Elsie Greenwood, Julia Sikora, Lydia Szymanski/EDU 203B/03-21-2023

I. Topic:

Educating future educators on teaching students with Asian backgrounds in America.

TSWBAT recognize and implement culturally relevant teaching practices in relation to
students with Asian backgrounds.

II. Objectives/Standards:

ISTE Standard for Teachers : Learner

ISTE Standard for Teachers : Facilitator

ISTE Standard for Teachers : Analyst

Objectives: Learn the difference in American education between Chinese, Japanese,

Korean, and Vietnamese students. Learn about the Asian culture of life and culture in
schools. Hear from real life testimonies. Gain insight on teaching Asian American
students. Demonstrate these by taking notes, asking questions, and sharing in partners or
a small group a real-life application this lesson can present for our future classrooms.

III. Teaching Procedures:

Introduction (Anticipatory Set)

● Hand out sticky notes prior to the start of class. Each student should have one
sticky note with the name of a country on it (either South Korea, Japan, China, or
Vietnam). Invite the students to the board, where a projection of the map of East
Asia is. Tell them to place the sticky note where they think that Asian country is
located on the map. Once everyone is back to their seats, correct the students’
guesses by pointing out the actual geographic locations of each of the four
countries.
● Say: “I am not trying to belittle you with your knowledge of Asian geography.
Rather, I am trying to shed light on how limited our knowledge of Asian
geography is as American students.”
● Ask: Stand up if you have ever had any formal education on Asian geography,
culture, or history. Share observations about how many students have a
background on it.
● Say: “This will be important information for everyone, even if you have already
had a background in formal education regarding Asia. You will learn about
comparisons regarding four Asian countries, the culture and schools in Asia, how
 Asian students were ill-served in American schools in the past, student and
teacher testimonies, and how we as future teachers can best serve Asian-American
students in our classrooms in a Christian manner.”

Development 1

1. Say: “First we will be going over the current government and economic structures of
these four countries. Sometimes a secure government system promotes education, other
times corrupt governments are the cause of immigration, so keep this in mind as we go
through it.”
a. “We will start with Korea. Korea is under a republic government system, where
the chief of state is the president and the head of government is the prime
minister. In case you were unfamiliar, the United States is a federal republic with
a strong democratic tradition led by the president as the chief of state and the head
of government. There is a mixed economic system, which includes a variety of
private freedom, centralized economic planning, and government regulation,
which is also seen in Korea.”
b. “Next is Japan, which is run by a constitutional monarchy headed by the emperor
and a parliamentary government led by the prime minister. It functions under a
market-based economy, where there is a free price system, meaning the
individuals set the prices of goods.”
c. “China is a communist state with the president and the premier as the head of the
state and government. It functions under a market-based system similar to Japan,
though it changed from a centrally planned, highly controlled system in the
1970s.”
d. “Vietnam is also a communist state led by the president and prime minister. It has
a mixed economy, but it experiences limited private freedom and a highly
controlled economic system.”
e. Ask: “Are there any questions about the economies and government structures of
these countries?” Allow for questions.

Development 2

1. Say: “Next, I will go through the different countries' reasons for migrating to America, as
well as the impacts those reasons may have on education. Most of these reasons reflect
the modern trends in migration”
a. Ask: “Why might it be important to understand the past of migration trends?”
Allow 1-2 students to answer.
b. “Today, Korean immigrants come to America to ensure the best education
opportunities for their children, revering it as the single most important factor to
their children’s future. Second, many Korean parents come to the United States to
 complete their own advanced education at universities. Korean graduate students
comprise the fourth largest group of foreign students attending American
universities.”
c. “Japan has recently seen less immigrants coming to America, attributed to an
overall decline in population and stagnant, or stable, economy. In 2018-29, 38%
of the record high enrollment of Japanese-American students was recorded in
schools. Also, the educational opportunities in Japan are very good, so these
students are often well educated. However, it is important to note that Japanese
students are used to convergent thinking, as opposed to divergent creative
thinking in America, which may present students with challenges adapting to the
learning in this country.”
d. “For students who are from China, American universities are beacons of freedom,
individualism, and self-improvement. Academics in general are the highest
symbols of achievement. Chinese parents often have a higher socio-economic
status due to higher levels of education.”
e. “During the Vietnam War, America saw an increase of Vietnamese refugees in
1975. As a result, students were often less educated and had fewer skills due to
being refugees experiencing poverty, strict government control, and food
shortages in agricultural losses. However, now Vietnamese parents are also said to
be similar to Chinese parents in that a higher socio-economic status is associated
with their success in higher education.”
f. Ask: “Thumbs up if you do not have any questions about migration and
education, hands up if you do have a question”. Watch for the student responses.
2. Show the map of the concentration of Asian Americans living across America.
a. Ask: “What are some observations of the concentration of Asian Americans living
across America?”
b. Look for the answer of a concentration on the west coast. Explain that Korean and
Japanese immigrants came to pineapple and sugar plantations in Hawaii starting
in the 1900s. Chinese immigrants came to strike rich for gold in the mid 1800s,
and often worked on the railroads in the west.

