The East Asia Institute 东亚学院
Confucius institute 孔子学院
2014 End of Year Report
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EAI Programs-Introduction and programs
Discovery Chinese after school-Tulsa
Chinese New Year Celebration-Tulsa
Meiji Japan-simulcast –Tulsa/Norman/UNC
Asian World Experience-Tulsa
OKCLTA (Chinese Teachers)-Tulsa
Chinese Bridge Speech Contest-Tulsa
Tulsa Shock vs. Chinese Basketball-Tulsa
Asian Festival-Tulsa Libraries-Tulsa
OUCI Chinese Bridge Summer Camp-China
OUCI Confucius Week-Norman
China Town Hall-Tulsa
NCTA Professional Development-Tulsa
Kid’s World-Tulsa
1/6 - 12/9
1/31
2/11
2/15
2/15
3/29
5/12
6/7
7/17 – 8/1
9/22- 9/26
10/16
11/1 – 12/13
11/19 – 11/22
OU Schusterman Campus
4502 E. 41st Street Room 1J02
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135
(918) 660-3497 rexburnett@ou.edu
eai.ou.edu
The East Asia Institute at the University of Oklahoma
The East Asia Institute at the University of Oklahoma is committed to promoting East Asian
cultures such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. As our community becomes more
diversified we will continue to provide professional development for educators, cultural
events for families, and create sustainable programs in K-12 that will help prepare future
OU graduates to compete successfully in job markets around the world.
We are laying the foundation for other students who wish to walk a guided path that leads
to exploring other cultures. This journey does not begin in college but starts in the early
stages of a child’s educational experience. Whether it is ones’ goal to travel overseas,
participate in study abroad, or work overseas, our programs are designed to prepare our
students to compete, excel, and succeed in their studies and career at home or abroad.
There are currently 44 k-12 schools in the state of Oklahoma that offer Chinese as a second
language. With the rise of China as an economic power, it makes sense to learn the language
and study their culture. There is a large East Asian community in Oklahoma that has
migrated here to take advantage of the lifestyle and educational opportunities available.
Over time this has created greater opportunities for us to share in each other’s cultures and
develop lasting connections.
In addition to supporting Chinese programs, our office promotes events, translates,
educates, consults, and gives presentations to both corporate and educational organizations.
We work closely with our Norman office, which also works hard to bridge the gap between
secondary and university education. This gives prospective OU students a path to study
Chinese and provides opportunities for them to continue their studies in China.
The East Asia Institute, which is a part of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of
Oklahoma and his housed at the Schusterman Campus in Tulsa, partners with the Confucius
Institute at OU in Norman. We also sponsor programs and partner with the following
organizations:
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71 Confucius Institutes across the U.S.
The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) Columbia Univ.
Tulsa Global Alliance (TGA) at the University of Tulsa
Tulsa Community College (TCC)
Northeastern State University in Talequah and Broken Arrow campuses
The National Committee on U.S. China Relations (NCUSCR)
STARTALK sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Defense
Tulsa Chinese School
South Tulsa Chinese School
Oklahoma public and private schools, K-12
Tulsa City County Library
ONEOK
2013-2014 Program and Projects
I.
K-12 programs
1. Journey to Shaolin-Taichi in the classroom-TPS
2. Chinese After school Experience-Discovery School of Tulsa
3. Site visits to evaluate and provide resources and curriculum
4. East Asian cultural events and performances-Okla. Schools
II.
Professional development
1. Meiji Japan Simulcast for educators
2. Oklahoma Foreign Language Teacher Assoc. (OFLTA)
3. Nihowdy-Welcomes new Chinese exchange teachers
4. Kid’s World Teacher Workshop
5. China Town Hall simulcast for NYC- OU-Tulsa
III.
Cultural events
1. Chinese New Year Celebration at Tulsa Community College
2. Lunar New Year Celebration at Hoover Elementary
3. Asian World Experience at OU-Tulsa
4. Asian American Festival-Tulsa Library
5. Eisenhower International Festival-Eisenhower Elementary
6. International Fair-Will Rogers High School
7. Confucius Institute Week-OU Tulsa and OU Norman
8. Kid’s World-Tulsa Global Alliance
IV.
Other Services/Programs
1. Translation services
2. Chinese language tutoring
3. Chinese business classes
4. Chinese language classes
5. STARTALK Chinese language camp
6. Chinese Bridge Summer Camp in China
V.
Presentations
1. Professor Roger Randle-OU Chinese culture presentation
2. Dr. Brenda Lloyd Jones-OU China culture presentation
3. ONEOK-Lunch and Learn
Cultural Diversity
4. OFLTA- Teaching Strategies in Chinese
5. Kid’s World Workshop East/West Cultural Differences
6. NCTA Seminar series- Chinese language, culture, Taoism
Discovery After School Chinese
Experience (OUCI and EAI)
This is the second year that we have offered
Chinese at Discovery Elementary in Tulsa. We
have worked closely with Principal Maureen
Brown to provide Chinese language and culture
classes for the after school program. Each class
is one hour every Monday and Friday from 3 pm
– 4 pm. We currently have 12 students enrolled
and 10 more have committed for January 2015.
