A weekly chat covering topics related to teaching with a global perspective. A rotating cast of guest hosts include education experts and influencers. A must-follow for all educators who would like to open their classroom to global opportunities! Hosted by @HSingmaster and sponsored by @AsiaSocietyEDU
A1: Because I live here in Korea, it comes up often. Most of our students think of the whole situation as a sort of joke. Kim Jung Un is something to laugh about. #globaledchat
A1 I've spent far more time talking about North Korea. We use it to illustrate a totalitarian government and when talking about human rights. I always need to reminds Ss to separate the government from the people of NK! #globaledchat
A1 Yes I do a case study on NK in my “behavior of nations” unit - sets up why nations sometimes seem to us to be acting irrationally but are following ideological/security interests. My course is politics/foreign policy oriented. #globaledchat
A1: Although I am not currently a teacher and haven't been able to teach about North Korea, in my biblical revelation class today we discussed North Korea! #globaledchat
It's way too easy for adults who should know better! If half of Americans say "the president doesn't speak for me" no matter who is in charge, why on Earth would we assume their leader speaks for them? #globaledchat
Great Ideas so far. Among other things, North Korea may be taught as 1) a case of authoritarianism, 2) post-colonial nationalism, 3) an instance of a communist country that outlasted the end of the Cold War (similar to Cuba and Vietnam) #GlobalEdChat
A1: Hi all! Matt here from NY jumping in and out tonight. I’ve taught NorthKorea through the lens of the Korean War in a traditional history class but want also just touched on the current state of N Korea in my Global Scholars class. Students are very curious! #globaledchat
A1: The difference for most Koreans today is that the current US President is difficult to read. Koreans know how Kim will act. They have been dealing with the Kim family for 60+years. Trump is new. #globaledchat
#globaledchat I work w/ @iEARNUSA. We implement the #nsliy program https://t.co/vIqGNNq4C6. iEARN sends ~60 HS students to study Korean language in S. Korea. We provide materials to our students to prepare them for their program experience and host a pre-departure orientation.
A2: Here is a summary of the context during Korean division and difference between the Soviet and American zones, Korean Division: https://t.co/jVVTeBHXDc#GlobalEdChat
A2: Korean War caused North/South divide = loses attention to Vietnam, but so significant to Cold War and all strategic decisions afterward. The war never ended either!!! #GlobalEdChat
I agree! Just because they are stuck in that country does not mean that the citizens agree with their government and the suffering that they are having to endure. #globaledchat
One of questions later is how to get information about perspectives of North Koreans. I think we'll get great resources there, and throughout this #globaledchat
A2: The stubbornness factor was mentioned and it is important. Koreans do things in extreme ways. They don't do half-way. The are all in or they don't bother. #globaledchat
For techers (and others) interested in a powerpoint lesson that is useful for teaching about the colonial and early Cold War roots of Korean division, here is a presentation I put together: NK Past and Present: https://t.co/jcyiUn8bIU#GlobalEdChat
A2: Post war disagreements caused differing political stand points which resulted in a break between the countries, forcing some to suffer in communism and other to be right next door to it; unable to help. #globaledchat
A1: This year in my class was the first that Ss chose North Korea as the greatest threat to the U.S. Last year it was the presidential candidates. Before that, ISIS. #globaledchat
Great question. Our students are 85% ethically Korea, but they have lived all over the world. Our expat kids are getting their opinions from their Korean friends. They don't think the situation is that important. #globaledchat
Not sure how much I can contribute to #globaledchat tonight, but I do want to make sure you all follow @newsjean on Twitter and Instagram. Here's a piece she recently wrote: https://t.co/Ql8pWM9ldA. 1/
And more importantly, any North Korean citizen you see speaking to American media is saying whatever they need to to stay out of trouble! #globaledchat
In reply to
@ClaireDiMuccio1, @MissMichaelaBu1, @BeckiLaoshi
Yes, but sadly there isn't much in the way of normalcy to be seen these days. We have several students for the Middle East and from Spanish speaking countries and they are looking from another angle #globaledchat
That's a great question. It depends who you talk to or read, of course. That comparison is also really interesting when thinking about possibilities of reunification. #globaledchat
A2: One person likes the cold and the other person like the warm, so one person decided to live in the north and the other in the south!!!
This is the type of answers we will get if we don’t teach strong inferencing skills!!!