Development 3

1. Say: “Next, we will talk of the success and achievement of Asian students in America.
However, that isn’t to say that there are never any challenges that these students face, so I
will be touching on those as well.”
a. “Korean students often come to America to escape from hyper competitive
academics. They find success back in Korea with an American education because
English is key to East Asian business success. Another characteristic of Korean
students is that they may be parachute children. This means they are sent to live in
America with a proxy parent, most often a relative. However, this may result in
 underperformance, absentee issues, and failure to practice English because of the
freedom experienced from their parents.”
b. “Japanese students are characterized as being highly motivated, coming from
instruction catered to the whole-class. Also, an equal emphasis on moral,
informal, and academic instruction is stressed. Teachers are respected in the
classroom, and they are overall better educated in mathematics.”
c. “Chinese students are very competitive, having to prepare for entrance exams in
China to even get into high school. Oftentimes, there can be a pressure to cheat,
but that may characterize them with the stereotype of being cheaters. In America,
Chinese students have to adapt to individualism, respecting the privacy of others,
and learning new instruction styles such as Socratic seminars.”
d. “Vietnamese students often come from large families, and with that comes a lot of
family support. Values such as motivation, commitment, and respect in schools
are stressed within the family. Some difficulties Vietnamese students may have,
however, could be English, participating in extracurriculars, and interacting with
peers and staff within the school.”

Development 4

1. Say: “Following the struggles Vietnamese students face with English, all Asian dialects
experience their own challenges when learning English.”
a. “Koreans often struggle with the letter sounds f, v, x, l, r, a, and i. Also, the word
order is different for Koreans, focusing on a subject-object-verb orientation rather
than the English subject-verb-object. For example, a car red or a red car.”
b. “In Japan, Wasei Eigo refers to the loan words taken from English that are used in
the Japanese language. However, sometimes these words do not have the same
connotation in English. For example, the Japanese loan word of cunning refers to
an exceptionally smart person, while we use it to mean sneaky. Also, hard
consonant sounds are difficult. The ending of words is different too, when every
sound in Japanese ends in a vowel.”
c. “In China, the flow of language has a lot of highs and lows, which is very
different from the choppy and robotic sounding English, comparatively. Also,
sometimes letters will be omitted or made into another word, such as in the
example of ‘ashen’ instead of ‘action’.”
d. “80% of words in the Vietnamese language are only two syllables. So, more
syllables in English makes for difficult middle sounds. New sounds, such as z, s,
t, v, ed, and ks are difficult as well. Time is usually indicated by a verb in front of
the phrase in Vietnam, so tenses in English are often difficult to master.”
e. In general, no matter what the original language is, there are always barriers to
learning English. Completing an education in English-speaking schools can also
be difficult, even with a limited background learning English beforehand.
2. Ask: “Are there any questions on comparing these four countries?”

Independent Practice 1

● Say: “It can be hard for us to imagine what going to school is like in a language that you
are not a native speaker in. So, we are going to do a quick activity now for you to try and
put yourself in the shoes of Asian students learning English. If you can flip to the back of
your packet you will find an origami instruction sheet. So please take them next few
minutes to complete this, it will be graded with a high percentage of your grade. So make
sure you do your best work. Also you are not allowed to ask questions or get help from
peers.”
● Hand out origami paper and walk around the room observing while waiting for the
students to complete the task
● Ask: “Okay is everyone finished?:
○ Say: “Awesome, please hold up your creations so we can grade them. Well, these
are…. Beautiful. This is what it should have actually looked like. You were tasked
with creating an origami butterfly. Due to linguistic challenges you can see how
hard it is to complete assignments. Especially when the symbols for each letter are
completely different with no similarities.”
● Ask: “How did you feel while trying to complete this and not being able to ask
questions?” Listen to responses
○ Say: “Not being able to ask questions is related to the fact that, typically, Asian
students feel as if they are not allowed to ask for help. They often feel
embarrassed and anxious about asking and needing help.”
● Ask: “Put a thumb up if pictures would have helped you complete this activity better.”
○ Respond accordingly.
○ “According to WIDA, pictures do help all students complete activities in the
classroom, so this activity helps us to realize what is important to consider when
dealing with English Language Learners, and specifically learners of Asian
descent, in our future classrooms.”

