Teaching Chinese Teaching Chinese Through Performed Through Performed

CultureCulture

Yongfang ZhangYongfang Zhang

yz@uakron.eduyz@uakron.edu

Educators’ QuestionsEducators’ Questions

• What is performed culture? Is this new What is performed culture? Is this new approach completely different from the approach completely different from the traditional ones? Why language teaching traditional ones? Why language teaching approach is called performed culture? approach is called performed culture?

• How could we train students in performed How could we train students in performed culture? culture?

• Can performed culture approach be applied Can performed culture approach be applied to other language skills and other language to other language skills and other language proficiency levels? proficiency levels?

• What are teachers oversea expected to do? What are teachers oversea expected to do?

OutlinesOutlines

• Four steps introducing performed-Four steps introducing performed-culture approachculture approach– Understanding performance and Understanding performance and

performance-based instructionperformance-based instruction– Comparison between performed culture Comparison between performed culture

approach and conventional approachapproach and conventional approach– Introducing language in the cultureIntroducing language in the culture– Reinforcing and clarifyingReinforcing and clarifying

Step OneStep One

• Understanding what is performance Understanding what is performance throughthrough– Creative language application- Creative language application-

Greetings!Greetings!– Comparison between their own Comparison between their own

greetings with those in the textbooksgreetings with those in the textbooks

• First time First time greeting at the greeting at the beginning of beginning of the workshopthe workshop

• Greeting at the Greeting at the beginning of the beginning of the workshop workshop between two between two acquaintances acquaintances

• Greeting in a Greeting in a shopping mall shopping mall between between friendsfriends

• Greeting in Greeting in front of the front of the students if students if working at the working at the same schoolsame school

Greeting in ContextsGreeting in Contexts

What What have have included in the included in the greetings?greetings?

• VVocabulary and grammarocabulary and grammar• Greeting in contextGreeting in context

– Formal vs informalFormal vs informal– Acquaintance vs stranger (role of speaker)Acquaintance vs stranger (role of speaker)– Influence of audiences (role of audience)Influence of audiences (role of audience)– Place & timePlace & time

• Culture involved Culture involved – Name: last name first, first name lastName: last name first, first name last– Addressing: last name plus titleAddressing: last name plus title– No bow, no hugNo bow, no hug– Not only use “Not only use “ 你好你好””，， we use other addressing, we use other addressing,

such as name, name plus title.such as name, name plus title.

• 《《快乐汉快乐汉语语》》 Kuaile Kuaile HanyuHanyu

• Volume 1Volume 1• Unit 1Unit 1• Lesson 1: Lesson 1:

GreetingGreeting

• 《《汉语乐园汉语乐园》》((Chinese Chinese ParadiseParadise ) )

• 1A1A 学生用书学生用书• Unit 1Unit 1• Lesson 1: Lesson 1:

GreetingGreeting

• Easy Steps to Easy Steps to Chinese Chinese 《《轻轻松学汉语松学汉语》》

• Unit 1 Unit 1 Lesson 3 Lesson 3 GreetingsGreetings

• Integrated Integrated ChineseChinese 《《中文听说中文听说读写读写》》

• Level 1 Level 1 Part 1 Part 1

• Lesson 1: Lesson 1: GreetingsGreetings

Definition PerformanceDefinition Performance

• ““Performance is what human beings are Performance is what human beings are about every day of their livesabout every day of their lives”” (Turner, (Turner, 1982).1982).

• Performance entails work that requires Performance entails work that requires students to apply knowledge and skills in students to apply knowledge and skills in authentic contexts (Wiggins, 1993).authentic contexts (Wiggins, 1993).

• ““Performances are situated events defined Performances are situated events defined by five specified elements inferred from by five specified elements inferred from Carlson (1996): place, time, script, Carlson (1996): place, time, script, participants, and audienceparticipants, and audience”” (Walker, 2000). (Walker, 2000).

Step TwoStep Two

• Comparing performance-based Comparing performance-based language instruction with language instruction with conventional language instruction. conventional language instruction.

