SF Field Trip Offers Cultural Immersion
March 22, 2019
Mandarin students from Campolindo and Miramonte visited Chinatown and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco on February 25.
The trip was coordinated by Shi-Min Holland, who teaches Mandarin courses on both campuses. According to Holland, 37 students attended the trip.
Holland set up the museum appointment day, arranged transportation, and notified parents. “The trip wasn’t difficult to plan, but quite time-consuming. It was also hard to decide on a day because a lot of students were going to be gone,” she said.
While on the trip, the students were given a scavenger hunt assignment that called for them to find various landmarks in Chinatown. Holland explained that the goal of the assignment was for students to connect what they are learning in class to the real world.
“The streets, restaurants, and banks in the area all tell a history of Chinatown and students are able to finally see the culture and the community when they get to experience it firsthand,” said Holland.
In preparation for a presentation about their field trip experience scheduled for the following week, students took pictures of landmarks and recorded themselves speaking with shop and restaurant owners in Mandarin.
“I appreciated getting to learn about Chinese culture in Chinatown where I felt a little bit more immersed. I think it’s a lot better to do that instead of trying to learn about it inside of class,” said sophomore Mandarin 4 student Danielle Smith.
After exploring Chinatown, the group looked through exhibits at the Asian Art Museum. “Students got a chance to have a close encounter to a wide range of arts and artifacts they can learn from, and the museum segments can give students the connection of the rich history behind the language,” said Holland.
“All the AP students including me have been begging Ms. Holland to take us on a field trip for literally the longest time. She said we would go on 1 last year, but that got canceled. We were all really excited when she told us that we were actually going to go this year,” said junior Victor Chen.
Holland believes the trip allowed her students to apply their classroom learning in a practical way. “Here, they get to use Mandarin in real life,” she said.
