Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language

Presented by:

Karen He, Jenny Lin, Hanru Li & Songtao Shu

Section 1Teaching Chinese in Context

The Importance of Standards Bringing Culture into the Chinese

Language Classroom through Contextualized Performance

Focusing on the Learner in the Chinese language Classroom

Technology in Chinese Language Teaching and Learning

The importance of Standards Content Standard (ACFFL 1999)

Communication Include interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational

dimensions Culture The relationships among the practice, the products and

perspectives Connections Information and viewpoints only available through usage of

Chinese Comparisons Understand the differences between Chinese Cul/Lan and others Communities Use Chinese within and beyond school setting; continue to learn

Bringing Culture into the Chinese Language Classroom Through Contextualized Performance

Defining Culture: achievement/informational/behavioral culture

Culture and Performance Provide Opportunities for Students to

Perform Provide a Variety of Cultural Contexts Apply to reading and writing exercises (pre-

reading, reading and post-reading)

Focusing on the LEARNER in the Chinese Language Classroom:

Attention to studentsLeaning styles, i and i+1. The highest level of

energy, the peak of the “action” not from the teacher, but from students Learner-directed materials/activities Road signs, written announcements, subtitles on

movies, product labels, etc. Text-messaging Chinese Friend, telephone

rally, etc. Multiple directions of communication Facilitating meaningful interaction. Guide on the side Limit teacher’s role to arranging the best condition for

learning, assessing and feedback

Technology in Chinese Language Teaching and Learning

CALL: Computer-aided language learning, teaching in

Chinese, web resources, technologyEffective or not?

Between simplified and traditional characters / Tone marks / Internet

resources Before/During/After reading

Online materials: Listening / Speaking / Reading /

WritingComputerized Tests

Section 2Teacher Knowledge and Pedagogical

Decisions

Literacy Development in Chinese as a Foreign Language

Teaching Chinese Orthography and Discourse: Knowledge and Pedagogy

Teaching Listening and Speaking: An Interactive Approach

Literacy Development in Chinese as a Foreign Language

“If you can read this, thank a teacher.” Reading is a skill that must be learned through instruction (p.98).

Components in L2 reading process (Bernhardt Model

1991, 2000): => Text-based vs. extratext based components

1) word recognition; 2) phonemic/graphemic decoding; 3) syntactic feature recognition vs. 1) intratextual perception; 2) metacognition; 3) prior knowledge

=> First language reading ability: a significant contributor to L2 reading comprehension.

Literacy Development in Chinese as a Foreign Language

Six issues:

#1: Students Coming from an Alphabetic Reading Background Reading with “grapheme-phoneme conversation rules (gpc-rules)” vs.

reading the logographic characters

#2: Becoming “Aware” of Chinese Orthography The strategy of visualizing graphic structures of characters, connecting

with previously learned characters and using semantic and phonetic radicals

#3: Reading is a Language Activity

- Reading is a language activity that is heavily dependent upon a learner’s experience with the language (p. 103).

- Keep skills in balance to motivate CFL learners

Literacy Development in Chinese as a Foreign Language

#4: The Role of Practice and Experience - Reading must be practiced (p. 105).

- “Extensive reading (Day & Bamford 1998)”, proper materials, independent reading in classroom

#5: The Role of Background Knowledge - Schema theory (Anderson & Pearson 1984) & Top-down - Brainstorming sessions & invoke the schema- Reading materials in cultural and historical context

#6: The Use of Authentic Materials- Level – appropriate materials - “Graded readers” within reading competence- Review vocabulary in receptive and productive contexts

Teaching Listening and Speaking: An Interactive Approach

Three modes of communication ( Standards in ACTFL):

interpersonal, interpretive and presentational. Interpersonal activities: dialogues, interviews, discussions, role plays, and debates.

Three processing theories: the model of working memory, schema theory and input-

output model of SLA Task-based instruction: Five rules: build up the path; establish a clear purpose;

state specific requirements for the output; specify a time frame; end with learner output.

Section 3 Challenges and Strategies for the American

Classroom

Teaching Chinese as a Heritage Language: Key to Success

Linking Curriculum, Assessment, and Professional Development

Understanding the Culture of American Schools, and Managing the successful Chinese Language Classroom

Teaching Chinese as a Heritage Language:

Key to Success Definition of HL key to success

1: Understanding factor associated with CHL leaning and literacy development

2: Understanding and valuing: CHL learners are typically marked with varied ethnic identities

3: Individual’s ethnic identity goes hand in hand with his/her motivation : positive attitude & negative attitude

4: CHL learners have skewed linguistic abilities

5: how to reach it?

Pre-Program Survey+ Placement Test

Appropriate Placement + CHL Program alongside A CFL program

SUCCESS

Teaching Chinese as a Heritage Language: Key to Success CHL Development Path

Speakers of English L2: L2A

HL development:Insufficient input, low

social status, Home literacy environment—

Incessant attrition or decline—

Incomplete linguistic system

Re-learn CL as a foreign

language:HLA

L1: non-Dominant

HL

English L2 Development

:English-only

mainstreaming

The CHL Learner:

Early exposure to

non-dominant

homelanguage

Understanding the Culture of American Schools, and Managing the successful Chinese Language Classroom Goals and perspectives in American Schools 1: all schools are different 2: Open access 3: the

ideal of universal literacy 4: Local control 5: Parental Involvement 6: productive vs. Receptive learning 7: Well-Rounded People

Strategies of managing successful Chinese classrooms

1: establish classroom rules : general students expectations, develop your list with guidelines 2: be friendly but firm 3:learn to control the classroom 4: how to confront misbehavior 5: working with parents

Summary

Designed for teachers of Chinese at all levels. Focuses on “Big Issues”, pedagogical principles, as

well as the practical strategies. Provides ample class-tested experience and teaching

samples. Guides Chinese language teachers to make appropriate

decisions and to be successful in an American classroom.

Serves as a resource guide for “teachers-in-development.”

Reflection Pro: Communicative, student-centered and interactive Chinese

language instruction Teaching reading/language with cross-linguistic and cross-

cultural perspectives Keep reading, listening, speaking and writing in balance to

develop strong literacy skills in Chinese

Con: Lack of differentiated teaching strategies for a multiple-

skills and multi-levels Chinese class Lack of connections between foreign language acquisition

and content area learning Lack of accommodation and modification for planning and

teaching students with special needs