I have attempted to develop a thematic framework for teaching about Chinese civilization and culture, and about Chinese-American heritage. I have deliberately adopted a multi-age instructional approach that encompasses in the best of possible worlds K through 12 levels of instruction, and can even be applicable to college level coursework. This is based upon a philosophy that knowledge is not inherently graded, and the organization of thematic knowledge according to grade levels can do harm to the contextual framework of the knowledge itself, inhibiting the processes of integrating knowledge at higher levels of cognitive organization. At the same time, it is also my belief that human beings are naturally acquisitive of new and interesting knowledge and will find their own levels of attainment and expertise of this knowledge if provided a stimulating incentive structure for doing so. Before a teacher can effectively teach any subject, the teacher must become familiar with and gain experience of that topic. The teacher must also gain the interest and motivation of the students to want to learn that topic, which requires understanding and awareness of the personality variables and idiosyncratic characteristics of each student in the class.

The design of this unit is based upon a modular framework of reference information that can be utilized differentially at successive levels of instruction depending upon the requirements and resources available to any particular class. Thematic units will be presented both anecdotally in story form and in outline subject structure, with increasing levels of knowledge correlated as much as possible with increasing grade levels and levels of individual cognitive development. In the future, all thematic units that I develop will be along similar guidelines, and will involve the outlining of the curriculum at successive levels. Each thematic unit would be organized into loose-leaf notebooks and file-boxes, and these would be added to with interesting information as time passes.

In order to simplify this multi-age lesson design to better fit the possible needs of other teachers or a diverse range of teaching situations, I have divided the thematic outline structure into three basic levels:

1. Introductory: K- 4

2. Intermediate: 4 - 8

3. Advanced: 8 -12

Within this framework, I would further subdivide each of the three levels into two sublevels:

a. Simplified

b. Elaborated

a. Simplified

b. Elaborated

a. Simplified

b. Elaborated

It is my belief that any subject or area of knowledge can be effectively taught and instructed in this manner, with the ultimate aim of achieving in students an independent learning context for self-motivated acquisition within a particular knowledge framework. The theory on which this instructional framework is based is rooted in the application gestalt psychology to symbolic framing, patterning recognition, memory function and behavioral response patterning to the problems of acquisition, cognitive development and possible rehabilitation or the development of adaptive coping strategies for disabled or otherwise learning compromised individuals. In keeping with research and theory of human symbolic differentiation and cognitive development, the three levels of the natural organization of knowledge reflect as well the three levels of the cognitive-symbolic acquisition of knowledge, such that we may risk making the following kinds of general correlations:

1. Introductory level: focus upon emblematic pattern recognition and semantic (concrete) cognition, construction of basic and derivative experiential-associational frames of reference

2. Intermediate level: Categorical cognition and cultural constructions of meaning. Emergence and increasing operation of generalized frameworks of meaning and reference. Increasing differentiation and classification by types.

3. Advanced level: Development of independent propositional worldview and creative/adaptive application of knowledge. Development of detailed knowledge of subjects through experience.

Based upon this research model, I would suggest the following caveats:

1. Learning is naturally integrated, and acquisition will demonstrate broad-based development of a number of different motor, memory, linguistic, perceptual and conceptual skills in an interrelated manner. Behaviors will naturally change as the result of increasingly differentiated development of the individual.

2. Techniques and tasks should provide the learner with the opportunity to utilize and develop as many different areas of the brain-body relationship as possible, and in such a manner that the learning loop from perception to action is as complete as possible.

3. Development of a stimulating learning context is vitally important to this process--the total context includes not just the text-book, the desk, the other students, the classroom, but the school, the home, the community and the larger world in which this context is situated. The context is always complex and should be as constructive and non-destructive as possible.

4. The instructor is a mediator and director of the overall process, and plays a critical role in the elicitation of experience and the transfer of experience to new encounters or experiences. The learning process should be made significant and relevant to each individual in the learning circle.

I would also claim that learning involves the development of complex memory structures that are stratified and that perform various specialized functions depending upon the context of presentation and operation. To some extent, these are variable between individuals, and may even be variably constituted between different cultures, though there are also universal cognitive structures that form the substrate for all cognitive development. There is no reason that methodologies and techniques for exercising, utilizing and developing these variable memory structures.

The thematic units I adopt would be essentially "multi-media" and would include the provision of music, visual representations and graphics, the use of computer based knowledge systems, kinesthetic activities relating to the theme, project-problems associated with the theme. I would make an effort to provide sufficient books as part of a larger in-class library and any other materials that would be related or of interest to the building of the thematic context. I would employ on-line web-resources as well other multi-media resources (video, film, slides, etc.) in service of instruction.

My preference in teaching is for a more direct style of lesson plan organization for the student, an organization that would fit within a larger framework of the class itself. I would adopt something similar to what I would call a five-step methodology of instruction:

1. Build the context of the thematic unit and relate this context both to the larger world and the experiences of the students. This includes a general but explicit statement of goals of the lesson, and a statement of the methods and methodology designed to achieve these goals. Tie this framework to personal experience upon as many different levels and in as many different ways as possible. Build as much as possible on previous experiences and skills.

2. Present the main outline of the thematic unit in a formal instructional mode to the level sufficient for the students within the operational framework provided for the unit.

3. Engage the students actively in project or problem related involvements in relation to the different perspectives available within a particular thematic unit. Challenge students to shift their usual frameworks of understanding or behavioral response and to try new ways or approaches.

4. Allow a period of practice for new knowledge and skills and elicit and evaluate the performance of students in relation to the thematic subjects and their participatory sets. Students should be encouraged to practice and participate in group contexts.

