I am a passionate Chinese language educator with the belief that a deep understanding of Chinese language and culture is the key to success for students in participating in today’s multilingual and multicultural community and in becoming a linguistically competent, culturally literate, and globally responsible world citizen.
I have been exposed to the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in the
United States in multiple ways. The core elements of the curriculum were often fragments of the language at the word or sentential level in isolation from the context. Now that the emphasis has shifted to the holistic use of the language in authentic contexts, the best practices of teaching Chinese language and culture,
I believe, should reflect the most current theory-tested pedagogy. My approach is to frame pedagogy in three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) that are embedded in current communicative approaches.
This should cover the broad context of the five National Standards
(Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) articulated in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21 st Century by
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
A much broader framework of the five standards enables students to learn, beyond the memorization of linguistic components, and to use communicative and learning strategies, critical thinking skills, meaningful elements in culture, and knowledge in technology. Consequently, students learn how and why to express something to the appropriate audience at the right occasion and at the right time.
Of the five standards, I find communication to be the central focus for the development of linguistic and cultural competence. It serves as the main goal for building up students’ proficiency and also shapes what performance assessment is like in alignment with the Proficiency Guidelines and Integrated Performance
Assessment advocated by ACTFL.
I also design my curriculum in such a way that the syllabus allows students to examine the expanding spheres of influence in Chinese life. My aim is to cover fundamental aspects of daily life of an individual’s routines and promote understanding of Chinese families, societal structures, and China’s role in issues of global importance in an international context. Introducing well-connected thematic units, I assist students with topics that have immediate relevancy to their personal and family life including participation in community cultural events and societal activities.
Although language proficiency lies in building up linguistic competence across three communicative modes, I regard developing students’ awareness of and appreciation for Chinese culture as the foundation that encompasses all strategies for Chinese language acquisition at all levels of instruction.
I am also interested in the method of assessments. It should fully engage students in the meaning-making process of language acquisition based upon the three communicative modes that link to the content knowledge and language skills. I target forI am a passionate Chinese language educator with the belief that a deep understanding of Chinese language and culture is the key to success for students in participating in today’s multilingual and multicultural community and in becoming a linguistically competent, culturally literate, and globally responsible world citizen.