We chose to target schools that 50% of the students receive reduced lunch. Our main goals
included introducing the Chinese language and culture to 4th-6th graders at Discovery. We also
believed that learning Taichi is not only a great way to exercise, but a wonderful way to learn the
language.
Our lead Chinese instructor is Mrs. Peijen Chou from Taiwan. She is certified to teach Chinese in
the state of Oklahoma and currently teaches Chinese at Bishop Kelley High School. She has done
a wonderful job with the kids and has been highly effective in passing on Chinese culture to her
students. Master Minghan Luo is our Taichi/Kungfu instructor who is not only well known in his
profession, but is a master at bringing out the best in his students. We are fortunate this year to
have Shang Xiuling, who is a visiting professor from Inner Mongolia China. She assists Mrs.
Chou with Chinese language and culture instruction and is a needed addition to our organization.
Discovery Fall Performance 2014
Each semester we have performances to showcase what the kids have learned. They begin the
performance with a Taichi demonstration followed by songs, dialogues, and chants in Chinese.
We invite friends, family, students, and school officials to attend these performances at the end of
every semester.
We received positive feedback from the
students and parents from Discovery
through evaluations handed out at the
end of the semester. There are
currently over 50 students on the
waiting list who are interested in
participating in our after school
program. We hope to be able to offer
some of these students available
scholarships to attend our STARTALK
Chinese Language Camp in the summer
of 2015.
2014 Chinese New Year
Celebration (TCC)
According to the lunar calendar January
31st, 2014 marked the beginning of the New
Year and is the year of the horse. This is
the most popular holiday in China and the
most celebrated holiday in the world. It is a
celebration of the new harvest, a new
beginning, and a time for friends and
family to get together.
Tulsa Community College and the Chinese Association of Tulsa sponsor this event at the Tulsa
Community College Performing Arts Center every year. We are always invited to attend and
promote our organization and future projects and opportunities in the community.
We set up booths and taught the kids about the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals.
Each child received a bookmark that was stamped with their zodiac animal and information about
that animal. Attendees also receive authentic Chinese New Year paper cuts with the character for
luck “fu” that will bring prosperity in the New Year.
Meiji Japan Simulcast
The main goal of the National Consortium on Teaching about Asia is to provide top programming
through professional development for K-12 educators in the state of Oklahoma. In order to
accomplish this NCTA partners with universities around the country who share a common goal to
educate the community about East Asian studies. Because of these connections, EAI invites the
foremost experts in East Asian Studies from around the state to present at our seminars.
We were pleased to have Dr. Elyssa Faison, Associate Professor of Japanese history from the
University of Oklahoma, speak on Meiji Japan: From Feudalism to Modern Imperial State on
February 11th. Japan’s rapid development in just 40 years from a feudal state to a modern power
is striking to experts and students alike. Dr. Alan Atkinson, also a professor at OU, was asked to
be the moderator as Dr. Faison answered questions from the audience.
In order to reach a wider audience, we connected three sites: Tulsa, Norman, and UNC
Wilmington. Overall there were 20 attendees, mostly educators, who benefited greatly from Dr.
Faison’s presentation on Japanese history.
Asian World Experience
AWE is an interactive and educational fair encouraging educators, students, and families to
immerse themselves in Asian culture. AWE celebrates the culture, music, and history of Asia as
participants visit interactive booths from local exhibitors designed to teach them about Asian
countries. This year over 800 people attended this event held on February 15th at the Learning
Center Founder’s Hall at OU-Tulsa campus.
Activities included kung fu, calligraphy, karaoke, Lion dance, traditional songs and dances, and
many more performances. Participants were also treated to local Asian cuisine from In the Raw
and Royal Dragon restaurant.
Oklahoma Chinese Language Teacher’s Association (OKCLTA)
We were invited by the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teacher Association (OFLTA) to participate
in this annual conference for foreign language teachers February 15th.
This is a great opportunity for our teachers to meet with other
educators and share ideas on how to teach foreign languages
effectively.
Since we have a large group of Chinese teachers in the state now, we
hold our own forum where we ask master Chinese teachers to present
and educate others in the field of teaching. Teachers shared teaching
techniques, lesson plans, and classroom management strategies to the
benefit of both Chinese teachers and other foreign language teachers.