Development 5

1. “Every country across the world has different cultures. Countries in Asia are no
exception. They all have different cultural practices. Today we are mainly going
to be focusing on Japan, China, Vietnam, and Korea. Overall they have lots of
common customs like bowing as a greeting instead of a handshake. In Japan it is
actually insulting to greet someone with a handshake. In Asian countries like
China and Japan it is extremely common to take off your shoes when you enter a
sacred place like homes and temples.
 a. “There are many common values stretching across Asian countries. Some
of these include harmony, humility, loyalty, respect, and filial piety. Does
anyone know what filial piety is?”
b. *Wait for a show of hands if any. If there is one ask them to share*
c. “Filial piety is a value or virtue of showing respect, love, care, and support
to one’s parents and ancestors. This belief stems from the Confucian
religion which is a prominent religion/way of life in Asia.”
2. “Life in these countries is also very different from life in the United States. In
Japan there is an expansive public transportation system. They also have very
different standards of etiquette. For example, slurping and burping shows your
host that you enjoyed your meal. But in America it is considered a rude,
disruptive action.”
a. “In China, there is also an expansive transportation system that is designed
to be convenient for citizens. The health standards in China are historically
different from our own. There are historically poor living situations and
unsafe food that have caused massive health scares. These health scares
have forced the government to have higher standards for their own
citizens.”
b. “In Korea, there is no personal space and social boundaries are not
extremely common. People tend to do what we would consider
oversharing but it forces people to become close to each other. There is
also a heavy emphasis on family life. Family is extremely valuable and
“traditional family roles” are seen in a typical Korean family.”
c. “In Vietnam, the population values friendliness. It's extremely easy to
make friends. This is very similar to the culture in Korea where personal
space and boundaries are not common. It’s a heavily polluted area where
masks have been commonly used even prior to COVID. Be conscious of
this if you teach a student from Vietnam. We shouldn’t make comments
like ‘oh, you can take off your mask, covid is over.’ Because in Asian
countries like Vietnam it is a health precaution created prior to COVID.
Also, your Vietnamese students might be more likely to know more
English than other Asian students because travel to and within Vietnam is
extremely affordable so Westerners, like ourselves, are often found there.”
3. “So overall Asian countries don’t value extreme individualism. You often see
individuals relying on family and other friends because of the heavy focus on
family and importance of teamwork. This may be stereotypical but they tend to
revere education because hard work is considered a valuable virtue.”
4. “Here is a chart of Asian perceptions of other Asian Countries, and in this case
we wanted to focus on China and Japan. You can see that there is not one main
opinion on one country or another. We can infer that their perceptions are
 influenced based on their history with one another whether it be war, or trading,
or just location.
5. “Asian countries often have different definitions of what qualifies as a disability
and they are often looked down upon. Since Asian countries value hard work and
perseverance that is not always physically or mentally possible with disabilities.”

Development 6

1. “ There is little documentation about Asian History in schools. But we do know

that Asian American students have been ill-served in American schools. These
students are not learning about their heritage in schools. And when they do, it’s
often about things like the bombing of pearl harbor and internment camps.”
a. “If our students aren’t connecting with the content, they will not be
engaged. We need to be incorporating aspects of all cultures into our
classrooms so that our students can form these meaningful connections
and love learning.”
2. “There has not been a lot of progress but there are some organizations like
Learning for Justice that have the hope to help teachers across the country be
aware of the lack of Asian representation in schools. Organizations like these plan
on providing teachers with resources to teach their students about Asian history,
the culture, and make meaningful connections.
a. “Illinois is one of the few states that have introduced legislation like
Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History to integrate
Asian contributions to society and Asian history into the standard
curriculum.”
3. By a show of hands, how many of you used Zoom for school when Covid
happened? Did anyone use a silk pillowcase to protect your hair? Soap? Ink? Has
anyone ever seen a YouTube Video? These are all contributions to society by
people of Asian backgrounds.

