Arori Education
Date
2021 - 23
Role
Co-Founder, Creative Director
In the Beginning
In 2021, our team came together to establish an education platform that caters to Asian American students based in North America.
Arori's Mission
Our primary objective was to provide support to Korean-Americans by addressing the cultural challenges they encounter in their daily lives
helping them understand how to accept and appreciate themselves in the midst of the ongoing cultural and racial divide in America.
High Level Goals
EMPOWER
Foster a positive mindset of self-esteem and self-identity among young Korean-Americans.
CONNECT
Establish a safe and inclusive space where children can freely discuss their heritage without fear of discrimination or bias
ENGAGE
Integrate innovative educational technologies to improve children's engagement for practical learning experiences.
Research Insights
Limited Asian history in public education leaves Asian American students seeking identity through weekend schools and traditional Korean teachings. A broader approach is essential to reconcile heritage with evolving cultural interests.
"Outdated curriculum and teaching methods alone are insufficient to foster a strong sense of self-identity and maintain students' engagement over the long term."
So what is culture?
To guide our students, we emphasize understanding identity culturally and use Hilarion Petzold's "5 Pillars of Culture" theory from 1993. We've tailored this into "Five Pillars of Identity" to support our students' personal growth in a contemporary setting.
Five Pillars of Identity
New methodologies
At Arori, we've integrated project-based, flipped learning, and culturally relevant pedagogy into our curriculum, which have proven to be engaging, effective, and thought-provoking approaches in different educational contexts.
Project-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method with students at the center. Students get deep knowledge through active investigation of real-world problems and creative projects.
“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.”
- John Dewey
Developed by Harvard's Eric Mazur in the 1990s, flipped learning involves students pre-learning online followed by in-person discussions or projects. Adopted by top institutions, it greatly enhances student engagement.
Arori's teachers employ culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), a global method benefiting minority students. By valuing cultural and linguistic diversity, CRP helps students foster a positive self-identity.
