Target Standard & Visual Learning

The content standard I am looking at is World Language- Grades 9-12. I will focus on communication, especially the content standard 1- Interpersonal communication.

I have been teaching Chinese as a second language for more than ten years in China, Japan and the US. A experienced foreign language teacher must know that it is much more difficult to teach the students to speak a goal language than teaching them how to read or write it, because when people communicate with others, he/she will have no time to check dictionary, no time to think if the sentence he/she speaks out fits the correct grammar or not. All the language communication (listening, understanding and speaking out appropriate sentences) have to be complete in limited time. Most of second language learners have not enough time and language environment. How much a student could master the new language depends on how much effective time the student can have to practice the goal language. To save time, usually we do not give students time to read textbooks in the classroom. When I worked at Harvard University, I prepared many flash cards and write key sentences and goal structure on the blackboard before class. If the classroom has electric screen, I will make them into PowerPoint in advance.

For meeting the culture standard it is a good idea to link visual learning with digital’s imagery & Inspiration. In the past, we had to bring heavy picture books to class and showed students to fit the same visual outcomes.

I have continued to go to my daughters’ school to celebrate Chinese New Year and introduce Chinese culture. I had summed up a model of activities. That is reading a Chinese New Year book, making one or two Chinese New Year arts & crafts and enjoying some Chinese food or gifts. In the latest two years, I added some digital video about Chinese New Year to show children and got a big welcome. This year I showed a song “Best Wishes” to my little daughter’s class, it’s so amazing when the children watched and heard the song on the computer, they began to dance following the music beats.