Chinese Bridge Speech Contest
This event held on March 29th, gave local high school and college level students the opportunity
to showcase their Chinese language ability and musical talent. The top high school and university
participant qualified to participate in a regional contest held in Dallas, Texas. The top two placers
in the regional contest travelled to China to compete in a competition that draws the brightest
students from all over the world that have a talent for speaking Chinese.
We believed it was a good idea to give middle school students the opportunity to compete this
year. Even though there is no regional competition for middle school students, it provided them
the opportunity to practice their Chinese. 20
Jenks Middle School students and 10 high
school students from Bishop Kelley, Cascia
Hall, Norman HS, and Edison Preparatory
High School competed in both the speech and
talent portion of the competition.
The high school winner, who was from
Norman HS, was invited to compete in
Dallas, Texas at the regional competition
where he represented the state of Oklahoma.
Tulsa Shock vs. Chinese Women’s
Basketball Team
We were contacted by Dr. David Pan, who is a
long time supporter of EAI and OUCI, and the
previous coach of the Chinese National
Women’s Olympic Basketball team. We
coordinated activities surrounding a friendly
game between our Tulsa Shock women’s
basketball team and the Chinese National
Women’s Basketball Team at the BOK Center.
We were asked to provide translators for the team and help the Tulsa Shock CEO and coach record
messages in Chinese. We introduced the Chinese team to western cuisine by inviting them to a local
restaurant in downtown Tulsa. The Chinese team was able to eat American style barbecue brisket
and chicken, fries, and drink coke. We were asked to be consultants and provide knowledge of the
Chinese culture and language to Tulsa Shock staff.
We invited MS and HS students to speak with the
players in Chinese and greet fans when they
entered the BOK that evening.
The Chinese team was treated to a half-time show
that we organized. Local performers, both
professional and students, demonstrated kung fu,
taichi, and performed traditional songs and dances.
This was a great opportunity for our community to
be a part of this cross-cultural exchange between
two great nations.
Asian American Festival-Tulsa City County Libraries
This annual event was held at Martin Regional Library
in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 7th from 11 am – 2 pm.
Organizations from the community were invited to
showcase their culture and educate the community
through activities and performances. The event began
with a Chinese Lion Dance performed by Tulsa
Kungfu. Other performances included martial arts
demonstrations, Japanese drumming and tea ceremony
performances, traditional Indonesian, Burmese, and
Korean dances, taichi demonstrations, traditional
costumes, kite flying, and authentic Asian cuisine.
The East Asia Institute and Confucius Institute were provided two booths. We had volunteer
teachers and students teach attendees about the Chinese Zodiac, how to do calligraphy, and how
to do Chinese paper cuts. Due to our STARTALK Chinese language in the summer, we also
taught the attendees about Beijing Opera and how to make a mask.
Chinese Bridge Summer Camp
The Chinese Bridge Summer Camp was held in
Beijing, China and began June 17th and ended August
1st. This camp is designed to promote communication
between Chinese and American young people, deepen
the understanding of Chinese language & culture
among U.S. high school students, and stimulate their
enthusiasm for learning Chinese.
This two-week program is structured to enhance understanding between American and Chinese
high school students. Through a combination of classroom study and excursions, students will
have a unique opportunity to expand their language skills while experiencing China's rich culture,
tradition, and history.
We spent the majority of our time in
Shandong Province on the east coast of
China, north of Shanghai. 10 students from
Oklahoma and Texas, ages 14 – 18 were
accepted to our camp sponsored by Hanban
(The Ministry of Education in China). Three
students were from Jenks High School, two
from Booker T. Washington, one from
Cascia Hall, and four from Texas.
During the program, students studied
Chinese language and culture (paper cutting,
calligraphy, brush painting, tea ceremony,
martial arts, etc.); participated in various
sports and cultural activities (informal
basketball matches, international student get-togethers, host family experiences, etc.); and visited
points of interest and sites of natural beauty in China.
We had a great group of students who represented OU, their schools, and their families with
honor. If you would like to learn more about our experience in China in 2014 please visit our
travel blog at http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/rexburnett/1/tpod.html .
East Asia Institute and Confucius Institute
OU Schusterman Campus
4502 E. 41st Street Room 1J02
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135
ph: (918) 660-3497 e-mail: rexburnett@ou.edu
Web address: eai.ou.edu
Confucius Institute Week
From Sept. 23 to Sept. 27, in celebration
of the 10th anniversary of the founding of
Confucius Institutes Worldwide, OUCI
held a grand Confucius Institute Day
celebration on both the Norman and
Tulsa campuses. The Beijing Normal
University Student Art Troupe presented
three wonderful performances in three different cities. Master chefs from Shandong Province
demonstrated the making of the Chinese Lu Cuisine.
