Topic Abstracs

“Chinatown: A Visual Approach to Ethnic Spectacles”

Workshop 4B – Cultural Determinants of Asian Immigrant Communities – Room 4-170
Jerome Krase; Murray Koppelman Professor; Sociology; Brooklyn College, CUNY

Exploitation of stereotypes hinder the advancement of immigrants and ethnics. “Chinatown” is one of many genres of I have called “Ethnic Theme Parks. Rath notes “Innovative approaches are needed to help social scientists, as well as practitioners, to better understand the process by which “expressions of immigrant culture can be transformed into vehicles for socio-economic development to the advantage of both immigrants and the city at large.” Visual Spatial Semiotics are valuable tools to address “reinforcement of stereotypes about the ‘authentic’ ethnic Other or the ‘authentic’ ethnic experience, and the homogenization and fossilization of urban landscapes.” London, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Rome.

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“Educating Asian Americans: A Challenge to Education Policy Makers and Leaders”

Information and data make up the foundation for education policy makers and leaders in developing programs to meet the needs of Asian American students. How prepared are they to undertake this challenge? How much do they know about Asian Americans in this city? This brief overview offers some provocative factoids about Asian Americans, and challenges our education leaders to take a more proactive role in obtaining necessary information to help inform program development. At the same time, the presenter will challenge the audience – faculty members, students, professionals and leaders from CUNY and members of the Asian American community – on ways to contribute information and data to assist educational leaders in policy and program development.

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“Beyond the Three ‘R’s'”

Workshop 5A – Contribution of the Arts Curriculum to General Education – Room 4-211
Michael Griffel; Acting Associate Provost; Hunter College, CUNY

Students of all ages need to learn how to read, write, count, calculate, and think critically. Courses in language, mathematics, and philosophy teach them such skills. But there are other skills that students must have in order to become knowledgeable and contributing members of society. they must know how to look, listen, and speak. For these skills the arts are of the greatest importance. In addition, they give meaning to our lives, as well as provide pleasure. This talk will reflect on the crucial role that the arts play in the general education of college students.

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“Violence in our Public Schools – Legal Protections and Community-based Solutions”

Workshop 4A – School Violence: Extent of the Problem and Solutions – Room 4-180
Khin Mai Aung; Lawyer; Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

This discussion will examine reports and patterns of violence against Asian and Asian American students in our public schools, discuss legal rights that protect students at school, and brainstorm community-based approaches to curbing such violence. In addition to looking at practical and short term responses, we will also look at longer term community-building solutions.

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“Chinese ESL Learners’ Aural-Oral Problems”

Workshop 2A – Teaching of English to Immigrants – Room 4-160
Ganzhi Di; Assistant Professor; English; Hostos Community College, CUNY

Chinese is ideographic, totally different from English, which is alphabetic. Lacking such L1 alphabetic experience, the phonemic awareness of the L2 learners (such as the Chinese) is under-developed and handicapped (Keiko Koda 1998:195). The ideographic nature of Chinese written language enables Chinese characters to evoke visual association. Usually, a Chinese character is the combination of form, sound and meaning. In this sense, Chinese learners have developed an orthographic awareness. A Chinese ~!0~can guess the meaning or pronunciation of a character by studying its form~!1~ (Chen, 1998:28). However, the abstract 26 English letters in the alphabetic language provide no visual clue to Chinese ESL learners. This paper attempts to explore Chinese learners’ aural/oral problems in their English studies and suggests some possible ways to help them.

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“Counseling Chinese-American Students and their Needs”

Workshop 2B – Current Issues in Asian American Student Counseling – Room 4-160
Katie Chen; Program Director; Project Gateway, Chinese American Planning Council

Chinese-American immigrants and children of immigrants face the double task of acculturation and transition to college in their pursuit of higher education. From counseling Chinese-American high school and college students for the past three years, over 200 cases, I have observed patterns of presenting issues that are related to acculturation and transition from adolescent to adulthood. Challenges to normal developmental transition seem to decrease with increase in acculturation. Factors related to fears over language and cultural differences with mainstream or majority culture seem to prevent seeking support and other available resources such as counseling services. Suggestions for developing rapport and improving attrition to counseling sessions with Chinese Americans will be presented.

