New York, New York 10001

Tel: (212) 563-7580

Panelist: Rachel Meyer

Panel Discussion Abstract:

At CTA-GNY’s May 1^st panel discussion I propose to explore the topic of retention and motivation of American students studying Chinese. I will focus on adult students. In general I hope to outline points on how to motivate the continued studies of our students of Chinese and elucidate the American perspective on the difficulties of learning Mandarin. Following is an outline of how each topic will be covered:

ATTITUDE: First, I will discuss the difficulties Americans encounter when starting to learn Chinese as opposed to a western language such as Spanish, Italian or French. I will discuss my own experience and frustration with learning and that which I have found in the students who come to our school. I will discuss how the first step in keeping your students interested in Chinese is addressing this aspect of frustration. Attitude has much to do with a student’s ability to follow through in his or her studies.

SYSTEMIZED LEARNING: Once a teacher successfully addresses the above issue and the student does not feel “stupid” or alone in his or her struggle to learn Chinese, the next step is giving the students the tools to learn. I will talk about how Americans need to learn how to learn Chinese. Without this key, we are usually left floundering, wondering why after all the hard studying we still can’t engage in the most simple of conversations. I will discuss two example cases of students who were successful at our school learning Chinese and how each created a specific system for learning. I will outline how the school and teacher can help the student systemize his or her learning.

ON GOING ENCOURAGEMENT: The best encouragement for a student is to actually use what he and she is learning. If a school’s curriculum is too ambitious and if the teacher is covering too much material without reviewing, the student will become discouraged and want to quit. Repetition and simplicity is extremely important. I will show several ways to keep the teaching simple and how to use repetition as a tool. Students have fun and feel encouraged when they are able to understand the teacher and able to respond in Chinese.

INCLUDING CULTURE: I will discuss another step to keeping students interested, which is to show the rewards of learning Chinese outside of the linguistic aspects. Many Chinese teachers who are Chinese take for granted how fascinating their culture can be to the outsider. Teachers and schools should encourage students by helping them learn about China and Chinese customs. Including this in the daily lesson is important. I will show some examples of how to do this. Also, it is helpful to give students ideas of events, places they can go in New York to use their Chinese and learn about Chinese culture. I will give my “Top Ten Best” list on places they can tell their students to go. Chinese culture is a big draw for American students.

RESULTS: Once your students have a good attitude, have made an effective system for learning and are happy and engaged in class, the next step is to keep them on the road to learning. This means they will need to have an abiding interest in continuing. Helping students set goals is crucial in accomplishing this. If you work at a university, this is may be easier since the grade may be the goal or a motivating force. If you work for a language school or teach students privately or in another such setting, you must artificially create these goals. Either way, teachers in any setting should help their students sit down and write out their goals for learning and the time frame in which they want to reach those goals. You may encourage them to set a proficiency test as their goal. NYU has three levels of test to accommodate the beginner, intermediate and advanced student. The HSK exam is also great for high intermediate and advanced learners. With a test date set in the future, students will be motivated to push their selves harder. Goals are important to a student’s ability to improve.

SUMMARY: I will spend about 3-4 minutes on each of the above topics and leave the last several minutes to questions, should any one want clarification.