying our good byes to our new found friends, I said goodbye to Jim, Kelly and Jacki #1 for the night.  Since there are two Jackie's they have started calling us Jacki #1 and Jackie #2 (me).  Jacki and I would be staying in a city called Lin-Kou for the next week and Jim and Kelly would be in Pan Chiao.  We took an hour long car ride and met with out new host families.  I would be staying with Mr. Yeh and his wife. I had dinner with the Yeh family and met their 10 year old daughter Jenny and then headed up to bed for the night. I was exhauseted but ready for the weekend ahead. 

Our first week in Taiwan has truly been amazing. I had the chance to meet and bond with some great new friends (Jacki, Kelly, and Jim) and collaborate with Taiwanese teachers who were so kind, generous, and helpful. I have learned and experienced more in one week, then I could have ever imagined.