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Make your audience the hero.

怎么提高中文教学效率而不感觉burn out?

Define your audience's problems. ...

stress, overwork, pushing students, yet students still don’t want to work

Be a guide with a solution. …

非常理解, 到处讲座,35 年

Create a clear plan. …

天天小考, routines of teaching, projects

Include a clear call to action. …

我的项目作品

Discuss the potential for failure. …

学生人数, 学校不支持, 感觉自己做不好, 难受

End your story with success.

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Teaching World Languages Through Projects and Culture

Lei Cohen 邓蕾

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LAYING THE FOUNDATION

EXPLORING AND RESEARCHING

SYNTHESIZING AND COLLABORATING

REPORTING

ASSESSING AND EVALUATING

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Students learning world languages through projects

  • Students are more engaged: active, not passive.
  • Students learn how to take initiative and be responsible.
  • Students develop success skills/life skills: critical thinking, collaboration, communication, public speaking/presentation.
  • Provides opportunities for students to use technology.
  • Connects students to the real world.

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Students learning world language through projects

  • Students learn organizational and research skills.
  • Inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of subjects.
  • Students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained.
  • Students develop confidence.
  • Students learn more when, from time to time, teaching roles are switched.

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Types of Projects

Language Projects:

Demonstrate students’ proficiency in Chinese. The topics are related to the textbook, and the resulting presentations are all in Chinese.

All in Chinese.

With words from the textbook

With supplementary words

With grammar

For some projects students write first then talk.

Culture Projects:

Students explore Chinese culture and share with what they have found. The knowledge stems from students, from their exploration. Students are active in their learning.

The first year: all in English then combination of English and Chinese

The second year: 50-80% in Chinese.

The third year: All Chinese

The fourth year: All Chinese

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Laying the Foundation

The teacher...

  • procters daily quizzes ( dictations) for vocabulary along with a lot of speaking, reading, listening, and writing.
  • adds supplementary daily life vocabulary.
  • adds supplementary project specific vocabulary.
  • creates and distributes grammar packages.
  • leads class, in Chinese, in making sentences, skits, orals, questions and answers, dialogues, daily reports, etc.
  • Adding supplementary vocabulary for daily life
  • Supplementary for the party project
  • Grammar

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Examples

Language projects:

My family and I (Chinese I)

Related to Integrated Chinese Level I part 1 Chapter 1-5 about self introduction , family and hobbies. The supplementary words are related to sports, food, Zodiac signs, pets, etc.

Daily Report (Beginning of Chinese II)

Making Food and Selling (Chinese II, all Chinese with culture)

My Dream School (Chinese II, relate to the chapters about schools and programs, supplementary words are learned for this project)

My Summer ( Chinese IV )

Culture Projects:

Students Choose Topics (Chinese I)

Famous Chinese Holiday and People (Chinese II, use Chinese words if students have learned them)

Mao's Last Dancer Movie Review (Chinese III, all Chinese)

Chinese Dynasties (Chinese III, 80 percent in Chinese)

Make a Movie (Chinese IV, all in Chinese)

Students Choose Topics (Chinese IV, all in Chinese and more sophisticated topics to choose from )

Movie Transcription (Chinese IV)

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Students’ Samples

My Family

Student's presentation in Beijing

Write before presenting

Chinese Legends (Students choose free topics)

Chinese Culture (Level II, most in Chinese)

Chinese Architecture (IV, Students choose free topics)

Make a Movie (Chinese IV)

One Child Policy and Weather (Chinese II)

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Evaluations

After every presentation, students ask their classmates at least three questions.

  • Students collate the class’ questions into one list.
  • Teacher integrates these questions into evaluations.

Students ask questions after every presentation

Students put questions together

One Part of the Test

Review of Midterm

Recite the Idioms

One Part of the Final

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Chinese I

Language Projects

  • My Hobbies
  • Who am I
  • My family

Culture Projects

  • Any topics about China that you are interested
  • Splendid China
  • Map of China

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Chinese II

Language Projects:

  • Daily Reports
  • Singing Projects
  • My Dream School
  • Making Food And Selling

Culture Projects:

  • Chinese Culture
  • Famous Holidays and famous people
  • Splendid China
  • Translate a song and sing

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Chinese III

Language and Culture Projects Combined: Students should use much longer sentences and a lot of grammar.

  • Chinese Dynasties
  • Compare Weather of Chinese and American Cities
  • My Dream House
  • Mao’s Last Dancer Movie Review
  • Chinese Idioms
  • Chinese III Party
  • Map of China , including food, weather and local famous people.

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Chinese IV

  • My Summer
  • Chinese Culture
  • Movie Transcription and Review
  • Make a Movie
  • My University
  • Learning Chinese in The Benjamin School
  • Traveling in China.

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Never finish projects in one day

您每天先上课, 布置作业, 然后学生自己research for the projects. 一般一个作品做两个星期,然后唱歌, 跳舞。

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Questions?

And please rate this session.

Questions in the chatting room, please.

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Thank You!

Teaching World Languages Through Projects and Culture

Lei Cohen 邓蕾

The Benjamin School

leideng.cohen@thebenjaminschool.org

561-472-5998