This book explores the learning and teaching of K-12 Chinese language in international schools. The authors of this book are scholars from teaching training institutions and universities, as well as professional frontline teachers. With a combination of the works and insights from both perspectives of theory and practice, the book presents how theories of teaching can be operated in classroom to improve the effectiveness of language teaching. It covers curriculum setting, design of teaching materials, teaching principles, methods, strategies, and evaluation. The book also discusses issues and concepts such as concept-driven learning, identity change and recognition of L1 and L2 Chinese teacher, pinyin teaching, Chinese character teaching, evaluation for learning improvement, and integration of South Asian non-Chinese speaking students into local schools. It emphasizes empirical action research methods. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing high value insights to scholars from university and teacher training institutions and teachers from kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools around the world.

Autorentext

Professor Jia-Fei Hong is Professor and Chair of the Department of Chinese as Second Language in National Taiwan Normal University. Her major research interests include Special Topics on Chinese Linguistics for IB (International Baccalaureate) program, Chinese Linguistics for distance teaching program, Chinese Lexicography, Chinese Syntax, and Chinese Pragmatics. Her contribution to the field of teaching Chinese as a Second Language can be found in her multiple years of teaching experience. Regarding research projects, she has a number of competitive research grants from MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology) in Taiwan, international collaboration projects for the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation and National Taiwan Normal University, MOE (Ministry of Education) teaching practice research program, and multi-year projects to attain top-university status. In addition, she is also the co-PI for the COOL (Competence-Oriented Omniform Learning for Chinese as a Foreign Language) Chinese project. She does some research-based and teaching-based projects on online teaching and teaching Chinese as a second language by technology-assisted instruction on CSL. Professor Chung-Mou SI is Professor of the Department of Chinese Language Studies in The Education University of Hong Kong. His major research interests include Chinese linguistics, teaching Chinese as a foreign language, and Chinese culture. His works and contributions in the study of recitation and Chinese classics can be found in his authorship of a dozen of academic books published in Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, and Taiwan as well as his research projects conducted on Chinese language learning and teaching in Hong Kong schools. He had served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Association for Chinese Language in Education, and is now Executive Committee Member of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching.