research – Online Portfolio

A Plan to Use Image and/or Film for Teaching History

For a face-to-face class, I plan to use a historical film such as Alan Parker’s Come See the Paradise (1990), so I can teach students about key historical moments presented in the film. Prior to viewing the film, I would post 2 questions prior to class discussion that the students will begin to think about while they view the film. After viewing the film, the students will begin to discuss at least 2 prominent issues and themes depicted in the historical moments in the film. After the discussion activity, I would point out at least 2 historical moments key moments in the film. Then, I would direct them to Densho Digital Repository to view at least 2 images from the collections that might be connected to each historical moment and examine them together as a class. Then, the students will be asked to come up with 3 or 4 more historical moments in the film. They will conduct research for each key historical moment by working in groups of 3 or 4 students. Also, they will analyze contradictions and look for what is missing in the selected historical moment of the film. Eventually, they should come up with their own questions when making connections between the film and the research (e.g. primary and secondary sources).

For an online class, I would post some images of Japanese American families before and after WWII. I would add a link to certain images from the Densho Digital Repository in Blackboard. I would post at least 2 questions for them to think about for the posted images that depicts at least 1 or more themes. Students will examine the 2 images and develop questions about them. As a class, we would come up with a list of at least 2-3 major themes. I would teach them how to access and use two media resources. Then, I would ask the students to research Densho or Hirasaki National Resource Center’s online collections to find at least 2 images that depict one or more of the themes. The students will work in groups of 3-4 to further examine and analyze the selected images. They will describe the 2 images with objective and subjective descriptions. Then, they will examine the visual components of the images and look for arguments. Their examination will lead to an analysis of the photographer’s ethos. They will begin to connect the images to the historical event by developing their own questions during the analysis.

Thinking: Questions for Teaching History in Asian American Literature Course

Teaching history in a literature course is challenging because students are already required to read and analyze a literary texts such as novels, short stories, and poems. At the same time, they are encouraged to make connections to selective information in the novel by conducting research to further understand the political, social, and cultural aspects that are mentioned in the novels. By doing the research and cross-referencing the sources, they are also learning history. In my Asian American Literature course, students are asked to view primary sources and secondary sources to make personal and academic connections to the novel. Here are my questions for teaching history in an Asian American Literature course that focuses on a section about Japanese Americans during WWII:

Q 1: Are my students capable of asking questions to inquire about the historical evidence?

A 1: They are capable of asking questions that allow them to conduct research to help them understand the historical evidence. The historical evidence is usually new for them, and they begin to engage with it by asking various questions.

Q 2: Will they be able to recognize the connections between the various sources in order to reconcile the two contradictory positions between what they already know and what they need to put aside to begin historical thinking?

A 2: They should be able to make connections between the novel, primary sources, and secondary sources and realize that what they have been taught about the historical content is not enough; and they will begin to ask questions to begin their own construction of the historical knowledge. They will begin to see what was hidden or partially hidden from them as students when they were learning about the treatment of Japanese Americans during and after WWII in high school and/or college history courses.

Q 3: Will providing digital forms of the primary sources or digital resources for my students hinder their ability to investigate them to foster their historical thinking?

A 3: The digital sources will not hinder them from investigating them. It will provide another way for students to view and analyze primary and secondary sources that can be out of reach or inaccessible if they were only available in print and/or in a physical museum. Also, it will adhere to the different ways of learning or learning styles.

A Summary of User Research

From my research, I have learned that I need to broaden my audience. Initially, I did not consider interviewing people who have never visited the two Koreatowns and/or have no knowledge of Korean culture and history. Instead, I focused on people who have an interest or have some connection. Another thing I need to consider is asking users what they would like to know about Korean American history and culture in general instead of specifically Korean American history and culture in the North Texas area.

Regarding social media, I did not ask the purpose for using each one. Fortunately, the interviewees added that information without me asking. I have to reconsider how social media plays a significant role in their daily activities. In order to understand my users and broaden my knowledge of social media, I might consider using more social media than my usual two.

After reviewing the user interviews, I realized that I might have to make some changes to my project ideas and plans. It seems as though that my questions have focused too much on what they know about Koreatown and Korean history and culture. Due to my controlled focus, I focused less on audience. I have learned that I need to give up some control. In the article, “A Shared Inquiry into A Shared Inquiry,” Corbett and Miller argues Ronald J. Grele’s point: “A shared inquiry is a deliberate decision to give up some control over the product of historical inquiry” (20). So, I had to ask myself, “What can I learn from my audience in order to gain their attention and to engage them in a dialogue with the project?” I might consider adding a blog page for users to add their personal memories about Korean culture and connect them to their reasons for visiting a Koreatown. This page will help me learn about my audience and how they can contribute to building the project. I also need to consider the spatial components and how they affect the relationships or communications in Koreatown as well as the digital space. Instead of just searching the project site, I have to encourage the audience to explore it because “it suggests a non-linear spatial imagination rather than linear, funneled one: one inhabits a space that is being explored rather than simply forging a narrowing path through it” (Frisch 132). Therefore, the interviews have taught me that I have so much more to learn about audience and I need to revise my project ideas and plans.