teaching chinese: fill the bucket or light the fire?

Fill the bucketor

light the fire?

启发式学习填鸭式学习

Fill the bucket

content

teacher focus

knowledge

student dependenc

e

everyone learns the same

content and the same way知识

学生过度依赖 老师专注的 内容

大家学习一样的方法一样的内容

Light the fire

applying knowledge

student focus

student independen

cecontent and

learning style are adjusted to the student’s needs

知识和应用

学生独立学习 学生专注的

依学生的需求调整学习的内容和方式

What’s wrong with filling the bucket?

Teacher-centered classroom

Passive learners

No Learning Autonomy

没有学习自主权

Cookie cutter approach to teaching Chinese

千篇一律的中文教学方法

把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把把

Filling the Bucket

Chinese Warm Up Song

把手举起来 bǎ shǒu jǔ qǐlái

Raise your hands

把 手 拍一拍 bǎ shǒu pāi yī pāi

Clap your hands

蹲 下 去 dūn xià qù

Squat down

站 起 来 zhàn qǐ lái

Stand up

摇 摇 头 yáo yáo tóu

Shake your head

摆一摆 bǎi yī bǎi

Sway

“Give a person a fish and he/she

will eat for a day.

Teach a person to fish and

he/she will eat for a lifetime.”

授人于鱼不如授之于渔 - 孔子

Filling the bucket

All students complete the same activities

Whole class teaching

Students are grouped together

Similar teaching strategies

Assume students have little or noknowledge

Learning goals are all the same

Reteaching gives more content usingthe same strategies

Assessment is at the end of a unit

Students are assessed in the same way

Lighting the fire

启发式学习

Students are given a choice of activities

Whole class, small groups, partners, individual

Group students according to interestsand needs

A variety of teaching strategies

Use pre-assessment before starting a unit

Learning goals are adjusted according to needs to students

Reteaching gives more depth of content and uses different strategies

Ongoing assessment to check learning

Students use different ways to demonstrate learning

Students are given a choice of activities

Tips and tricks for remembering Chinese

characters

Change is

coming

“Give a person a fish and he/she

will eat for a day.

Teach a person to fish and

he/she will eat for a lifetime.”

授人于鱼不如授之于渔 - 孔子

高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高 高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高高

Brain was disengaged

No Learning Autonomy

没有学习自主权

No Understanding

不理解

Do your students THINK

about Chinese characters?

多说

多

多听

了解

Students need to have that “Ah-ah” moment

我明白了

The traditional way

Copy Write over and over Dictation Test Often Failure

教中国字的传统方式

模仿 / 复制，一遍一遍的写，听写，测试，失败

That’s the way we have always

done it!这就是我们一直做事的方法

Brain Activation in the Processing of ChineseCharacters and Words: A Functional MRI Study

Li Hai Tan,1* John A. Spinks,1 Jia-Hong Gao,2 Ho-Ling Liu,2Charles A. Perfetti,3 Jinhu Xiong,2 Kathryn A. Stofer,

• ‘Our results indicate that both the left and the right hemisphere were engaged during the processing of Chinese single-character and two-character words. The left frontal regions were much more strongly activated than the right frontal regions, demonstrating left hemispheric dominance in the frontal lobe.’

The results found that a chunking mechanism underlies the perception of Chinese characters so learners tend to organize information into chunks to reduce processing

load.

The Role of Learning Experience on the perceptual organization of

Chinese charactersWenliang Chen

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kyoto, Japan

A Neural Network Model for Visual Perceptual Learning

Jiawei Chen, Liujun Chen, Yan Li - Beijing Normal University

Beginner learners use global strategies to identify characters. Beginners try to set up a relationship between the characters with some pictures that already exist in the brain.

For learners at the Intermediate and Advanced level, the radicals play a more important role in the process of perception.

Chinese characters can be perceived by two basic modes:

Global to local (global perception) and

Local to global (local perception)

Local perception is more efficient than global perception

Students are ACTIVE Learners

of Chinese

characters

The SECRET of Chinese

characters.

STAGE 1: Suspended all learning of textbook characters

“ 给一个人一条鱼，他吃了一天 .”

“Give a person a fish, he/she will eat for a day.”

“ 教人以渔，他能养活自己的生命 .”

孔子

STAGE 1: Suspended all learning of textbook characters

“Teach a person to fish and he/she will have enough for a life-time.”

STAGE 1: The space

在空间上中国字的表现

Students need practice in sorting characters

into parts

你 好 明

Left Right

练习把字分成几个部分

Top

家

Bottom

金 每

Over / Under

成 每

Outside Inside

回 因国

Balloon Stampede Game

http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_currcorp/Crackingthecode

Sorting characters

STAGE 2: The Building Blocks

建筑积木或者中文偏旁部首

Give students the keys that unlock characters!

给学生去解锁 / 理解中国字的钥匙

Make Students INSIDERS of Chinese characters

What does this look like in the classroom?

