Teaching Chinese Language in Singapore

This book addresses the problems and issues surrounding teaching Chinese as a second language in the Singapore context. It identifies four main areas of concern: (1) Neglect of culture in the teaching of Chinese; (2) Difficulty of learning Hanzi (Chinese characters); (3) Cognitive and affective aspects of Chinese language learning; and (4) Authenticity of the Chinese language in a global and Singapore context. The book includes lesson design and instructional practices for re-prioritizing Chinese as a set of trainable skills, as well as teaching culture in the context of teaching the language. It also introduces the Chinese as a Second Language Readability Formula to help learners overcome their difficulties with learning Hanzi (Chinese characters), and the Attitude Toward Chinese Language Scale to help understand the various factors that can influence Chinese language learning. It also proposes a student-oriented model for conducting problem-based research, tapping into the disciplines of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. Resolving or minimizing the issues identified here requires action at the macro level by Chinese language researchers on a national scale, and at the micro level by classroom teachers through action research.

Autorentext
Dr. Soh Kaycheng is currently a Research Consultant at the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language. He is actively involved in training Chinese language teachers and conducting action research workshops, and publishes regularly on issues and problems in Chinese language instruction. He has also published books on global university rankings, international comparisons of academic achievement, educational measurement, and teacher creativity.

Inhalt
Part I: Chinese Language Teaching and Culture.- 1. Language Leaning and Culture Teaching: Culture in Language.- 2. Culture-based and Values-oriented Language Instruction.- 3. Enhancing Culture Learning in Chinese Language Curriculum.- Part II: Teaching and Learning of Hanzi.- 4. Chinese Character Lists: Development, Uses, and Limitations.- 5. Difficulty Index and Ease Index of Hanzi.- 6. Readability Formula for Chinese as a Second Language.- 7. Strategies for Preventing Orthographical Errors.- Part III: Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Chinese Language Teaching.- 8. Two Needed Changes in the Teaching of Chinese Language.- 9. The Need to Revitalize Chinese Language in Singapore.- 10. Attitude toward Chinese Language Scale: Its Measurement and Uses.- Part IV: About the Future.- 11. Forecasting the Future of Chinese Language in Singapore.- 12. Ten Questions about Chinese Language Teaching in Singapore.- 13. Research into Teaching of Chinese Language in Singapore: From Students to Students.