EXPANDING CHINESE LANGUAGE CAPACITY IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

1
EXPANDING CHINESE LANGUAGE CAPACITY IN THE STATE
OF WASHINGTON

• International Education
• Leadership Summit
• January 30, 2006
• Shuhan C. Wang, Ph.D.
• Education Associate
• World Languages International Education
• Delaware Department of Education
• swang_at_doe.k12.de.us

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Create a Tipping Point for Expanding Chinese
Language Capacity

• Act when the context is right!
• Create sticky messages that stay in peoples
  minds
• Identify and engage mavericks who can be your
  contagious messengers
• - Malcolm Gladwell, 2000

3

• The Context
• Is Chinese a Fad?
• In a flattened world,
• a more compelling question would be
• Why Not?

4
Chinas Economic Power as A New Globalizer
(World Bank, 2002)

• Now the largest producer of coal, steel and
  cement in the world
• 2nd largest consumer of energy
• 3rd largest importer of oil
• Imports to US have grown by 1600 in the past 15
  years
• Exports to China from the US have grown by 415
• China manufacturers 2/3rd of the world copiers,
  microwave ovens, DVD players, toys and shoes
• In the past 25 years, 300 million people moved
  out of poverty and quintupled the average income
• Wal-Mart is the largest company in the world
• Employs 1.4 million people---more than GM, Ford,
  GE and IBM combined
• Revenues are 8 X that of Microsoft
• 80 of everything sold in Wal-Mart is
  manufactured in China
• Economic output of 1.6 trillion is expected to
  triple in the next 15 years
• Data taken from Newsweek Magazine, "Special
  Report, China's Century." May 9, 2005.

5
Chinas Political Power Engagement with China
is Crucial

• An emerging superpower of the world
• A player in balancing international stability
• A key to the national security of the US
• An actor to ensure global human security
  challenges environment, health, poverty, human
  rights, migration, peace and so on

6
Chinas Cultural Heritage Enriches Our Lives

• Worlds longest uninterrupted civilization
• Literary and artistic traditions
• Influence on East-Asian philosophy, social
  structure, and ways of being in the world
• Linguistic influences
• Culinary arts
• Scientific and technological inventions
• Chinese medicine

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New Initiatives in the U.S.

• Handbook on Chinese Language Programs (Led by
  Asia Society, funded by College Board) to be
  completed in April 2006
• K-16 Flagship at the University of Oregon and
  Portland Public School District
• ChenGo Web- or CD-based Chinese Learning System
  developed by China and the US
• National Security Language Initiative

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Create Your Own Sticky Messages
Its All about Framing

• Increase awareness
• Make it relevant
• Create a sense of urgency
• Make it concrete Success stories speak volumes!
• - Adapted from Harry Harding (2002) Susan
  Bales (2003)

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Some Examples of Sticky Messagesfor Language
EducationBiliteracy for All Children

• Biliteracy is capital in the global funds for the
  
• 21st century
• Language minority children need to acquire
  English, but they also need to maintain their
  heritage language and culture
• English dominant children need to learn another
  language other than English

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Why Does the US Need Pluralistic Citizens?

• Everybody else is learning English a
  double-edged sword for the US
• Others can understand us, but we cannot
  comprehend them!
• Know our own language and culture better through
  studying others
• It is a waste to dry up our rich linguistic and
  cultural resources

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Language Study Helps Development of
Problem-Solving and Creative-Thinking Skills

• Linguistic Knowledge of and skill in another
  language Native language becomes concrete
• Cultural Knowledge of another culture outside
  Europe stronger self- and US-identities
• Social Pride in being able to learn a
  difficult language Feeling smart
• Cognitive
• Tap into multiple intelligences
• Develop and use better learning strategies
• Become self-managed and life-long learners
• Character-Based languages 2-dimensional
  patterning, geometry
• Relationship with Math (e.g., number values)

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Start Young and Stay Long

• Time is needed to build oral proficiency and
  literacy in Chinese/second language
• Realistic expectations
• Comprehensive planning
• Long-term investment

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So the Context is Right, and there are Sticky
Messages

• Who Should be the Messengers?
• You!
• Create your own quotable!

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Michael Eskew CEO, United Parcel Service
Education in an Age of Globalization

• Six traits in future employees at UPS
• Trade literate
• Sensitive to foreign cultures
• Conversant in different languages
• Technology savvy
• Capable of managing complexity
• Ethical
• December 8, 2005 States Institute,
  LEnfant Plaza Hotel

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Howard Schultz Chairman, Starbucks

• China's emerging as one of the centers of the
  world, if not the center of the world.
• If my kids were of very young ages today, I
  would be asking them, and encouraging them, to
  learn Chinese.
• - Seattle Times, 12/25/2005

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Conclusion Can We Tip the Status Quo in the
State of Washington Now?

• The Context?
• Sticky Messages?
• Effective Messengers?
• Thank you!