The research project of the “International Schools CyberFair” is how to combine the grade 1-9 teaching and school-based curriculum.
Learning area of mathematics
In our project study, the fist technique, fist style, weapon attack and leg posture are all highly related to the angles. In addition, since we need to perform questionnaire survey and statistical analysis, we need to reinforce the learning of the application of the statistical charts.
Learning area of language
I discovered in the process of organizing the materials that the pronunciations, meanings and images, in both classical Chinese writing and modern oral form, have something in common and are associated. So, we are more adept in using the language.
Learning area of natural and living science and technology
Family tree is like a flower turning into fruit, where seeds come to pass on generation after generation. That is then presented as a list.
Area of social study
Ba-Ji-Quan is associated with the social environment of its origin, where the local people all practiced martial arts in order to protect their own home and property and thus led to the good development of martial arts. In order to prevent the powerful combat skills turning into social chaos of bullying the weak, Ba-Ji-Quan takes the cultivation of martial virtue particularly importantly.
We realized during the interview that a successful interview must lie in beforehand planning on the subject, keeping the etiquette, clear expression of ourselves and learning to listen carefully.
Area of health and physical education
In our research project, martial arts can combine the course of physical education and the application of fist techniques can make the body strong.
Area of arts and humanity
The fist techniques of Ba-Ji-Quan can strengthen the body and display force and beauty, while the martial virtue can further elevate moral cultivation, enabling the practice of both martial art and ethics at the same time.
Learning area of integrated activities
We learned to gather information from the internet resource and public resources (such as the library) and to organize the information of all sorts into key points. Through Ba-Ji-Men, we learn the importance of self-discipline and strengthening the body.
We used information technology to finish our research project.
Equipment
Usage
Desktop PC
Word process; web page making; image processing;
learning from examples; data transmission
Laptop computer
Word process; data transmission
Digital camera
Taking image records
Scanner
Scanning pictures and photo
Sound recorder
Voice record of interview
Compound photocopier
Printing the questionnaire and materials
USB drive
Backing up
Digital camcorder
Shooting video of interview
Software
Usage
Adobe Dreamweaver
Making and editing web pages
PhotoScape
Gif animation image processing
and production
Photocap
Editing photo size and format
Picasa
Arranging photos
Microsoft Word
Editing the text
Microsoft Excel
Producing questionnaire statistics
and charts
Internet Explorer
Searching for information
on fist techniques
Google Chrome
Searching for information on fist
techniques and historical persons
XOOPS
Communicating the information;
contacting and discussion
Windows Movie Maker
Editing and compressing the video
Photoshop
Creating buttons and background
images on web pages
Other
Discoveries, lessons and surprises
We would use the practice time at the Wufong martial art study center on Sundays to do the interviews, record and take photos. We found at the first time we were there that their stately motions and posture were just like a worrier swaying his broad saber; what was more, their instructor, Master Chi-wen Chen, was like ‘Ip man’ in the movie, agile and powerful. The number of practitioners is so great that the size of their array is incredible; it was only then that we realized that with sport centers studded everywhere, there are still many people practicing and passing on the traditional martial arts as their top choice for strengthening the body. That is invaluable!
During interviewing, while we took the photo of various fist styles and weapons, we further observed that every learner was always highly attentive and respectful when Master Chen taught or preached, and that they were kind and polite to each other. In our eyes was a totally different atmosphere, in which they really accomplished the practice of both martial arts and morality.
The most impressive thing was that the young Chuin-Kai Hsu, said to suffer cerebral palsy, remained smiling all the time despite he could not make accurate punch with his limbs. We heard that he had had a worse spine and his shoulders had been uneven on both sides, but those have improved greatly because his father has persistently accompanied him in the training. He was even interviewed by the TV network! I think with such surprising outcome from practicing Ba-Ji-Quan, there should be more people drawn to learn this excellent traditional martial art.
Influences on our school and region
In this research project, our team learned about the history, weapons and fist techniques of Ba-Ji-Quan by interviewing Chi-wen Chen, instructor at the Martial Art Society of the school.
We recommend the school to incorporate martial arts in the curriculum of physical training so that the children increase their individual physical ability in the course of martial arts; also, the learning of martial virtue serves as the cultivation of personal character.
Further, the school and the community are combined to jointly promote the learning of martial arts, so that the people in the community have the opportunity of exposure to the beauty of martial art, further to achieve the state of integrated body, mind and soul.
Respect for intellectual property rights and description
of citation
With the tasks assigned, the teachers made special reminder to us of the importance of intellectual property rights before we began to gather the information. They said we should denote the origin of the information if to cite from the books and that any audio or video cannot be downloaded from the internet without the owner’s permission, because even a small image may involve the issue of copyright.
Hence, a major part of our web page contents comes from the interview with Master Chen and the family tree of Ba-Ji-Men courtesy of Kuan-yu Chen, with a small part from books with origin remarked after the text. And the pictures were taken or drawn by ourselves. We also obtained the consent of the Wufong learners before interviewing them. In this way, we avoided any infringement.
