Applying the Concept of Print to Learning and Teaching Chinese Characters

 

Chen Shuyuan (陳淑媛)

New Paltz High School

 

The Chinese writing system is exotic to beginners. This presentation focuses on how to make this become an attraction and encourage them to embrace the new culture instead of terrifying them.

 

Research has shown that the perceived difficulty of Chinese characters is one of the factors makes learners feel Chinese is challenging. This pre-existing opinion is likely to hinder their learning. How to use varied teaching approaches to eliminate students’ fear and increase teaching and learning efficiency should be a critical concern from the first day our students walk into our classroom. In my presentation, I will illustrate how to develop students’ readiness for Chinese characters, how to lower their anxiety and expand their understanding of the Chinese writing system, what in-class and after-class activities help students to strengthen their Chinese character understanding and how computers can improve learning outcomes through PowerPoint and online games.

 

The information will be presented on PowerPoint with various examples of course design, activities, and assessments to show how to increase learners’ understanding of Chinese characters. I contrast students’ pre-existing attitudes toward Chinese characters with their attitudes after these learning activities, and give evidence of learning outcomes.

 

The audience will activate more ideas about how to lower student anxiety and increase motivation for learning Chinese characters. The audience will get new ideas about how to design Chinese characters activities. The audience will learn how to use Internet resources to make Chinese character learning more efficient and fun.