Chinese Pedagogy I

CHIN201A

CHINESE PEDAGOGY I

COURSE SYLLABUS

FALL 2014 INSTRUCTOR: XIWEN LU (陆熙雯)

——————————————————————————————————————— OFFICE: Mandel Center for the Humanities 120 OFFICE HOURS: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00PM – 2:30 PM or by appointment E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] OFFICE PHONE: 781-736-2678 CLASS HOURS: Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30PM-4:50PM ———————————————————————————————————————

A. DESCRIPTION This graduate course is designed to equip students with the most advanced and up-to-dated skills in teaching modern Chinese with emphasis on the instruction of beginning and intermediate levels. Contrary to some misunderstandings, Chinese pedagogy is not merely a set of practical skills for instructors but based on innovative researches, and comprehensive understanding of Chinese linguistics, Chinese literature, Chinese culture, and second language acquisition. Obviously, pedagogy is the key to successful Chinese language instruction. National foreign language standards and curriculum design will also be discussed. Chinese proficiency of advanced level is required since this course will be taught mainly in Chinese and many of the reading materials are in Chinese.

B. OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING GOALS At the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following abilities:  ability to understand key issues in Chinese language pedagogy and critically analyse Chinese teaching methodologies, practices and materials;  ability to design Chinese curriculum guide and curriculum map based on national and local standards;  ability to teach Chinese in different approaches, e.g. communication-based, audio-lingual approach, and discuss and reflect on such teaching experiences.  ability to apply academic analysis of Chinese language pedagogy directly onto the practice of teaching Chinese in the language classroom;  ability to carry out independent research into Chinese teaching methodologies, practices and materials. C. SCHEDULE This course is taught as a seminar and there are in total nine units described as below:

U1. History of Chinese Language Instruction in US The instruction of modern Chinese language in USA started at Harvard in 1940s. After the development of about 70 years, there are several major “schools” of Chinese language teaching such as grammar structure centered approach, small class drill centered approach, communication oriented approach, Chinese character based approach, activity/task based approach, and computerized approach. We shall discuss each school’s advantages and disadvantages as well as the challenges now faced by Chinese instructors. Readings: 姚道中、张光天：美国汉语教学历史回顾与现状 (http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/23236/Chineselanguage.pdf? sequence=1) 姚道中：美国汉语教学的走势 (http://www.shihan.org.cn/subjects/100047)

U2. A Roadmap for Chinese Learners To set up goals for learners is the most important for a successful Chinese instructor. In four years of high school or four years of college, what level will a zero beginner can reach? In accordance with the Foreign Service Institute of US State Department, Chinese is one of the category five or the most difficult languages for American learners. This reflects a common belief that for American learners to learn Chinese is almost impossible. Based on this consideration, many Chinese teachers propose to lower the bar in order to attract more American students to learn Chinese but this actually lead to more frustrations in a long run. It is possible for an American learner to reach true advanced level of Chinese and to use Chinese as a working language. We shall discuss how to set the goals for each level. Readings: Yu Feng: A Roadmap for Chinese Learners (Online handout) 郭风岚：对外汉语教学的目标的定位、分层与陈述 (http://wenku.baidu.com/view/5727aa2e453610661ed9f403.html)

U3. Assessment Goals need to be assessed. However, the exams, tests, quizzes, and homework assignments in Chinese classes are often poorly designed and poorly corrected and graded. Such practice greatly frustrated students. In this unit, we shall study four standard tests, namely, HSK, Chinese SAT2, Chinese AP, and Chinese OPI. We shall also examine samples of exams and tests to evaluate their problems. Readings: Official Examination Papers of New HSK Official AP Chinese Test ACTFL OPI guidelines U4. Common Core State Standards, ACTFL Standards and 5Cs Understand what are the commonly used standards in the United States and be able to use these standards for curriculum design. Reading: Common Core State Standards ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 Alignment of the National Standards for Learning Languages with the Common Core State Standards Standards for Foreign Language Learning - Preparing for the 21st Century

U5. Curriculum Design After this unit, student should be able to design curriculum guide for a Chinese language course. Reading: Blooms Taxonomy Action Verbs Massachusetts Foreign Languages Curriculum Framework A Guide to Curriculum Development Language-curriculum-design Overview of Curriculum Mapping

U6. Foreign Language Teaching Methods 1. Translation method 2. Direct method 3. Audio-lingual method 4. Total Physical Response 5. Community Language Learning 6. Silent Way 7. Suggestopedia 8. The Natural Approach 9. Communicative Approach 10. Drill training Drills are the most important skills for successful Chinese classes. We shall discuss the roles of Chinese instructors in classroom. Should they be lecturers or coaches? We shall also discuss a series of problems such as how to interact with students, how to correct mistakes and errors of students, and how to use multimedia in drill classes. Since drill is a set of practical skills, we shall train students in simulative drill classes. Reading: Shengli Feng: Teachers Manual for HBA (2009) Foreign Language Teaching Method Videos online (see links on LATTE)

U7. Computerized Learning Computerized Chinese learning is a new trend and will be the main stream in the future. We shall discuss the pros and cons of Computer input vs. conventional Chinese character learning. Reading: Wenchao He: Chinese for Tomorrow Tianwei Xie: Typewriting vs. Handwriting 谢天蔚：中文教学与时俱进

U8. Heritage learners Heritage learner issues exist in many Chinese classrooms. We shall discuss the scientific definitions of heritage learners (broader and narrow definitions) and more importantly, understand the differences between a heritage learner and a true beginner.

U9. Teaching grammar All experienced Chinese instructors understand that the grammar taught in a Chinese language class for foreign learners should be selective and different from “theoretical” grammar for experts of Chinese linguistics. We shall discuss how to teach Chinese grammar for beginning and intermediate level classes. Readings: Huan Wang: Basic Chinese Grammar for Learners Students are required to preview all the reading materials before class and raise questions for discussion.

D. GRADING PLAN Class Participation: 40% Homework Assignments: 30% Course Papers/Final Project: 30%

E. CLASSROOM RULES OF CONDUCT Please make sure your cellphone is turned off during class and refrain from surfing the web during class.

F. SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESS Attend every class session. Arrive at class on time. Prepare thoroughly for each class. Turn in all assignments on time. Be completely prepared to present on assigned day. Listen quietly and thoughtfully to fellow classmates’ presentations. Be prepared to ask questions when appropriate.