Premier’s Kingold Chinese Bridge Language Teacher
Scholarships
Bringing Country and Culture into
the Classroom
Lisa Maree Porter
Fairfield High School
Sponsored by
Introduction
Being a non-native speaker of Mandarin, I am fully aware of the challenges the
language presents to my students. The non-Roman script, the tonal nature of the
language and the unfamiliar phonemes can be overwhelming, particularly when
students are faced with their 100 hours compulsory study of Language Other Than
English (LOTE) during Stage 4. Another difficulty students in New South Wales
schools encounter when learning Chinese is the huge difference between the cultures.
Students ask for direct translations of common slang or colloquial phrases, with little
understanding of the cultural conventions of formality and politeness that are deeply
embedded in the Chinese language. My intention for the time spent in China was to
collect data to enable me to create units of work based in Chinese schools and
communities that would incorporate the cultural aspects of Chinese language study more
fully into the course, enhancing “understanding of the interdependence of language and
culture” (Outcome 4.MBC.11).
The Premier’s Kingold Chinese Bridge Language Teacher Scholarship is more structured
than other scholarships offered by the Premier’s Department. Rather than submitting a
proposed itinerary and budget, applicants were required to submit a research proposal
and language sample. The itinerary was determined by the scholarship providers, and as
such, scholarship participants had little control over how their time in China was spent.
The Focus of the Study
Current texts and resources in use in Chinese language classrooms are very strong on
language features, but tend to only touch on cultural aspects. The illustrations used in
texts tend to be drawings and cartoons rather than photographs, which unfortunately
tend to reinforce stereotypes and make the culture and people less real to the students.
The development of resources based on genuine texts such as photographs, realia,
CDs, DVDs and other examples of Chinese pop culture will bring the country and the
culture into the Chinese language classroom. This will enhance the development of
the element of ‘Cultural Knowledge’ within the Dimension of Significance in the
NSW Quality Teaching model, as students will be provided with opportunities to
develop their “knowledge [of Chinese culture] in an authentic, detailed and profound
manner2.”
Therefore, the focus of my time in China was to be the collection of genuine texts and
realia, as well as the observation of typical Chinese life to enable me to dispel those
persistent stereotypes of Chinese culture and lifestyle. Naturally, I looked forward to
taking the opportunity to improve my own language skills, and to that end the
scholarship provided three weeks of lessons at Xiamen University in Xiamen, Fujian
province. Xiamen University covers 524.5 hectares and houses approximately 33,000
students studying a variety of disciplines. The pleasant climate in this area of China
makes it a popular choice for overseas students, as it does not suffer the extremes of
weather or pollution that effect many major mainland Chinese cities. The
accommodation provided was adequately comfortable, and the facilities in and around
the campus made our stay enjoyable.
1
2
Board of Studies NSW, 2003, p 42
NSW DET, 2003, p 42
Significant Learning
Living in a university environment in a small city (by Chinese standards) provided a
wonderful opportunity to interact with locals in Mandarin. In larger cities, more
members of the public speak English and are generally keen to practise it on foreigners.
Experimenting with food, shopping, transport and entertainment in Xiamen and
Wuyishan gave me excellent experience with the language and I found myself improving
every day.
Having provided a sample of written language and responded to the University’s
language self-assessment questionnaire identifying myself as a proficient, but non-native
speaker of Mandarin, I was surprised to find myself one of three non-native speakers in a
group of 21 Australian teachers. The lessons provided were conducted entirely in
Mandarin, and of a very technical nature. They addressed such aspects of pedagogy as
educational psychology, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and Chinese history and
culture. I persisted with these lessons for a couple of days, but while I got a great deal
out of the history and culture lectures, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the
linguistic inaccessibility of the more technical lectures. With the other non-native
speakers, I approached the organisers and they were able to arrange for us to join
language classes aimed at non-native speakers.
