CyberFair Project ID: 7958

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International Schools CyberFair Project Narrative
Title: Musician Su is a happy note in the community.
Category: 1. Local Leaders
URL: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7958/index.htm
Bibliography: http://librarywork.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2015/gsh7958/Bibliography.htm

School: Wan He Elementary School
    Erhlin Township, Changhua County, Taiwan(R.O.C.)

6 students, ages 12 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on February 23, 2015. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2012,2013,2014

Classes and Teachers: Leo, Jessie, Winnie

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.whes.chc.edu.tw/

Project Overview

1. Description of Our Community

Erlin Township is located in the southwestern part of Changhua County. The area is flat and most of the locals are farmers. Grapes, Chinese leeks, red Job’s tears, and buckwheat are some of the well-known agricultural products in this area. Wan He Elementary School is located in Wan He, a small village in Erlin. There are many traditional houses in our community. People lead a very simple lifestyle here. One problem we are facing is that the population here is decreasing dramatically. Young people tend to relocate for job opportunities. Most of our students live with their grandparents. Over the past few years, we have less than ten first graders entering our school every year. The number of our students has dropped to 46 this year.

2. Summary of Our Project

The subject of our 2015 Cyberfair project is Teacher Jun-Qi Su: a unique, stylistic, and charitable music teacher who also leads numerous bands. Notable ones include a university band, a band from Changhua Prison, and many others at different schools. Other than merely interviewing Teacher Su, for 30 hours we have also interviewed up to 15 people who have worked with him to build a more comprehensive profile. Our goals for this project go beyond exploring Teacher Su’s dreams and extend to sowing the seeds of hope in the minds of students. Careful cultivation of these seeds will promote the growth of young people who grow up to give back to the society that has nurtured them.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:4-6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:1

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

First, it was difficult to choose whether we should focus on Teacher Su's music or Teacher Su's personal history. Both would have yielded rich stories, but we decided to go with the latter one because it seemed more fascinating. Second, Erhlin Township is very remote without public transportation, so students rarely have chances to engage with people from outside; this research project is one effort to overcome this advantage to expose students to different people with different life stories. Third, our subject Teacher Su is very busy and is seldom available, so we had to turn to his friends and colleagues for his anecdotes. Fourth, only five of our students have internet access, so this leaves only the students' spare time during school days for research. Lastly, the lack of time available was problematic, students were very busy with classes and homework; so we had to use lunch breaks and some of their free time to conduct interviews.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

“I hope that the music of life goes on even when my fingers leave the piano.” is quite fitting for Teacher Su’s teaching philosophy. Teacher Su had a tough early life because his mother died of cancer after giving birth to his brother; and he had lost his motivations to find his purpose in life. Fortunately, he started learning music and found his new self. Although Teacher Su graduated with an animal husbandry degree, his countless hours of practice and his persistence rewarded him many achievements in musical competitions. Even though Teacher Su looks tough on the outside, he actually has a sensitive and a charitable personality. Even after he had become successful, he decided to go to rural areas to teach kids like his older self in order to guide them on the right path in life; to make sure that the music of life can live on forever.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

The activities and research for the 2015 Cyberfair project supports standards, required coursework and curriculum standards through its design, implementation and activities. First, it adheres closely to the core values and goals as stated for Grade 1 through grade 9 curriculums. Second, the research integrates nicely with the subjects of language, writing, information technology and the arts. Many integrative activities cross course boundaries. Third, we, at Wan He Elementary, believe the best character education is in real-life models like this. Our activities, under this year’s project, seek to promote good character traits. Students interviewed Teacher Su’s colleagues from his bands and from the schools that he teaches at to gain a better understanding of the good that he does. They also participated in the following activities in this endeavor:

1. They sought community support by asking people to add their signatures to student prepared cards. 2. They held a sale to raise money for Teacher Su’s cause.

3. They prepared a presentation to share the results of the project and their thoughts about Teacher Su.

4. They asked every student at school to write positive thoughts on a card, which they placed on a tree named Teacher Su’s Tree. To sum up, this project is an exercise in character education. Students exposed to role models like this have the seeds for positive societal impact and community involvement sown early. These seeds will develop and produce productive adults in the greater Taiwanese community.

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Project Elements

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

We used all of the following: - Camera - Computers - Recording Devices - Telephones - Scanners - Oral Interviews - Libraries - Books, newspapers To answer the questions: 1) These tools helped us prepare, document, and reflect on the interviews we had conducted. 2) The tools can be found in our school. 3) None were donated. For 4) and 5) They were all equally valuable and helpful.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

There are a number of ways. First, the research done into the goals and practices of Teacher Jun-Qi Su and his associates leads to a much clearer understanding of his teaching philosophy and his motivations. This requires community outreach on the part of the students, in both the research itself, and in the follow-up sharing of research findings with the greater community. Second, our belief in character education and the importance of positive role models for students is enhanced by interviewing community service participants like Teacher Su and his associates. We foresee students who may become community service leaders as they grow and mature into responsible adults in our Taiwanese and global community. Third, the research activities and the resultant record keeping requirements enhance student abilities in interviewing and searching for data and information. They become the purveyors of information to others in their own right. Fourth, once the research is complete, the participants become the teachers of, and role models for, younger students. Younger students become knowledgeable as to the goals of the research and the methodologies employed. They become spokespersons for the Cyberfair projects. Fifth, the use of modern technology during the project enhanced student skills. Students utilized the Internet for research, used software to design cards for the project, used Microsoft Word for word processing, communicated with e-mail, and made numerous videos and took photos. Their technology quotient increased significantly.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

The impact on our community has been significant. The enthusiastic team members have influenced not only their classmates, but their families and friends as well. Selfless devotion and hard work as models for a life’s path are immeasurably valuable to all exposed to Teacher Su’s story. Of obvious local impact was the sale students organized to raise money for Teacher Su and his cause. Every student donated something and the event was open to the entire community. Numerous local people were able to purchase items at a reasonable price. Following our sale, we invited Teacher Su to join our project presentation on Christmas Day and donated to Teacher Su to help with promoting music education in rural areas. The contrast with past Christmas celebrations, when we sang songs and drew names for gifts, could not have been more obvious. We enjoyed the recognition of the local residents for a job well done. Students and teachers showed their appreciation for all assistance, and were happy to donate the money to a good cause. The community reacted quite positively. Some in the community simply donated money without taking any of the sales items. It was a 'heart-warming' time.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

Our project included many community members as volunteers and helpers. There were the interviewees themselves, plus teachers and the parents of students. Initially, we interviewed Teacher Su’s friends and his colleagues. We gained insight into Teacher Su’s philosophies and heard some anecdotes from those that are closest to him. This was very inspiring for our students and the people who were helping us. Teachers who participated worked diligently transporting students to interviews and then, teaching the students how to organize and sort out the data collected. Parents were a wealth of good ideas and helped students practice interviews through role-playing. Some of the parents even provided gifts for us to give to interviewees. Others helped with directions on the best routes to an interview site. This direct role by the parents was invaluable to our success. We really appreciate their encouragement and material support.

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View our CyberFair Project (Project ID: 7958)

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