Development 7

1. “ We can see through these graphs that religions that are more common in America are
not heavily practiced in Asian countries. Out of the four countries we are focusing on the
most, Christianity is most practiced in Korea with about 22% of the population practicing
it. And the most practiced religions are Buddhism, Shinto, and folk religions.”

Development 8

1. “Moving on to the Video Testimonials, I want you to listen for answers to the questions
that are in your notes. Please write down your thoughts and be prepared to share with
everyone.”
 a. “First we are going to be talking about Fan Yue’s experience and her decision to
study in America. There will be two sections of this video we will watch and then
discuss.”
b. Play videos.
i. “Okay so after watching those clips. What are some reasons Fan Yue
decided to study in America?”
1. Listen to responses. If it is quiet, have them turn and talk with a
partner. Go over the key points listed on the presentation.
ii. “Moving on, what are some things Fan Yue doesn’t like about her
experience so far?”
iii. Listen to responses. If it is quiet, have them turn and talk with a partner.Go
over the key points listed on the presentation.
2. “Next, we will be listening to Olivia and her experience. Like before I want you to listen
for answers to the questions in your notes and write down your thoughts. There will again
be two video clips.”
a. Play videos.
i. “After watching those clips, what is Model Minority?”
1. Listen to responses. If it is quiet, have them turn and talk with a
partner.Go over the key points listed on the presentation.
ii. “What are some things Asian students struggle with?”
1. Listen to responses. If it is quiet, have them turn and talk with a
partner.Go over the key points listed on the presentation.
b. “Diving further into that, here are three comments that were under the video and
there are so many more. Asian American students are all having similar feelings
and in these comments expressed them.”
i. Read Keoul’s quote
ii. “Thumbs up if everything is making sense so far, thumbs down if you
have questions.” React accordingly
3. “So this leads to an important question. What can we do to help?”

Development 9

1. “First of all, we need to make sure we are giving each student equal amounts of attention.
Lack of attention and help can cause a student to feel inferior and alone. We want to
make sure we are creating a welcoming environment for all students, reminding them that
it’s okay to make mistakes. Fan Yue talks about how she felt limited due to teachers
matching her with other Chinese students. To counteract this, mix up the groups in your
classroom to promote branching out. Reading books about Asian Americans and their
culture can help students feel wanted and accepted in the school and in your classroom.
We want them to be represented in what we learn and read too!”
 2. “Not only do we want students to be successful, we also want to be a part of changing the
school communities. Providing support for Asian American students and their families,
promoting cultural groups, promoting equality. As teachers we need to do our part in
making sure these students don’t only feel welcome in our classroom, but in the whole
school. ”
3. “Let's take a few minutes to get with a partner and talk about some other ways you can
think of to change your school's communities.”
a. Listen to the class. Have some people share.
4. “What do Asian parents want for their children? Most parents want their child to
succeed, however, there seems to be a trend in American Asian parents pressuring and
pushing their child to reach a higher level of achievement. While not all Asian parents
operate like this. There are quite a few, these points are good to keep in mind when
looking for ways to support your students.”
5. “Closing off our parent section, here are some things to consider when teaching and
dealing with American Asian students.”
a. “We need to be reminding them, and all our students, that we are proud of them
and the work they are producing. Some of our students might not have parents
who are supporting them.”
b. “We need to make sure that our classroom is a safe place for students, if you hear
mockery or bullying you NEED to shut it down.”
i. “Since the start of the pandemic, 56% of Asian students reported an
increase in racially motivated bullying. 1 in 4 Asian students reported
getting bullied.”
ii. “As always, keep an eye out for suicidal tendencies. Especially if you
notice a lack of motivation and grades beginning to slip.”
c. “And finally, reach out to parents! There is a chance they are new to America and
the school systems too, you want them to feel just as welcome as your students.”
6. “Thumbs up if everything is making sense so far, thumbs down if you have questions.”