Comparison between the Comparison between the teachersteachers’’ greetings and greetings and those from textbooksthose from textbooks

• Function: greetingsFunction: greetings

• Authentic vs invented Authentic vs invented

• Situated vs isolatedSituated vs isolated

• Performance vs skill trainingPerformance vs skill training

Performance-based Instruction vs Performance-based Instruction vs Conventional InstructionConventional Instruction

• Application (Practice)Application (Practice)• Application by doingApplication by doing

• Situated contextsSituated contexts• Simulate real-world Simulate real-world

experienceexperience• Authentic Authentic • Can be applied to real Can be applied to real

world settingworld setting• Engaged actively in tasks Engaged actively in tasks

to solve real-world to solve real-world problemsproblems

• Active, creative learningActive, creative learning• Teacher models and Teacher models and

facilitatesfacilitates

• Learning skills (Theory)Learning skills (Theory)• Memorization of facts Memorization of facts

and detailsand details• Skills covered in isolationSkills covered in isolation• School assignments School assignments • InauthenticInauthentic• DonDon’’t transfer to real-t transfer to real-

world settingworld setting• Solve contrived problemsSolve contrived problems

• Passive learningPassive learning• Teacher transmits Teacher transmits

informationinformation

The Great WallThe Great Wall 《《北京故北京故事事》》

• 载华：你好！载华：你好！• 莉莉：你好个什么呀？又不是美国人，见莉莉：你好个什么呀？又不是美国人，见

了生人还得你好你好的。了生人还得你好你好的。

• ZaihuaZaihua ：： Hello.Hello.• LiliLili ： ： Hello for what? You are not Hello for what? You are not

American, (Americans) have to say American, (Americans) have to say hello, hello when meeting strangers. hello, hello when meeting strangers.

Performance based Performance based instructionsinstructions

• To learn? or to apply?To learn? or to apply?

Step ThreeStep Three

• Language in the cultureLanguage in the culture– Language could not be separated from Language could not be separated from

cultureculture

Chengo Chinese 乘风汉语 第一集场景一

Chengo ChineseChengo Chinese 乘风汉语 乘风汉语 第第一集一集

Language in CultureLanguage in Culture

• Language could not be separated from Language could not be separated from cultureculture

• How we use the language is determined How we use the language is determined by the cultureby the culture

• In language curriculum, the culture In language curriculum, the culture should be focused on should be focused on behaviorbehavioralal cultureculture– Categories of Culture Categories of Culture (Hammerly, (Hammerly,

191982,1982,1995)95)• Achievement cultureAchievement culture• Informational cultureInformational culture • Behavioral cultureBehavioral culture

Culture in language Culture in language learning (I)learning (I)

• When language is used for communication, it When language is used for communication, it is inextricably connected to a specified is inextricably connected to a specified cultural context that provides the meaning cultural context that provides the meaning and enables understanding of the situation. and enables understanding of the situation.

• Learning to speak an Learning to speak an East Asian LanguageEast Asian Language is is really a process of learning how to behave in really a process of learning how to behave in the corresponding culture. (Walker and the corresponding culture. (Walker and Noda, 2000). “No one really learns a foreign Noda, 2000). “No one really learns a foreign language. Rather, we learn how to do language. Rather, we learn how to do particular things in a foreign language; and particular things in a foreign language; and the more things we learn to do, the more the more things we learn to do, the more expert we are in that language.” expert we are in that language.”

Culture in language Culture in language learning (II)learning (II)

• Culture in language learning is not an Culture in language learning is not an expendable fifth skill, tacked on, so to speak, expendable fifth skill, tacked on, so to speak, to the teaching of speaking, listening, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It is always in the reading, and writing. It is always in the background, right from day one, ready to background, right from day one, ready to unsettle the good language learners when unsettle the good language learners when they expect it least, making evident the they expect it least, making evident the limitations of their hard-won communicative limitations of their hard-won communicative competence, challenging their ability to competence, challenging their ability to make sense of the world around them. make sense of the world around them. (Kramsch, 1993: 1)(Kramsch, 1993: 1)

Step FourStep Four

• Reinforce the concept of performed Reinforce the concept of performed culture approachculture approach

• Clarifying some misconceptions Clarifying some misconceptions about performance-based language about performance-based language instructioninstruction

Develop Performance-based Develop Performance-based CurriculumCurriculum

•Performance-based pedagogy targetPerformance-based pedagogy targetss language use in real contextlanguage use in real contextss

•Chinese culture Chinese culture isis integrate integrated intod into language teaching and learninglanguage teaching and learning

•Curriculum systematically follows a Curriculum systematically follows a prescribed learning cycle and prescribed learning cycle and difficulty level of vocabulary and difficulty level of vocabulary and structure structure

Clarifications Clarifications

• Performance-based instruction does not Performance-based instruction does not completely discard the traditional training, completely discard the traditional training, rather it moves beyond the traditional rather it moves beyond the traditional language skill traininglanguage skill training

• Performance tasks are directly related to the Performance tasks are directly related to the real world. Performance-based activities are real world. Performance-based activities are not an not an ““add-onadd-on”” but rather an integrated part but rather an integrated part of existing lessons, units. That is, they are of existing lessons, units. That is, they are not simply plugged in from an external not simply plugged in from an external source but emerge from the ongoing class source but emerge from the ongoing class work. work.

• Thank you!Thank you!

• Q & AQ & A