The language classes were extremely useful on two levels – my language skills improved a
great deal over the three weeks, and I also found myself absorbing new and interesting
methods of teaching Mandarin to non-native speakers. The teachers at the university
were young, open and extremely enthusiastic and helpful. The lessons were conducted
almost purely in Mandarin, and as they were attended by students from all over the
world, the only common language amongst the student body was Mandarin. The
motivation to use the language in a social setting was great, and friendships were formed
with students from Korea, Estonia and Cambodia. This was affirming in itself, as I
would find myself realising at the end of the day that I had barely spoken any English at
all. In this way, the separation from the main body of the Australian group was
advantageous, as when I was with the group, it was too easy for them to switch to
English if I got stuck for a word. Working with the students from other countries meant
that I had to persist, rephrase, consult a dictionary or, if all else failed, resort to mime or
diagrams!
I did still have access to group activities such as Chinese dance, paper cutting and
calligraphy lessons, a field trip to a local primary school and a weekend trip to Wuyishan
(Wuyi Mountain) in North Western Fujian province. The cultural lessons were of
particular interest to me. Learning the correct techniques for paper cutting and
calligraphy, as well as obtaining some fine examples of those arts at local markets, will
prove extremely useful in the classroom. I also hope to teach my students the folk
dancing routine we were taught.
Xiamen City Yanwu Elementary School is a model school at the Provincial level (there
are three levels of model institutions in China: City, Provincial and National). It has
more than 1 420 students with roughly 50 students in each class, and covers grades 1-6.
We were invited to observe two English lessons, taught by two of the 7 English teachers
at the school.
Students in Grades 1-4 take three English lessons per week, while students in Grades 5
and 6 take four lessons per week, each lesson lasting for 40 minutes. The classes are
taught a national curriculum – every student in every school in the People’s Republic of
China studies the same material. Being a model school, however, the delivery of this
material was different to that you might find in the average school.
Figure 1: Students at Yanwu Elementary School in Xiamen studying English
Every student was equipped with a laptop, linked to the teacher’s desktop. The teacher
could select the activity for the lesson, and it would instantly appear in front of each
student, as well as on the projector screen. A far cry from spending time making sure
each student is on the same page of a text book, handing out activity sheets or directing
attention to an overhead transparency! The students could plug in headphones and
work on listening activities, as well as record themselves and play back their own work.
This high-tech approach worked very well within the highly structured environment of
the classroom. It would certainly require enormous funding and technical support to be
introduced to New South Wales schools.
I admire the Chinese approach to a language they see as absolutely vital to the economic
future of their country. This is a lesson Australia could take on board. It is widely
recognised that China is emerging as one of the major markets and trade partners for
Australia and many other countries - it could only be an advantage to our youth to
approach Mandarin with similar enthusiasm. The early introduction and continued
learning of a compulsory language has huge benefits, as young students find it easier to
pick up a language than older students. Some students in Australia never experience a
LOTE until the compulsory 100 hours study in high school, which limits their potential
in that language. The weekend trip to Wuyishan in North Western Fujian province was
an incredible experience, providing the chance to see a part of China I never dreamt I
would see, as well as being a great bonding opportunity with my Australian colleagues.
Taking an overnight train in China is quite the adventure, with sanitation, comfort and
privacy being very low on the agenda. Twenty-odd Australians in a carriage gave it a
carnival atmosphere, almost a slumber party on rails! We encountered vendors of
trinkets, pot noodles, and socks - only in China could I lie on a bunk with the
countryside flashing by, purchasing bracelets for Christmas gifts and fending off an overenthusiastic sock salesman!
Wuyishan is a tourist resort that generally only caters to local and overseas Chinese
tourists, so our language skills were a huge advantage. The scenery was astounding – a
gentle, shallow river meandering through a stunning gorge, surrounded by mountains
and sheer cliffs. We took a bamboo raft down the Jiuqu He (Nine Turns River) and
were mesmerised by the clear water, hills terraced with tea bushes and delicate bamboo
rearing gracefully from the water’s edge.
Figure 2: Rafting on the Jiuqu River in Wuyishan, Fujian Province
We also took a number of bushwalks, China-style. This meant that we found ourselves
walking up fairly taxing tracks with local tourists who were decked out in sports coats
and ties or skirts and high heels. Leisure and tourism is approached quite differently in
China. While Australians are inclined to travel independently and casually, Chinese
tourists seem to prefer taking formal group tours. Indeed, our field trips were organised
by Chinese travel agents, and tended to be planned down to the last detail, including preordering of meals. Being a “typical” independent young Australian traveller, I admit that
I found this aspect of the trip difficult to accept on occasion.
