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Why did we make the change?

The problem: declining oral proficiency

Over the years, as parents and teachers, we have observed a decline in oral proficiency among our graduates at the 6th, 9th and 12th grade levels. This decline is most noticeable among our growing population of students in the B track, where Mandarin Chinese is not used in daily conversation in the family. While the curriculum based on the book series Mei Zhou Hua Yu has been taught to both A and B tracks for the past decade, its emphasis on writing and phrase based learning no longer meets the needs of students from our CSL families.

A solution: a new focus on conversation

Having learned from two other Chinese schools in the NY/CT region about their introduction of a new curriculum to meet the needs of CSL families, our Dean and head teachers began looking into the applicability of adopting the book series Chinese Wonderland, which is oriented toward scenario-based learning, emphasizing speaking and listening. After a trial semester, we decided to switch from Mei Zhou Hua Yu to Chinese Wonderland.

What are the biggest changes?

Scenario-based conversations

An energized emphasis on speaking and listening, as used in authentic scenario-based conversations, is the most significant change in our curriculum. Through traditional classroom learning and new technologies such as smartphones and tablets, our teachers plan to imprint the sounds and pronunciations in realistic life-based conversations. Relatively speaking, we are de-emphasizing the volume of writing assignments which only ask students to recognize frequently used Chinese characters.

Pinyin

In addition, for the CSL track at levels Basic II and Intermediate I, we will introduce Pinyin instead of Zhuyin (Bopomofo) blended into the class. There will also be an elective class for Intermediate I and up to reinforce the typing skill. The feel learning Pinyin offers a few advantages in terms of easier transition to Chinese courses taught in high schools and colleges as well as the large amount of online learning material and children’s publications. On the western computer keyboard, entering Chinese using Pinyin is also faster.

Proficiency-based levels

Finally, the CSL track is divided into six competency levels: Basic I and II, Intermediate I and II, and Advanced I and II. We want students’ Chinese proficiency to be reflected in the levels instead of the age-based grades. We expect most young students who have not been exposed to Chinese previously to enter in Basic I and after six to eight years of study, exit at Advanced II.

How will students be assessed/placed in the right level?

Based on oral and written assessments, our teachers will place  current B track students at their appropriate level to begin classes in the fall of 2016. In the fall, we will continue to work with parents and students to review placement decisions after a few weeks of lessons. we intended to build on students’ existing Chinese learning,giving them more challenges in oral expressions and conversations. If we believe a student should be placed in higher or lower levels, we will work with his or her parents to transition that student to the new class.

How will students advance to the next level?

At the beginning at every semester, a student may request to advance to the next level. To demonstrate his or her Chinese language proficiency, the student’s teacher and an Academic Dean designated instructor will jointly conduct an interview to evaluate his or her in conversational scenarios. The student also needs to recognize frequently used Chinese characters in the current book. The Dean may then decide to grant or decline the advancement request.

In theory, with lots of practice in speaking and listening, one may start at Basic level I and finish at Advanced level II in six semesters or three years. The school will be happy to issue a certificate and be proud of any student who demonstrates such proficiency. Such a certificate and proficiency will help guide students in the future.

How can parents help their student use available resources?

We believe parents’ support is a necessary component for our students’ success in learning Chinese outside of the classroom. Our new curriculum offers more online learning material such as animation, QuizletTM and audio recordings. We ask parents to work with their children to listen to and repeat the audio recordings 10 to 20 minutes each day during the week. Over time, students will pick up the correct vocabulary, pronunciation and intonation as they practice with the goal of memorizing the scenario-based conversations. We further encourage students to apply what they learn wherever possible, such as ordering Chinese food, shopping in Chinatown or visiting Chinese museums.

Graduation criterion

Students will receive a learning certificate after completing six and nine years of studies in the CSL track. Students completing the Advanced II level and meeting all the proficiency standards will receive a graduation certificate.