Integrating the Chinese Culture and the Western Culture into Curriculum

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Integrating the Chinese Culture and the Western
Culture into Curriculum

• By Yanyu Zhou
• Confucius Institute at Maryland
• April 18, 2008

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Introduction

• Research shows that language and culture are
  from the start inseparably connected (Buttjes,
  1990 55, cited in Lessard-Clouston, 1997).
• Foreign language learning is foreign culture
  learning.
• Effectively incorporating the teaching of culture
  into the foreign language curriculum is the goal
  for teachers to achieve.

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What is culture?

• Duranti (1997 24) defines culture as something
  learned, transmitted, passed down from one
  generation to the next, through human actions,
  often in the form of face-to-face interaction,
  and, of course, through linguistic
  communication.

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• Specifically, in Standards for Foreign Language
  Learning in the 21st Century, the term culture
  consists of three components
• the philosophical perspectives (meaning,
  attitudes, values, and ideas),
• the behavioral practices (patterns of social
  interactions)
• the products (books, tools, foods, laws, music,
  and games).
• These three elements are closed interrelated.

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• In todays globalization era, teaching language
  and culture to our children is becoming more
  important than ever before.
• Cultural understanding is becoming the first
  priority for human being to co-exist.
• The language learning will foster our students a
  greater understanding and appreciation of world
  cultures.

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A personal experience of integrating culture into
curriculum

• 1. Understanding of culture, value, and meaning
  always comes first than the structure and rules
  of the language itself.
• Language as the primary vehicle for expressing
  cultural perspectives.
• Only the students understand the culture better,
  can they learn the language better.

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My first class China and Chinese

• The one of the oldest countries in the world
• 5,000 written history
• Rich culture
• Beautiful land

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The Chinese ancestors (600,000 years ago)
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???-The first Chinese emperor (259-210 B.C.)
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My hometown Guilin (??)
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???-The Chinese Dragon
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??-Beijing opera
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???-Chinese painting
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?? -the Chinese School
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Chinese language one of the beautiful languages
in the world
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• 2. Integrate not only the Chinese culture but
  also the Western culture into curriculum
• Starting language learning from students daily
  life (using childrens familiar cartoon figures
  to create flash cards, learning Chinese through
  games they are playing in their life)

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• The special day and big holidays are always the
  best timing and opportunity for children to pick
  up the language.
• Usually, the special day and holidays represent
  the knowledge of the conventions, customs, and
  beliefs.
• Since those holidays relate to students real
  life, that inspires students to learn.
• Learn with fun.

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• The Chinese culture
• The Moon Festival
• The National Day
• The Chinese New Year
• The Western culture
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas
• Easter

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Merry Christmas!

• Make beautiful flash cards.
• Sing a song Jungle Bell.
• Have a Christmas party.

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??? ???? ???Christmas Santa
Claus Christmas tree
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Celebrating Easter

• ??? (fù huó jié)
• Easter
• ???????
• We celebrate Easter.

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• ?????! (fùhuójié kuàilè)
• Happy Easter!

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• ????? (fùhuójié caidàn)
• Easter eggs
• ??????????
• We like Easter eggs.

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• ????? (fùhuójié tùzi)
• the Easter bunny
• ????????? ?
• We like Easter bunnies.

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• ??? (qiaokèlì) - chocolate
• ????????,?????????
• Elder brother likes to eat chocolate, so do I.

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• ????? (fùhuójié caidàn)
• chocolate eggs
• ???????? (fùhuójié qiaokèlì caidàn)
• Easter chocolate eggs
• ????????????,??????????????
• Younger sister likes Easter chocolate eggs, does
  younger brother.

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• ???????? (fùhuójié qiaokèlì tùzi)
• the Easter chocolate bunny
• ????????????? ?
• We like to eat Easter chocolate bunnies.

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Celebrating the Chinese New Year An effective
case of integrating the Chinese culture and the
Western culture into curriculum

• A comprehensive approach
• Writing a drama signed up a specific role for
  each student to imitate how Chinese people
  celebrate the Chinese New Year.
• Doing Internet research.
• Making a Powerpoint presentation
• Singing and dancing

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• ?? Beijing

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• ?? Guangzhou - South of China

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• ?? Changsha - South of China

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• ?? jinan - East of China

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• ?? Shantou - South of China

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• ??? the New Year Eve dinner
• ?? Dumplings

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• ???/????!
• - Happy New Year!

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• 2 ????! (gongxifacái)
• Wish you prosperity.

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• ????! (wànshìrúyì)
• May everything be as you wish.

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The Chinese New Year Dance

• The student dance for celebrating the Chinese New
  Year combining the Chinese song and the Western
  music together.

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3.The Chinese Cultural Day

• 1) Introducing lanterns to students by a
  powerpoint presentation
• 2) Reading an article about the Lanterns.
• 3). Learning by doing Students learned how to do
  a lantern.

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• 4. Arouse students enthusiasm about the Chinese
  language learning through promoting Chinese
  culture in school-wide.
• Example celebrating Chinese new year.
• Language and culture display on the school hall
  way
• A dancing show on school TV announcement in the
  morning.
• Powerpoint presentation all the day on school TV
• Asking students to make lanterns for each
  classroom in the school.

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• 5. Learn Chinese language and culture through a
  comparative approach.
• Name
• Family structure
• Holidays

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Conclusions

• Language never exists in a vacuum, rather,
  language teaching is culture teaching.
• The teaching of culture should constitute an
  integral part of the Chinese language curriculum.

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• Teaching culture should be happened in two ways
  fostering students understanding of the target
  culture and raising their awareness of their own
  culture at the same time.
• Therefore, integrating the Chinese culture and
  the Western culture into curriculum will be a
  tendency toward Chinese language teaching.
• High technology takes an important role in
  language and culture teaching.

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• Finally, as a Chinese teacher, I hope that we can
  play an active role in integrating the Western
  and Eastern culture together, incorporating what
  is best in the education traditions of the West
  and the East, and building bridges of cultural
  understanding through our dynamic language and
  cultural teaching. Therefore, we can make an
  alternative way of language teaching in 21st
  century.