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“Tapping Into Students’ Cognitive Processes in Reading and Writing: Interactive Strategies for Teachers of English to Asian Students”

Workshop 2A – Teaching of English to Immigrants – Room 4-160
Keming Liu; Assistant Professor; English, LLP; Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Individual differences result in varied learning styles, which are in turn reflected in diverse learning tactics and strategies. Research indicates that strategies and tactics are directly connected with learning outcome. Alert to the tradition of placing emphasis on rote memory in Chinese and most Asian educational systems, teachers in the U.S. can maximize the quality of the learning outcome, and the quality of the learning experience, for their Asian students by modeling strategies and tactics to tap the students’ strengths and to foster cognitive restructuring and personal growth. Asian students will benefit far more when offered explicit explanation of meta-cognitive skills to monitor their own learning style and consciously strive to master more versatile styles than the ones in which they have been trained.

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“Immigrant Chinese Students’ Use of Silence in the Classroom: Perceptions, Reflections and Actions”

Workshop 4B – Cultural Determinants of Asian Immigrant Communities – Room 4-170
Yang Hu; Assistant Professor; School of Education, Hunter College, CUNY

How do immigrant Chinese students perceive their own silence? What is the cultural significance of their perceptions? How do
educators effectively facilitate the learning of these students? The presenter will answer these questions by describing perceptions of some immigrant Chinese students on their own silence in a Chinatown middle school. Drawing on research about cultural values of communication, the presenter will discuss how silence is viewed as a culturally appropriate behavior in Pacific Asian cultures. She will then describe a variety of ways to invite the quiet Pacific Asian students into the classroom meaning-making processes so that their voices are heard.

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“Stories of Chinatown”

Workshop 5A – Contribution of the Arts Curriculum to General Education – Room 4-211
Robert Lee; Executive Director; Asian American Arts Centre

The Asian American Art Centre of Lower Manhattan in partnership with Elders Share the Arts of Brooklyn, MS 131, and Mott St. Senior Center has initiated a long term project entitled, “Stories of Chinatown” bringing local immigrant 8th Graders regularly together with Chinatown Senior Citizens in a intergenerational program. By sharing life stories and energies, the creation of art work on hand made clay tiles will impart a truly educational experience while infusing the gathered stories through the eyes of youth into a form that can, over time, enhance a local city wall. Permanent glazed tiles arranged and installed by participating artists and a Fung Shui master will aim to bring about the accumulation of an attractive cultural site for NY visitors, generating local and city wide pride in the unknown history and stories of Chinatown. Our website, www.artspiral.org will document and make public the stories behind the tiles, some of which will come from interviews with prominent Chinatown leaders. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment of the Arts and the Verizon Foundation. Asian American Art Centre is located at 26 Bowery 3fl NY, NY 10013. Robert Lee Exec. Dir. can be reached at 212 233 2154 or aaartsctr@aol.com. Through projects like this Asian American Arts Centre aims to meet some of the cultural needs of Chinatown through effective, enriching art educational programs.

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“Leading with Emotional Intelligence”

Workshop 3A – Leadership Skills, Training, and Development – Room 4-170
Janet Patti; Curriculum & Teaching; Hunter College, CUNY

There is a national crisis on our hands. We can’t get enough prepared, dedicated, talented people to assume the role of school principal. Why? The role has changed. The accountability is immense. And, opportunities for real development are scarce. This presentation will address best practices in preparing both aspiring and current school leaders. It will draw from case study research conducted in New York City schools based on the emotional intelligence competency development work popularized by Dr. Daniel Goleman in Working with Emotional Intelligence( Bantam Books: 1998)

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“The CUNY Language Immersion Program”

Workshop 2A – Teaching of English to Immigrants – Room 4-160
Diana Berkowitz; Director; CUNY Language Immersion Program; Queensborough Community College, CUNY

The CUNY Language Immersion Program is a full-time sustained content-based approach to the teaching of English as a second language aimed particularly at the needs of recent immigrants to New York City who wish to pursue higher education. With its emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills along with the basic academic language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, it is a particularly effective approach for Asian immigrants. This presentation will consist of a brief history of the program as well as a description of the curricular model including the use of computer-assisted language learning and extra-curricular activities to enhance the language learning process and help bond students to the college community aiding in retention of students.