#globaledchat
A3: The first thing I think of when I think I North and South Korea is the conditions that the people over there live in with poverty and communism #GlobalEdChat
A3: The American who got caught stealing a NK propaganda poster - It’s just proves why it’s so important to teach about NK so if you happen to be there you don’t do ridiculous things like a propaganda poster #GlobalEdChat
A3. It’s hard not to look past the idea of nuclear war when thinking about North Korea. I definitely want to learn different perspectives #globaledchat
A3: Whenever I see the Great Leader, I laugh to myself and think, "No great leader would have that haircut." Of course the lack of freedom and the suffering of the citizens, but that hair... #globaledchat
And more importantly, any North Korean citizen you see speaking to American media is saying whatever they need to to stay out of trouble! #globaledchat
In reply to
@ClaireDiMuccio1, @MissMichaelaBu1, @BeckiLaoshi
A3:The first thing I think when I think of North Korea is the conditions in which the people have to live in over there and how their government is so different from the United States #globaledchat
Difficult to tell. What we see of N.Korea is very limited. Even here in the South just across the DMZ it is hard to know what a N.Korea really thinks and feels. #globaledchat
One notable difference, though, is the income gap between East and West Germany was somewhere around 1:3. Whereas between North and South Kroea is anywhere from 15:1 all the way to 40:1 #GlobalEdChat
A3: We have to remember that most N. Koreans have zero access to outside media. They only know what they are told about the outside world. #globaledchat
A3 As for my Ss? First thing they think of is missiles and war. A war that scares them because they or their sibling could potentially be fighting in it! #globaledchat
This enormous economic difference is consequential when thinking about the difficulties surrounding Korean Reunification, if and when it occurs #GlobalEdChat
A3: I believe that everyone should about the conditions in North Korea and see the difference in living style between there and the United States. It is very sad to see the conditions that they live in? #GlobalEdChat
A4: I believe that everyone should about the conditions in North Korea and see the difference in living style between there and the United States. It is very sad to see the conditions that they live in? #GlobalEdChat
A4 my key questions about NK are about the people who live there. Deeper than what it’s like - what are the underlying values that maintain a society that is so separated from a globally connected world? (Besides control) #globaledchat
A4: Is South Korea still planning an assassination unit? https://t.co/3LZpVUwRLH What will North Korea do during the Winter Olympics to get attention and how will world powers react? #GlobalEdChat
A4- things seem to have changed there in the past decade especially since Jong Un. It seems to be economically doing better -how/why/who is involved would be my big Q #globaledchat
Learning about the historical origins of the North Korean regime and division is very important for understanding contemporary Korean affairs, Norrth and South, as well as how the North Korean regime views the United States #GlobalEdChat
A4: The N. Koreans who escape paint I very horrible picture of life in the North. And there families pay the price of their escape. Imagine the guilt they feel. #globaledchat
A4: Learn to look at North Koreans as individuals, just like we (in the US) hope that people around the world look at us as more than the sum of our president's tweets or actions. #globaledchat
A4 I think everyone should stop and look at things from their side for a minute. We have troops on their border. Imagine what we would think if there were NK troops on our border? #globaledchat
A4: A key question that I have about North Korea are what are the living styles like over there? Are most of there citizens comfortably living or are they in poverty #GLobaledchat
A4 I think everyone should stop and look at things from their side for a minute. We have troops on their border. Imagine what we would think if there were NK troops on our border? #globaledchat
He writes about all aspects of NK life on various topics, including community, society, and culture. I'm a big fan, if you couldn't tell :) #globaledchat
As you can see in the powerpoint presentation I shared, North Korean society is broken down in three main groups, the loyal, wavering, and hostile classes #GlobalEdChat
I go to China every summer and the China/NK relationship is way more complicated than anyone would think but the short story is NK is China’s buffer zone to keep the US from invading China (per the Chinese Communist Party) #globaledchat
As you can see in the powerpoint presentation I shared, North Korean society is broken down in three main groups, the loyal, wavering, and hostile classes #GlobalEdChat
It is essentially a caste system, where one's family history determines one's present station. Those in the so-called "loyal" class, are the smallest group, and make up the Kim family regime and its most trusted associates. #GlobalEdChat