• From Day 1, students are engaged in exploring characters using radicals.

• Radicals are what unlock characters

• Radicals provide ‘hooks’ for memory

Training the brain to see patterns and connections.

训练一种能发现模式和联系的思维方式

lid

mouth

border

Give English names to the Building Blocks

Nurture autonomous learning

Teacher-ledStudent learning

天然的自主学习

Teach clusters /components

-Allows guessing-Cues for memory-Dictionary use-Organizes information in the brain

Explore characters in clusters

Students need to explore characters

学生应该探索中国字

Dragon Temple Game

http://www.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Coll_currcorp/Crackingthecode

Do your students have the keys to understanding characters?

My School - New words

Go 去 Classroom 教 室 Office 办公室 Sports field 运动场 Library 图书馆 Assembly hall 礼堂 Dining hall 食堂 Toilet 洗手间

My School - New words

Go 去 : 土 , 厶 earth / private

Classroom 教 室 : 孝 , 攵 obedience /

Office 办公室 : 力 , 八 , 八 , 厶 , 宀 , 至 Sports field 运动场 : 辶 , 云 , 云 , 力 ,

Library 图书馆 : 囗 , 冬 , 饣 , 官 Assembly hall 礼堂 : 龸 , 口 , 土Dining hall 食堂 : 食 , 龸 , 口 , 土Toilet 洗手间 : 氵 , 先 , 手 , 门 , 日

http://hanzijs.com/

Students need to classify

characters

口口 吃 喝 唱 嘴哭

Students need to compare

characters

Students need to organize characters

Students need to connect characters to visual memory

学生应该将中国字和虚拟的记忆联系起来

The Good news is…

Building Blocks

Meaning

Connections

Context

Teach Characters in context

在上下文的环境里教中国字

Brain seeks connections, context and meaning!

Avoid teaching

VocabularyGrammarSentence structures

in isolation!

Teach Characters in Context

Provide Memory Cues

Encourage imagination and ‘picture seeing’

Rainbow Writing

彩虹写

Look, Cover, Write, Check

Word Walls

Harness the power of technologyin your Chinese language

classroom

Apps for Learning Chinese

http://www.creativechinese.com/2011/09/25/ipads-and-ipods-in-the-chinese-classroom/

1. Sorting Characters - space

2. Building Blocks3. Clusters and chunks

4. Visual memory5. Technology

The SECRETS of Chinese

characters.

Are your learners engaged

in learning Chinese

characters?

Are your students autonomous learners

of Chinese characters?

部首

Let students write!

让学生写

1. Writing Journals

写日记

3. Meaningful Writing

有意义的写作

What does your writing program look like?

Mechanics of WritingCharacter writing on gridsRadicals / Stroke order

Formula WritingCopy sentencesPrepared writing tasks

Let the students write!

My opinions 我的意见

My feelings 我的感情My suggestions 我的建议

Mechanics of WritingCharacter writing on gridsRadicals / Stroke order

Formula WritingCopy sentencesPrepared writing tasks

My thinking 我的想法

What does your writing program look like?

Remembering Characters

(Saturday session)

Modelled Writing

(Teacher generated model writing)

Writing for a Purpose

(Student generated writing)

I feel that....

I enjoy....

I wish....

I hope....

My opinion is....

the fence

Purpose of writing is to.....

communicatet

explain

Opinions Ideas Suggestions Recommendations

Formula Writing Express myself!

I hope there is a new series of Dr. Who.

I think Britain’s Got Talent is the greatest!

I especially like watching music videos, because I want to learn to play the guitar.

Do you encourage students to express themselves?

Expressing my opinion matters..

I think...

I feel...

I wish...

I hope...

My opinion is...

Why use a Chinese Journal?

为什么写中文日记 ?

• Opinions and Ideas• S.T.P.V.O• Express THEIR

opinion, not the teachers

• Natural writing that is owned by students

• Learning of new vocabulary

• Differentiation - Weaker students can excel

• Provides Feedback• Frequency of writing

increases• Reflect on learning• Record of writing

progress• Breaks down fear of

writing / using correct characters etc.,

• Emphasizes PROCESS of writing

Chinese Journals

1. Three times a week, you will write an entry inyour 日记 . You can use 英文 and 中文 to start with.

2. The Journal is where you will write your thoughts, opinions, and likes/dislikes about anything. You may also illustrate your journal.

3. Every Friday, I will collect your Journals and give you feedback about your writing.

写作是一个过程，并允许学生犯错误！

Writing is a process, and students are

permitted to make

mistakes!

My Word Bank

• store new words• expand vocabulary

• easy to refer to..

• customized to each individual student

Word Bank 字银行

Learning Map

There’s a Celebrity in my Journal Week

What does he look like?

他是什么样子的？What do you like about him?

关于他你喜欢他什么？What don’t you like about him?

关于他你不喜欢他什么 ?

What kind of person is he?

他是什么样的人呢 ?

