I limited my research to information about
chinese students learning
english. Of course, I had known before I started the research that
chinese read from left to right instead of from right to left as in
english-reading texts. In addition, I had seen and actually practiced writing several
chinese characters. So, I also understood that a
chinese student learning
english had a new font system of to learn, also. However, here are some additional recommendations that I have learned from researching an article about
esl and the
chinese native language speaker: Study and learn about the
chinese family, language, and culture to improve your instructional strategies as well as student integration into the
english language; Appreciate each individual's learning style and cultural background; Understand
chinese students are often “less autonomous and more dependent on authority figures and more obedient to rules;” (Edwards and Yang, citing Sue 8c Kirk, 1972) Recognize that “Asian students dislike ambiguity, uncertainty, or fuzziness;” (Edwards and Yang, citing Roa, 2001) Value that many students “view the learner's role as to receive knowledge rather than to discover or interpret it;” (Edwards and Yang, citing Rao, 2001) Explain specific differences: “
chinese is “tonal and non-inflectional, while
english is intonational and inflectional;” (Edwards and Yang) See that
chinese students read, in addition from right to left, they also read vertically in columns from top to bottom; Comprehend that
chinese students use strategies such as “planning, analysis, memorization, sequenced repetition, outlines, and lists for structured review.” (Edwards and Yang, citing Rao, 2001)) Be aware that speaking as well as writing errors may be caused by the
chinese phonological and grammatical structure, so
tefl/
tesol teacher may diagnose correctly what is the real learning problem; (Edwards and Yang) Be knowledgeable about
chinese language rules regarding “articles, tenses, verbs, clauses, prepositions, and word order;” (Edwards citing Lay) Structure the classroom setting because it is important to
chinese students, and it may take time for them to learn and enjoy the more participatory and interactive styles of American
teachers; Be aware that many
chinese students have a primary learning style that is tactile and kinesthetic; Remember that research showed many college students did not prefer group learning Plan to use “more visual aids in teaching, such as real objects, pictures, charts, character webs, maps, graphs, computer graphics, graphic organizers, semantic maps, films, videos”...and encourage students to draw and create pictures and charts to help in the learning (Edwards, citing Park, 1994); Be aware that a strategy which includes studies in the
chinese language may improve
english language instruction, so have students also receive reading and writing instruction in their native language; (Edwards, citing Mahoney, 1994) Locate a course book that has cultural diversity with inclusions of
chinese culture; Specifically see if writers in the
chinese language may be highlighted or used bi-lingually in
chinese-
english language for students to appreciate their own rich culture; Write and create skits, “read stories aloud to students, and expose students to various narrative styles such as letters, stories,newspapers, magazines, biographies, and poetry,” will improve student's discourse skills and understanding of
english speech rhythm and stress;. (Edwards, citing Cheng, 1998)