A4) Is it truly the most dangerous country on Earth? Is there any strategic reason for them to nuke us -- and is Kim driven enough by strategy not to do it unless it ends well for them? 280 characters or less, please. ;) #GlobalEdChat
A5: A way to teach North Korea beyond social studies or history is to have the students read different books about the living conditions from people who have lives there previously #GlobalEdChat
A4: Learn to look at North Koreans as individuals, just like we (in the US) hope that people around the world look at us as more than the sum of our president's tweets or actions. #globaledchat
A5 There's a great health lesson with NK. North Koreans are on average 4-6 inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than South Koreans. Definitely a case for nutrition. #globaledchat
A5: Examine how the division of Korea has affected culture over the decades: food, language (https://t.co/MKfC5lBFWF), even spelling, for example. #globaledchat
That is complex, and @clintwork1 is a great resource for you on that. But guess who drew the division between NK and SK in the first place? #globaledchat
Beyond the conventional national security and nuclear weapons narrative, here is a good recent work on non-traditional issues related to North Korea: https://t.co/Sy0TTsd6pG#GlobalEdChat
A5: In science: 1: Study how environmental catastrophes, erosion, and bad agricultural policies caused the great famine of the 90s; 2: How the heavily fortified DMZ has become a refuge for wildlife: https://t.co/JGjx19pS6m#globaledchat
The original line drawn at the 38th parallel was made by Dean Rusk and Charles Bonesteel on an old National Geographic map. They drew the line there because it would include Seoul in the American occupation zone, not the Soviet one.
#GlobalEdChat
In fact, Soviet forces arrived on the Korean Peninsula in August 1945, about a month before U.S. forces, and voluntarily moved back north of the 38th parallel when the Americans requested they do so.
#GlobalEdChat
Q3: I think about my students, their host families, and my friends & colleagues in Seoul. I think about Max Pinckers' stunning photos in @eosnos's fantastic piece on N. Korea. https://t.co/yUtm8dAaKr . I think about ICBMs. #globaledchat
I think what she is trying to say is that people could study how communism and their way of living affects those who don't have the freedom of religion. #GlobalEdChat
The U.S. and U.S.S.R. were still wartime allies and Stalin hoped that by showing some flexibility in Korea, he might get a say in Japan's postwar occupation. He was wrong.
#GlobalEdChat
Love this! I was impressed hearing Lee Min Ho studied the DMZ habitat- I never considered tg3 ramifications of that ecosystem separation. #globaledchat
A6: I do not have specific resources on North Korea, but the New York Times keeps current on the news about different events on North Korea #globaledchat
Best resource I ever had was a Skype call with @willripleyCNN. He was soooo good at answering Ss questions based on what he has seen in his 15 visits to NK. #globaledchat
In addtion to my earlier powerpoint, here is another. It covers some of the same ground but provides much more detail on the U.S.-South Korea relationship: https://t.co/oKitwY4CAJ#GlobalEdChat
and here is a short bibliography of accessible Korea-related books, and some good websites with a wealth of declassified, translated, and digitized primary government documents from all different sides: https://t.co/IZSV0U1cUk#GlobalEdChat
good share. Vox and Vice News produce some good coverage of North Korea, for those interested in moving beyond the sensationalism featured on most cable news networks
#GlobalEdChat
Q7: Recognizing perspectives is an important part of global competence, but North Korea is notoriously closed off from the world. How might you try to get North Korea’s perspective on world events? #globaledchat
Interesting look inside North Korea! Not what you would expect...
Tourist who took a camera inside North Korea shocked https://t.co/NSEAmUuFeb#globaledchat
A7: Great question. I think asking students to empathize with the situation is a good place to start. Paint a picture of life is like there, by using your own country and imagination. #globaledchat
A7: I'll refer you back to the same blog I mentioned in my last answer. There's a section on trying to get NK perspectives: https://t.co/oR9kfISzdv#globaledchat
A7: I think that by presenting literature written by defectors as well as interviews with North Koreans, their perspective can be better understood. #globaledchat
A7: This is great question. I would love to visit North Korea one day if Trump would keep his mouth closed. I would love to experience their perspective to bring it back to my students. #globaledchat
Q7: Recognizing perspectives is an important part of global competence, but North Korea is notoriously closed off from the world. How might you try to get North Korea’s perspective on world events? #globaledchat
For any of the participants who have follow up questions, feel free to contact me. Here is my bio page that contains email: https://t.co/QiS63l6RpL#GlobalEdChat