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“Counseling Asian American Students: Understanding Their Emotional Distress From a Cultural Perspective”

Workshop 2B – Current Issues in Asian American Student Counseling – Room 4-160
Irene Chung; Associate Professor; School of Social Work, Hunter College, CUNY

Asian American college students are commonly perceived as underutilizing mental health services. Research studies, however, have shown that they may be experiencing more emotional distress than their non-Asian peers in college. Based on the presenter’s research studies and personal experience in providing counseling services to Asian students, this workshop seeks to elucidate the nature of their emotional distress from a cultural and social perspective. Recommendations in providing more culturally relevant services will be made.

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“Cultural Issues Concerning Asian Students”

Workshop 4B – Cultural Determinants of Asian Immigrant Communities – Room 4-170
Virginia Tong; Curriculum & Teaching; Hunter College, CUNY

Analyses of acculturation cannot ignore the influences of the social and environmental changes on individuals’ values, beliefs, and behaviors (Trimbel in Chun etal., 2003). Preliminary study findings about the acculturation of Chinese immigrant high school students measured by their level of involvement in the school culture will be discussed. By exploring students’ patterns of participation in school activities and interaction with teachers and fellow students, social influences can be identified which assist or complicate their ability to adjust to the main culture. These influences can be developed into instructional strategies that support students as they adjust to the American culture.

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“Dismantling the Psycholinguistic Barriers: Developing Adequate Curriculum for New Immigrants’ English Learning”

Workshop 2A – Teaching of English to Immigrants – Room 4-160
Jianguo Ji; Adjunct Professor; Modern Languages & Comparitive Literature; Baruch College, CUNY

Frustrating life experience and inadequate instructional materials often reduce the effectiveness of English teaching to Asian immigrants.

This reality presents challenges to ESL teachers: how to remove the psychological barriers in immigrant learners, how to prepare them for easier adaptation and career building in the new sociocultural environment, and how to help them survive the initial culture shock and subsequent environmental pressure. My presentation will introduce an innovative ESL curriculum with pedagogical recommendations for its application (Various components of this curriculum, together with its corresponding methodological features, have proved successful in Asian-American vocational training programs and college ESL programs).

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“Issues of Identity within Asian American Art and the Danger of “Self-Orientalizing”

Workshop 5A – Contribution of the Arts Curriculum to General Education – Room 4-211
Stephanie Hsu; Education Associate; Museum of Chinese in the Americas

How do the arts facilitate discussions about identity and representation? What is the role of history in the production of Asian American art today? This presentation will draw from the Museum’s experiences in working with Chinese American children — from recently-arrived immigrants to American-born Chinese to adoptees living with non-Chinese families — and will discuss the different ways in which “Asian-ness” and “American-ness” might be alienating concepts for children and youth. These issues of identity, however, might be safely and productively explored when arts-based approaches are informed by a historical understanding of the Asian diaspora that addresses the “self-orientalizing” tendency of certain forms of Asian representation.

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“School Violence within the Asian Community”

General Session Two
Incha Kim; President; Korean Education Association

Most immigrant parents came to this country to live the American dream — economically and socially. One of their top priorities is educating their children. Education is directly related to future successes.

I have been serving as CBS member in District 26 since 1996. Many kinds of testing results convinced me that most of the Asian students are succeeding academically. However, many students are failing to adjust to this society. Many of them are facing problems with violence. They deal with this problem at school, in the neighborhood, and at home.

I would like to focus on issues on school violence within the Asian community based on data from District 26 and Precinct 111, and if possible, find a solution to the problem.

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“Parental Involvement and Student Achievement-Perceptions and Challenges of Asian Parents and Students”

Workshop 4B – Cultural Determinants of Asian Immigrant Communities – Room 4-170
Xiwu Feng; Associate Professor; LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
& Heping Li; Teacher; Social Studies; John Bowne High School, Queens, NY

This presentation will discuss the study of parental involvements by Asian parents and their children’s academic performances in a New York City public school district. The examination of student achievement indicates that there was a strong relationship between student performance and parental involvement. The results of the survey show some interesting findings on perceptions of the Asian parents towards their children’s learning and perceptions of the students toward their parents’ involvement in their learning. The presenters will also reveal some concerns and challenges that Asian parents face in helping their children’s learning.

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“Civic Disengagement: Building Communal Values in Asian American Communities”

Workshop 5B – Civic Participation and Asian American – Room 4-211
Ron Kim; Co-founder / Chairman; Young Civic Alliance of New York, Inc.

