Personal research project on understanding the role of the teacher in China.
EXPERT CORNER – Part 2 We discussed Hanban’s International Curriculum for Chinese Language Education，the CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) approach， teaching Chinese characters and using the student’s mother tongue in the classroom. In 2007, Hanban’s Curriculum was developed with regards teaching Chinese abroad. The learning environment, and aims, of those abroad is inevitably different to…
EXPERT CORNER – Part 1 A dialogue with a university teacher with regards digital technology in the classroom. University Teacher 1 has been teaching Chinese for more than 20 years and has seen all of the changes and development in the industry first-hand. Using technology is a teaching basic for her. It’s not only a…
[wpvideo sswcLS00] I created a monster! After seeing my Powtoon video, a teacher friend went ahead and made her own video for a lesson about friends. Now I need to make an even better video..!
What I’m reading now: 1. ICCLE, International Curriculum for Chinese Language Education, published by Han Ban. What’s inside? A theoretical guideline for teaching Chinese. What did I learn? Han Ban have complied a clear guideline for teachers, of what learners should be able to do in Chinese (linguistic knowledge, linguistic skills, strategies and cultural awareness),…
EXPERT CORNER ‘XiCheng Cup’ Last week I observed a Primary School Chinese Teacher competition in XiCheng, a district in Beijing. From a teaching with (old and new) technology point of view, a projector, flat screen TV, blackboard, hand-drawn pictures & flashcards were all well integrated into student-centred lessons. I was very impressed! ‘西城杯’ 今年四月份在西城区举办了一个小学汉语老师比赛。为了丰富他们的课程老师们都用了多媒体教汉语。这个经历对我的印象很深。
Free Chinese Lessons! The (US) Chinese Culture Centre website has free Chinese lessons! Actually they are not lessons, but access to download the New Practical Chinese Reader (textbook and workbook) Volume 1 & 2, plus the audio files. This is a great resource to get you started reading Chinese: https://www.chineseculturecenter.org/OnlineTraining/CourseMaterials Good luck! 免费汉语教训！ 在美中文化教育交流中心的网站提供免费的中国经验！ 其实不是教训，而是进入下载新实用汉语课本（课本和练习册）卷1＆2，再加上音频文件。…
HSK (& CLPS) vs CEFR Just to make things a little more complicated/clearer(?!) I have included here a comparison of the HSK (& CLPS*) with the CEFR. Theoretically, these two (three) frameworks should have the same learning criteria at each level – but they do not. Indeed, it has been suggested that HSK Level 4…
Seeing Red In China Blog, Is Teaching English in China a Waste of Time? ELT in China and a “China English” Model, Mingjun Lu, 2007 Exploring a Summer English Camp Experience in China: A Descriptive Case Study, Feb 2006 Assessment Policy Change in Relation to English Language Teaching and Learning in China: A Study of…
HSK vs. CEFR As I contemplate how I learn, and how I want/like to be taught, it is also important to contemplate what to learn. There has always been some confusion in mind to be considered “good” in Chinese, having passed HSK 4, when, in fact, I feel very much like a beginner. This deeply-entrenched…
EXPERT CORNER Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with the founder of a US-based Chinese Language textbook series called Better Chinese. The company produces a range of multimedia resources from pre-school up to college level, and provides its own online learning system. Better Chinese have developed their own pedagogy: * Student-Centric approach *…