What does he do best?

他 ( 是 ) 做什么最好？

在周记里有名人（学生在他们的日记里写一个名人 . ）

Word Order 句子中的词序

S.T. P.V.O我

星期一

在学校

踢

足球I

Monday

at school

kicked

football

Tenses 过去，现在和将来时态

• Past

• Present

• Future

我现在 .......

我以前 .......

我将去 .......

我周末打算 ......

Writing is a Process.

Experimenting and

Mistakes are central to the writing

Process.

You are a blogger for a website about what it’s like to be a teenager in the UK

My interestsFriends Introduction

of self

DifficultiesHopes for thefuture

1. Generate ideas 产生想法

You are on work experience in a Health Club and need to write a web page

51

Benefits of regular exerciseDay and time

of classes

List availableclasses

Getting fitImportance of keeping healthy

1. Generate ideas

You are writing to a Chinese e-pal about your Easter break.

What you did with friends?

Explain Easter break

What did youdo at home?

A boring day?Plans for the weekend?

1. Generate ideas

STEP 1: Generate ideas in English想一想

Write a Blog about where you live.

The type of house do you live in-house/flat?-like/dislike your house? Why?-compare your house with housing in China?-how long lived there?

Describe the place you live-what your city/town is like?-what is there for young people to do?-what you like about it / dislike? Why?

Events where you live-Tourist attractions?-What is there to do in summer? winter?-Festivals? / celebrations?

Where you want to live in the future-Type of area you would like to live in?-What would be there for you?-Why?

STEP 2: Organize content (Chinese)组织内容

Mind Maps 创建一个心地图

http://www.mindmeister.com/

STEP 3:Write a first draft

写初稿

Do you show students what GOOD writing looks like?

你能不能示范给学生看良好的写作像什么样子？

Why should I write?

3. Meaningful Writing

Create authentic reasons for writing!

Letter-writingLabels

Notes and Messages

Email

Journal

What to write?

Writing Genres• Journal Entries• Personal Letter• Greeting Card• Schedule/Things to Do List• Inner Monologue Representing Internal Conflicts• Classified or Personal Ads• Personal Essay or Philosophical Questions• Top Ten List/Glossary or Dictionary• Poetry• Song Lyrics• Autobiographical Essay• Contest Entry Application• Business Letter or Correspondence/Persuasive or

Advocacy Letter• Biographical Summary• Critique of a Published Source• Speech or Debate• Historical Times Context Essay• Textbook Article• Science Article or Report/Business Article or Report• Lesson Plan• Encyclopedia Article• Short Scene from a Play with Notes for Stage

Directions• Short Scene from a Movie with Notes for Camera

Shots• Dialogue of a Conversation among Two or More

People• Short Story• Adventure Magazine Story• Ghost Story• Myth, Tall Tale, or Fairy Tale• Talk Show Interview or Panel• Recipe and Description of Traditional Holiday Events• Classroom Discussion• Character Analysis or Case Study• Comedy Routine or Parody• Liner Notes

• Picture book• Chart or Diagram with Explanation and Analysis• Brochure or Newsletter• Time Line or Chain of Events• Map with Explanation and Analysis• Magazine or TV Advertisement or Infomercial• Restaurant Description and Menu• Travel Brochure Description• How-To or Directions Booklet• Receipts, Applications, Deeds, Budgets or Other Documents• Wedding, Graduation or Special Event Invitation• Birth Certificate• Local News Report• Pop-Up book• Review and Poster for a Movie, Book, or TV Program• Board Game or Trivial Pursuit with Answers and Rules• Comic Strip or Graphic Novel excerpt• Power Point Presentation• Informational Video• Web Site• Future News Story• Letter to the Editor• Newspaper or Magazine Feature/Human Interest Story• Obituary, Eulogy or Tribute• News Program Story or Announcement• Tabloid Article

Vary the types of writing you assign to students

Who is the audience?

What is the purpose of writing?

What writing products will they create?

Writing from Day 1

Support writing for meaning

Encourage use of characters

Allow feedback for learning

从第一天开始，让学生用中文写东西。

Adopt an Egg Project

Decorate an egg

Write a description of egg in Chinese

Introduce Adopted egg to class

Create an ID for Adopted Egg

Record daily activities of Adopted egg

What did we learn?Descriptions, parts of body, family, colours, dates, days of the week, numbers, nationalities, likes/dislikes, daily routine, S.T.V.P.O

Adopt an Egg Project• Today you will receive your egg.

•今天你收到一个鸡蛋。

• You will take it home and decorate it.

• 你要把这个鸡蛋带回家 。画眼睛，头发，鼻子 etc.,

• You will care for your egg and write a weekly diary about the adventures of your egg using the S.T.V.O. rule.

• 这个鸡蛋是你领养的。每天要保护它。你也要写一个日记 ( 你的鸡蛋喜欢什么？它的日常生活是什么 ? ）

Adopt an Animal Project