Chinese Language Pedagogy and Methods

Catalog description

This graduate course is designed to equip students with the most advanced and up-to-date theoretical knowledge and practical skills of teaching modern Chinese with emphasis on the instruction of beginning and intermediate levels. The theoretical component introduces you to both mainstream and innovative theoretical frameworks in second-language acquisition and sociology of education, including teaching within the National Standards; communication-based audio-lingo approach; backward design; prosodic syntax in Chinese; official knowledge; tracking; ecologies of resources; assessment and testing. The practical component emphasizes everyday classroom situations and discusses diverse teaching concepts and the development of individual teaching strategies and styles. Special attention will be given to concrete teaching and learning strategies within the communication-based audio-lingo approach, including Chinese grammar illustration, corrective feedback, teaching techniques, educational technologies, etc. Chinese proficiency at the advanced level is required because this course will be taught in both Chinese and English, and many of the reading materials are in Chinese.