Development 10

1. “We need to make sure we are helping students to reach their greatest potential. With
that in mind, let’s talk a little about Asian students learning in their home country.”
a. “The classroom environment in Asian countries is much more “proper” then
classrooms in America.
i. Questions and group discussions are looked at as a waste of time, and
expressing your opinion is viewed as impolite.
ii. Here in America, we use a lot of group discussion and greatly encourage
opinions. Your students with an Asian background might be
uncomfortable and quiet during these discussions and activities. Allow
them time to adjust before encouraging them to participate.
 iii. They are used to having a teacher-led approach and have difficulty taking
their learning into their own hands. They expect their teachers to tell them
everything they need to know and everything they need to do.
iv. Be mindful of this when you are assigning homework and reading. Make
sure you announce exactly what they need to do.
v. Chinese students, specifically, are used to only being taught in preparation
of the GaoKao exam they must take that determines where they go to
school and where they go to college. Because of this, tutoring is very
common and teachers assume they are getting a lot of their instruction for
the tutors.
vi. They are used to note-taking and a heavy focus on memorization, they
might have a harder time with application and less concrete concepts.”
b. “Due to how they learned in their home country, they tend to learn best through
listening and lecture based lessons. Because they are not accustomed to asking
questions and discussions, they typically learn best by memorization and fully
absorbing what is being taught.”
2. “Okay again closing this section, thumbs up thumbs down?” React accordingly.

Development 11

1. “We interviewed a teacher of mine from my high school in Arlington, Virginia. Her name
is Renee Randolph, and she was the Culinary Arts and Sciences teacher.”
a. “ We asked her how her students characterized their culture in her class.”
i. “According to her, it is not something specifically recognized and
discussed but since it is a culinary class there are more reminders of things
from their home cultures than in a typical classroom.”
ii. “These reminders create an up-beat environment, engaging students who
are actually participating in class.”
b. “We also discussed how student values can be seen in the classroom. It’s not as
black and white as it might be in a social studies classroom.”
i. “ Chef Randolph discussed how her students can study just for the sake of
studying to excel.”
c. “We discussed challenges faced in the classroom.”
i. “She discussed how in her classroom, culture and background is not a
barrier”
ii. “If the situation arises where it was a barrier, she would like to know. She
recommended making the classroom inclusive and safe where
inappropriate jokes are not tolerated and making fun of peers is not
tolerated.”
iii. Show her response to our question about linguistic challenges. Skip the
first video if there is no time, and go to the second video.
 d. “We asked “how does a student’s religion impact their schooling in your classes
and how do you accommodate them?”
i. Show the video clip.
e. “Another important thing to address is her suggestions she has for us as future
teachers.”
i. Show the video clip.
f. “Parent communication preferences vary family from family, so be aware and be
flexible with parents about their communication preferences.”
i. “ Some parents prefer emails for translation tools and others might prefer
in person meetings with a face-to-face trusted translator.”
ii. “Overall, there are a lot of different communication preferences. Be
aware, be flexible, and make sure the students’ parents know you are there
to help both understand and feel safe learning.”

Development 11

1. Say: “Above all things, it is important to remember that no matter where students are
from, ‘God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them.’ You are teaching children of God, and everyone should be
revered in the same light.”
2. Say: “It can be difficult to meet the needs of all students in the classroom. However, our
work to adapt lesson plans and meet each individual where they are at is not unfruitful.”
a. 1 Corinthians 15:59 states: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.
Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” If we dedicate our
teaching for the Lord, it is still good.”

Guided Practice NA

Closure

● Ask: “In pairs, discuss what are some things you can do to direct your teaching
and remind yourselves that teaching is not a fruitless profession, but instead we
are educating God’s children?”
● Listen for suggestions. Offer to be constantly praying for your current and future
students.

IV. Materials:

● Handouts
● PowerPoint
● Computer
 ● Printed lesson plan
● Butterfly Origami worksheet
● Origami paper
● Premade origami butterfly
● Sticky notes

V. Adaptations/Plan Modifications: NA

VI. Evaluation:

Formative: Stand up if you have ever had any formal education on Asian
geography, culture, or history; thumbs up if you do not have any questions about
migration and education, hands up if you do have a question; Does anyone know
what filial piety is; By a show of hands, How many of you used zoom for school
when Covid happened? Anyone use a silk pillowcase to protect your hair? Soap?
Ink? Anyone ever seen a YouTube Video?; Thumbs up, thumbs down after each
section to make sure everyone is on the same page

Summative: NA

VII. Reflection:

Students

1. How well did they respond to open ended questions?

2. How did they respond to the origami activity?
3. Did they understand the information presented?

Teacher

1. Did we have enough time to complete the lesson?

2. Did we ask all the questions we planned to ask?
3. What can we improve on for next time we teach?