5. Follow up with homework, building on associations of previous experience, or carrying the projects through to other levels or other thematic frameworks in subsequent classes. Build on the knowledge and skills developed in relation to the particular unit dealt with.

The development of thematic lesson plans is cumulative as an on-going process that involves the culling of knowledge resources from a wide variety of different sources, and even the development and exploration of the student's own knowledge resources. Encyclopedias are excellent sources of information that has been thematically organized and synthesized and that tends to be reliable. There is no reason that teachers should have to reduplicate the efforts of so many other well-qualified researchers, and that instead they can focus and devote themselves to mastery of their knowledge and teaching methods.

I would utilize a variety of sources, and collect these into pertinent files thematically organized. National geographic and scientific American magazines make excellent sources for information and graphic images, as well as interesting maps that can be collected and made available to students. As time goes on, a wide variety of resources can be accumulated in this manner.

I see no reason that the approach developed herein cannot be systematically applied to a broad range of thematic topics in the arts, music, language arts, sciences, nature, history and social studies, in mathematics, engineering as well as in life skills, athletics, and other areas of skilled application, etc. I believe that very active methods can be developed in regard to each of these units as they are developed, and that these methods can employ symbolic framing techniques as well in a number of different ways. Furthermore, I see no reason that such thematic units cannot then be further refined and organized into a larger system of instruction, for which the class room and extracurricular context becomes the framework for the articulation of such a learning system.

Hugh M. Lewis

Counting 1 to 10 in Chinese (Mandarin):

Ee, er, san, su, wu, liu, chi, pa, chio, shur.

11

shur ee, shur er

20

er shur, er shur ee

100

ee bai

Hokkien

Chit, no, san, si, go, lio, chi, pei, kow, chap

Chap ee, chap chee, chap san

Ji chap

Ji chap ee

Chee pak

Where is China? China looks like a rooster on the map of Asia. China is in East Asia, and is the center of East Asian Civilization.

Chinese Values:

Respect for the Dead

Respect for one's parents

Respect for one's ancestors

Respect for all religions

Family Solidarity

Education is important

Work is important

Chinese Food:

Food is important and they love eating. Cold food, hot food. Food for when you are sick, food for nursing mothers, food to build stamina.

Medicine

Gambling

Chinese Religion

Conflation of the Three Teachings

Confucius

Taoism

Buddhism

Hugh M. Lewis

Who are the Chinese? Where do they live? What are they like?

Do Chinese people look different from you or I? How so?

Where do they come from? Why did they come to the US?

Do you know any Chinese friends? Do you ever eat any Chinese food?

Have you seen any Chinese movies before? What other things are Chinese?

What is culture?

How are Chinese people different from you or me?

How might they be the same?

Today, we are going to learn about Chinese Americans. Have any of you ever ridden on a train? Where have you traveled to on the train? Have any of you ever seen gold before? Where do they find gold? Where is China? How old is China? Have any of you ever been to San Francisco before? If you have been to San Francisco, have you seen Chinatown there? Have any of you been to New York? If you have been to New York City, did you see the Statue of Liberty? What does the Statue of Liberty represent?

Who are the Chinese Americans? What do they look like? Where do they live? How do they behave? What kinds of things to Chinese people like? Do you know any Chinese people?

Where else do Chinese live in the world? Do you know? They live in Hawaii, Canada, Malaysia, and Singapore. They live in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines. They live in Burma and Cambodia and Vietnam. They live in Mexico. They live in Cuba. They live in Great Britain and in Australia. They live in New Zealand. Have you been to any of these countries?

How long have the Chinese been in the United States? Do you know how old the United States is? One of the earliest maps of the North American continent known to exist is a Chinese map.

In 1785, the first Chinese ever to set foot in the United States were named Ashing, Achun and Accun. They came aboard a China trader, the Pallas, from Guangzhou, to Baltimore harbor. They were stranded in America when their captain, John O'Donnell, decided to get married. They finally petitioned the US Congress for support to return to China.

What jobs did the Chinese do in the old days? They cooked. They did laundry. They worked in orchards and in farm fields. They mined for gold. They helped to build railroads. They worked in fishing and canneries. They worked as domestics in people's homes.

To teach American students about Chinese heritage in the US and in the world, and to relate this heritage to their own life-experiences and understanding of the world. To teach students basic aspects of a different culture and how this may be experienced different from their own through a set of guided activities.

Students will discuss how Chinese culture is both similar to and different from their own culture in terms of the way things are done in both cultures. How might the family be different? How might their religion be different? What holidays might the Chinese celebrate that Americans would not celebrate?

Chinese Culture: Religion; values; family

Chinese Society: Social structure; family

History of the Chinese Americans

China Towns

Chinese occupations in the US:

Restaurants Opera and Acting Laundries Farmers

Coolies Traders and Merchants

Contributions and Achievements of the Chinese

Where are the major China-towns in the US?

What kinds of occupations did the Chinese do in America?

What kinds of things do Chinese children normally do that you and I may not do?

Show them how to count to ten using their fingers Chinese style.

Teach students to hold a pair of chopsticks. Have them pick out marbles from a bowl. Have a group competition to get student to pick out five marbles from bowls and carry them across the classroom.

Teach them to fold a paper boat.

Teach them how to jump rope Chinese style. Have them work as groups to make up their own "Pijur" routines.

Ask the students what they think about the Chinese.

Ask them if they know of any famous Chinese people.

Have them answer questions about what you have taught them, as a group.

What other things do Chinese people do?

Kung fu Chinese Ink Drawing Acrobatics & Gymnastics

Can you eat with chopsticks?

Can you fold a paper boat?

Can you jump rope Chinese style?

Can you count to ten Chinese style?

Send them home with a pair of chopsticks and ask them to practice for tomorrow.

Have a paper-folding contest.

Have a jump rope contest.