The tour guides were generally very knowledgeable, not only about the places we were
visiting, but about many aspects of Chinese culture and civilisation. I was able to pick
the brain of Xiao Liu, the tour guide for the final week of the trip, with regards to “three
inch golden lotus shoes” – the special shoes Chinese women had to make for themselves
after having their feet bound – a particular interest of mine. Despite her youth and the
obscurity of the topic, she was able to give me a great deal of information, which
impressed me.
During the final week of the trip, another New South Welshman and I toured Hangzhou,
Suzhou and Shanghai.
We were fortunate to have the company of Xiao Liu and our driver, Xu Shifu. In fact,
while I found being chauffeured mildly discomforting (again, I am used to travelling
solo), it really did enable us to see more in a week than I would expect to whilst travelling
independently. In Hangzhou, we saw the Yuefei Memorial (a national hero), Xihu (West
Lake), the beautifully restored Fenglai Pagoda, Huanglong Dong (Golden Dragon Cave),
Lingying Temple, a silk factory, a teahouse and Qinghe Fang (a shopping district). All
this in two days! The highlights were:
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hearing the monks chant their morning prayers at Lingying Temple as incense
smoke curled through the cold morning air (seeing temples active in China is
heartening);
having my fortune told by the Matchmaking God at Huanglong Dong; seeing
groups of elderly Chinese people exercising early in the morning in a Hangzhou
park, doing Tai Chi and other martial arts, playing badminton, juggling and
ballroom dancing;
having Xiao Liu coach me in the fine art of haggling at Qinghe Fang.
On the way to Suzhou, we stopped at Wuzhen, an old canal town. While it has been
done up for tourism, it is still a living town - people live and work in its picturesque
streets. We had the opportunity to see how the town made its wares that were shipped
along the canal. Some of these industries - textile manufacture, batik dyeing, grain liquor
distillation - are still in operation, and as a textile aficionado I felt very privileged to be
able to try my hand at weaving. The lovely lady operating the shuttle seemed highly
amused by my lack of skill in this area! In Suzhou we visited pearl and teapot factories
and sampled some excellent local food.
The severe pollution interfered with visibility at the various tour stops, but the Humble
Administrator’s Garden was still well worth the time. It was inspired by Tang dynasty
poetry (another special interest of mine) and was full of open spaces (rare in Chinese
gardens) and beautiful pavilions. The congested traffic in Suzhou prepared us somewhat
for our one-night stop in Shanghai. We had time to visit the frenetic Nanjing Road, the
primary shopping district of this incredible city. It has changed out of sight since my first
visit in 1997, having been pedestrianised in the intervening time. I caught myself staring
at foreigners, after having spent four weeks grumbling about being stared at myself!
Conclusion
China remains a very confronting, challenging country, both linguistically and culturally.
Having a grip on the language enables a greater understanding of how things work, yet
there is still a sense of being an outsider. In-country experience remains the most
valuable language learning opportunity available to language teachers and learners alike.
Not only does it provide intensive exposure to the language, but it enables observation of
the culture and lifestyle in a way that books and other media do not. It also gives
language teachers the opportunity to collect realia and resources for use in their
classroom, giving students a unique, meaningful insight into life in another, perhaps
seemingly alien, country and culture. They are then more able to make connections
between their own life, language and culture, and that of the target country.
The Premier’s Kingold Chinese Bridge Language Teacher Scholarship provides an
outstanding opportunity for Australian teachers to experience language and culture in
one of the most fascinating countries in the world. It would be advantageous to future
recipients if the program could be tailored to their individual needs in terms of language
level and school experience (that is, high school teachers may wish to visit a high school
rather than a primary school) or indeed if they were given more autonomy over the
itinerary. However, I understand that in China, this level of autonomy is not always
possible or desirable, and am simply grateful for having had the opportunity as it was
presented to me.
References
Board of Studies New South Wales, Chinese: Mandatory and Elective Courses K – 10 Syllabus,
Sydney 2003
State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training, Quality Teaching in
NSW Public Schools: A classroom practice guide, Sydney 2003