Is it Necessary to Develop Grammar Learning Materials? Presented by: Wayne Wenchao He, Associate Professor of Chinese at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point Dela Jiao, Senior Lecturer of Chinese at New York University

Traditional Approach People hold different views toward ways of teaching grammar. Method of teaching grammar since the 1980’s: - Grammar is combined in textbooks, not in separate books. - After introduction of the pronunciation section, grammar is taught in a systematic framework and the texts are developed from there. - Texts in each lesson are developed around the grammar points. - After the text, a section of Grammar is followed to teach grammar patterns in that lesson.

Pros and Cons of the Traditional Approach Easier to teach grammar points from easy and simple ones to difficult and complicated ones. Cons The lesson texts are restricted by the level of difficulty of the grammar points. The lesson texts are not natural enough. Limited by the texts in the lesson, grammar points cannot be explained systematically and in depth. Instruction of grammar relies on lengthy explanation.

Reasons for a Separate Grammar Book in Chinese for Tomorrow Without detailed grammar explanations, learners are still able to learn Chinese well, but usually it requires a Chinese language environment. Even in such an environment, learners may not be able to use Chinese fluently. Oftentimes, learners know “what,” but do not know “why.”

Reasons (cont.) Learning the grammar patterns systematically helps learners understand by the forms, meanings and applications thoroughly. Learners are developing independent learning abilities, and ability to apply the grammar to more situations. In comparison, having a separate grammar book has more pros than cons. Chinese for Tomorrow adopts a 5-skill approach that also teaches keyboarding. For the Computer Chinese method, the authors treat computer input of Chinese characters as both a language learning tool and as a 5th skill along with speaking, listening, writing and reading. Computer Chinese method starts out by emphasizing the use of pinyin to teach students how to recognize and write Chinese characters on the computer. This allows students to use the language in a practical and engaging way very early on in their studies. This allows students to more gradually develop their skills at writing Chinese characters by hand, rather than requiring them to memorize how to write large numbers of characters while they are still struggling to grasp the basics of the language. Later on, students can gradually increase their handwriting skills, and handwriting will become the focus, supplemented by computer input. Inputting pinyin is like inputting English! If you can say it, you can write it. The advantages of such method will be further explained later in this PowerPoint.

Basic Principles of the Design of the Grammar Book Consider the development and trends of contemporary Chinese teaching. Grounded in the 5Cs. Referenced by Level A, B and C Grammar Programs in the “HSK, Chinese Proficiency Test Program.” Using sentence patterns as the major means of introducing new grammar items. The author feel that typing and handwriting complement each other, but the number of words they handwrite should be limited. Although students will be learning how to handwrite fewer characters, they will actually be learning to recognize and type significantly more. Once they become more confident in their handwriting skills, they may switch their focus from computer input to handwriting.

Basic Principles (cont.) Caters to learners whose first language is English. Focus on applications. Prevent from being too theoretical. Provide more examples. The vocabulary used is consistent with what is learned in the textbook.

Two Volumes of Grammar Book Vol. 1 published in 2007; Vol. 2 published in 2008. Vol. 1 introduces grammar points in HSK Level A Grammar Program and partial Level B. Vol. 2 introduces the remaining of Level B and partial Level C. Almost all grammar points are connected with the contents in the textbook. 10 lessons per volume. 4-6 grammar points per lesson. Targeted exercises included per lesson. Answer keys provided at the end of the book.

Presentation of Grammar Points Examples from the textbook are listed with its origins for better connection. Each grammar point is presented with Interlanguage to explain its meanings, functions and applications. Simple and intuitive formulas are used to present grammar patterns, placement of the components, arrangements and semantic relationship between components. The authors’ extensive field testing at New York University and elsewhere indicates that students using the Computer Chinese method learn Chinese characters more quickly. The following advantages of Computer Chinese method is proven as follows: The most important advantage of computer input is that it gets rid of the psychological barrier that Chinese is difficult to learn and increases the confidence of students. During the course of five years while developing this curriculum at New York University, we discovered a significant difference in the progress of two groups of students using the same textbook: students taught under traditional methods often complained that the textbook introduced too many new words per lesson. However, CC students using this very same textbook learned, on average, twenty words per lesson – without problems or complaints. In addition, the practice of typing Chinese and recognizing characters, while gradually adding character handwriting exercises, ensures that by the time students reach the advanced level, they will already recognize several thousand characters and be able to handwrite several hundred. Once they become more confident in their handwriting skills, they may switch their focus from computer input to handwriting. During the field-testing period, we found out that students using CC method learn 20 and more new words on average per class than those using traditional methods. While keyboarding helps students build up vocabulary quickly, it allows students more time to develop other language skills as listening, speaking and reading. Moreover, the experimental group using CC approach achieved higher rates of accuracy in vocabulary tests (93.22 % vs. 76.12 %) and better performance on reading comprehension tests (98.08% vs. 92.51%) than students in the control group. The reading comprehension ability is nearly 100% in the experimental group.

Presentation (cont.) Examples are given based on the level of difficulty. Pinyin, Chinese characters, and English translation are provided. The grammar point is presented with examples of affirmative, negative, and question formats. Learners have opportunities to compare similarities and differences between the Chinese and the English languages. The authors’ extensive field testing at New York University and elsewhere indicates that students using the Computer Chinese method learn Chinese characters more quickly. The following advantages of Computer Chinese method is proven as follows: The most important advantage of computer input is that it gets rid of the psychological barrier that Chinese is difficult to learn and increases the confidence of students. During the course of five years while developing this curriculum at New York University, we discovered a significant difference in the progress of two groups of students using the same textbook: students taught under traditional methods often complained that the textbook introduced too many new words per lesson. However, CC students using this very same textbook learned, on average, twenty words per lesson – without problems or complaints. In addition, the practice of typing Chinese and recognizing characters, while gradually adding character handwriting exercises, ensures that by the time students reach the advanced level, they will already recognize several thousand characters and be able to handwrite several hundred. Once they become more confident in their handwriting skills, they may switch their focus from computer input to handwriting. During the field-testing period, we found out that students using CC method learn 20 and more new words on average per class than those using traditional methods. While keyboarding helps students build up vocabulary quickly, it allows students more time to develop other language skills as listening, speaking and reading. Moreover, the experimental group using CC approach achieved higher rates of accuracy in vocabulary tests (93.22 % vs. 76.12 %) and better performance on reading comprehension tests (98.08% vs. 92.51%) than students in the control group. The reading comprehension ability is nearly 100% in the experimental group.

Presentation (cont.) Reminders are provided for some grammar patterns that are confusing and where learners tend to make mistakes. Contrast between new grammar patterns and old grammar patterns are presented, including their connections and distinctions. Exercises are given to strengthen what is learned. Types of exercises include sentence correction, blank-filling, choosing appropriate terms, substitution, reading and writing.

Program Components Textbook / workbook Grammar book w/ exercises and answer key Teacher’s manual Free online audio & flashcards

Questions? Contact the authors at: wenchao_he@hotmail.com (Wayne Wenchao He) xxj1@nyu.edu (Dela Jiao) Continue the conversation with your peers at PeerSource my.cheng-tsui.com/forum/642

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