According to Francis Fukuyama’s The Great Disruption, “decreasing trust and civic disengagement” are main factors that lead to rise of crime, especially property theft and immeasurable crime (i.e. graffiti writing, panhandling, or vagrancy). Some modern criminologists name this “social disorder” and implemented initiatives such as “order-maintenance programs and community policing” (Kelling, George L. Fixing Broken Windows; First Touchstone Edition 1997). The assumption behind such government policies is that engaging the community with social problems would mitigate the rise of crime and social disorder. However, when dealing with diverse urban communities that have multiple cultures and languages, conventional avenues to civic participation often fail. The objective of this research is to provide answers to: 1) Is there a lack of civic participation in Asian American communities? 2) If so, why? 3) How can mainstream society engage Asian Americans in civic matters?

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“Polycultural Literacy: Teaching the Music of Asian Americans”

Workshop 5A – Contribution of the Arts Curriculum to General Education – Room 4-211
Ellie Hisama; Director; Institute for Studies in American Music; Associate Professor; Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College, CUNY

Eileen Southern’s watershed book The Music of Black Americans (Norton, 1971), inspired a number of young African Americans to become music scholars and permanently changed the ways in which music history is written. Although such a volume about Asian American music is not yet available, several universities are now beginning to offer courses on this subject. The presenter will give a brief overview of Asian Americans in classical music, jazz, and popular music, and will suggest ways in which music by Asian Americans can be integrated into the curriculum.

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“Instructional Leadership is the Key to Student Success”

Workshop 3A – Leadership Skills, Training, and Development – Room 4-170
Marcia Knoll; Director; Educational Leadership; Hunter College, CUNY

Instructional leadership is dedicated to making every classroom a learning environment suited to the needs of every child. This is accomplished when schools become communities of learners in which each staff member is appreciated and assisted in a process of continuous growth as a professional educator. Individualized supervision, appropriate professional development and teacher study teams are the vehicles to teacher excellence and success for all students.

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“Student Academic Achievement: A Comparison Between Italian and Asian Americans”

Workshop 2B – Current Issues in Asian American Student Counseling – Room 4-160
Vincenzo Milione; Director for Research and Education; John D. Calandra Italian American Institute; Queens College, CUNY

This presentation will compare the student academic achievements among the Italian and Asian communities. There has been a close bond in these communities not only demonstrated by the proximity of Little Italy and Chinatown, but as well as the evolving communities that were once Italian American strongholds (i.e. Ridgewood, Elmhurst, Flushing.) This symbiotic relationship is also evident in the educational achievements of the two communities such as high school dropout patterns, college career choices and management acceptance. This presentation will review educational achievement, occupational attainment, as well as demographic changes in the Italian and Asian community of New York City.

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“Asian Students and Intergroup Relations at Brooklyn College”
Workshop 3B – Inter-Racial Relationship Enhancement – Room 4-170
Loretta Chin; Special Projects Coordinator for the Community Building Initiative; Office of the Dean of Student Life; Brooklyn College, CUNY
& Melanie Bush; Division of Student Life; Brooklyn College, CUNY

This presentation will include two parts: one which focuses particularly on outreach to Asian students at Brooklyn College that has been done as part of a Community Building Initiative; the other will summarize research conducted at the college that focused on “everyday thinking” about race and a summary of students reflections from dialogues addressing the particular experiences and concerns of Asian students about the challenges they face and how they resolve them.

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“Impact of Asian American Stereotypes on Inter-group Relations and School Violence”

Workshop 4A – School Violence: Extent of the Problem and Solutions – Room 4-180
Vanessa Leung; Project Specialist; Coalition for Asian American Children and Families

Children spend most of their time in our country’s schools which hold great significance in the lives of our children. Not only are schools academic institutions of learning, but also microcosms of our larger society. Within these hallways, our Asian American children are interacting with their peers and faculty, they are growing socially, and developing their own sense of self.

All students have the right to go to school and learn in a safe environment. School safety has been a growing concern for many, including the Asian American community. There has been a growing awareness of the difficulties faced by our students, increasing intergroup tensions and the lack of cultural acceptance and understanding. Many Asian American and immigrant students have been victims of harassment and assaults.

Drawing from interviews with youth, parents, and school administration, we will paint the picture of what our students face on a daily basis and describe how well prepared our schools are to help Asian American students. The goal of this talk will offer this background information and explain how such factors in schools can lead to harassment and escalated tensions.