There were various cultural activities, such as seminars on Chinese culture, a calligraphy contest,
photo contest and Chinese Movie Night. There were also some more interactive activities, such as
Chinese Learning Experience, Chinese character puzzles, dragon dances, lion dances, tea
ceremony, Chinese chess, and dumpling making. Altogether 9,000 people attended the 27
separate activities and events. From the colorful and interesting cultural activities and
demonstrations, students of the universities and the local community experienced a piece of China
in Oklahoma.
In Tulsa we hosted Confucius Day at Zarrow Regional
Library in West Tulsa. We began the day outside with
a Lion Dance, followed by kungfu and taichi
demonstrations from local clubs. Local musicians and
dancers sung and performed traditional Chinese songs
and dances. Inside the library we had professional
teachers to teach the kids knot tying, Chinese chess,
calligraphy, and how to make dumplings. Younger kids
watched the Mulan and learned the cultural aspects of
the movie.
China Town Hall
China Town Hall was held on October 16th here at OU-Tulsa campus.
We partnered with the National Committee on U.S. China Relations
(NCUSCR) to bring this webcast to OU. The NCUSCR promotes events
that help Americans understand the dynamic U.S.-China relationship and
answer questions on issues that touch their daily lives.
The NCUSCR connected with over 70 other institutions around the
country through this webcast. We were privileged to have President
Jimmy Carter as the guest speaker that evening, and he spoke of his
experience with China while he was in office.
According to the former president, some of the world’s most critical
issues, including economics, climate change, security and trade, will
require the United States and China—the two largest economies, energy users and greenhouse gas
emitters—to cooperate to achieve lasting global solutions.
Over 80 people attended the webcast at our site in Tulsa.
NCTA Seminar on China
The NCTA Fall Professional Development “The Old and New
China Merge” began November 1st at the OU Schusterman
Center. This seminar series of professional development for
K-12 teachers was sponsored by the National Consortium for
Teaching about Asia (NCTA) and the East Asia Institute at the
University of Oklahoma. These courses spanned 6 weeks and
began at 9:00 am every Saturday morning and ended at 1:30
in the afternoon. 8 experts from the University of Oklahoma,
University of Tulsa, and the University of Central
Oklahoma presented on topics including Chinese
language and culture, the economy, geography,
history, poetry, and calligraphy.
20 teachers from the Tulsa area and Hulbert
attended the weekly Saturday sessions. Teachers
were required to participate, read 3 primary
resources, and turn in 5 lesson plans on the
lectures. Teachers were able to earn a total of 25
professional development hours toward the 30
required to participate in the Study Tours to China
and Japan in 2015.
Kid’s World Workshop
Every two years the Tulsa Global Alliance, which is
housed at the University of Tulsa, holds Kid’s World
at the Tulsa Expo. This event is a celebration of all
the cultures of the world and gives our Oklahomans
the opportunity to see the diversity of cultures that
exist in the world and in our own community.
In preparation for this event, TGA invites experts to
represent the various cultures in a two-day workshop
for educators. This workshop is an orientation for
educators, an introduction to the event, and the
expectations and outcomes of the event. Mr. Rex Burnett was invited by TGA to give a
presentation on China and show how their unique culture defines who they are, how we perceive
them, and how they perceive the western world. This was a great opportunity to also show the
teachers how diverse each Asian culture really is.
Kid’s World
From November 19th to 22nd, 2014 at Tulsa Expo, Tulsa
Global Alliance (TGA) held the 2014 Kids’ World. EAI
and OUCI booths were designed to promote Chinese
culture through various cultural activities. The
Confucius Institute at OU Norman and Tulsa worked
collaboratively, providing children and families a with
a variety of entertaining activities with the help from
volunteers. Kids were able to make panda hats, learn
calligraphy, learn their zodiac animal, and learn Peking Opera face painting. 1,000’s of
children from around the state visited each booth over the 4-day period. Some children
also were given the opportunity to join in the
Chinese dragon dance. We were able to provide
admission fees and transportation for some of our
after school programs and other Confucius
classrooms.
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We would like to thank the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma for their
continued support in our efforts to connect with the community. We are fortunate to have
wonderful organizations in our community that are also committed to partnering with us.
We are grateful to all of the educators in Oklahoma who dedicate so much time and effort in and
out of the classroom. We appreciate all of you who continually attend our cultural events and
understand how important it is that we learn from other cultures in order to better ourselves.
Rex Burnett: Director of EAI and Interim Assoc. Director of OUCI
Megan Gaspar: Administrative Assistant
Xiuling Shang: Visiting Scholar from Hanban in Inner Mongolia
OUCI Norman: Dr. Paul Bell, Director Sharon Gou, Jansen Givens, Yang Fengzhen, Lian
Meili, Li Yao, and Emma Xue
East Asia Institute and Confucius Institute
OU Schusterman Campus
4502 E. 41st Street Room 1J02
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135
ph: (918) 660-3497 e-mail: rexburnett@ou.edu
Web address: eai.ou.edu