| Pedagogy Institute 2009 | |||
|
|
|||
|
Heidi Chun |
|||
|
|||
| Teaching
Statement My teaching Students take Mandarin courses because they want to speak the dialect correctly, and they are fascinated by China. They devote endless amounts of time to completing character sheets, doing homework, and memorizing. Teachers do offer them feedback on these things. However, a number of instructors are afraid that if they offer students consistent oral correction on tones and grammar, certain students will lose confidence and not talk. As such, they allow students to use English-in-Chinese for oral responses and in-class discussions. Moreover, non-native instructors often feel uncomfortable teaching cultural points beyond the basics; these teachers fear that they do not know the topic in enough depth to answer questions or that they will accidentally stereotype the Chinese. Finally, many of the popular textbooks do not regularly review characters introduced in previous lessons, and as a result studies emphasize new vocabulary and much previously covered material is forgotten. In consequence, students are cheated of valuable review, correction, and cultural information, and their communicative and linguistic competences remain at a much lower levels than they could be. The Chinese teacher is best to see his/herself as a cultural ambassador between the students and China. The cultural ambassador’s goal is to help the students prepare for integration into Chinese society with solid understandings of the country and high communicative competences. Instructors best create a classroom where consistent correction on tones and grammar is the norm so students become accustomed to it. At the same time, they should encourage students to experiment with sentence patterns and vocabulary when speaking to achieve maximum rehearsal and understanding of usage. In all occasions possible, rote responses should be replaced with journal entries, blogs, and article-based in-class discussions about China. Finally, teachers should support student risk-taking and creativity by offering students valuable feedback and support. |
|||
|
1020 E. Kirkwood Ave., Ballantine 120 | Bloomington, IN 47405-7104 | (812) 855-8383 | Last updated: 30 Jul 09 Comments: celtie@indiana.edu | Copyright 2007, The Trustees of Indiana University | Copyright Complaints |
|||
