Teaching Chinese As a Foreign Language

Just as the demand for Chinese language programs is growing across North America, schools are facing a shortage of trained teachers and a host of challenges. How can teachers meet the needs of a complex classroom filled with both Chinese heritage learners and those completely new to Chinese? How can Chinese teachers from diverse backgrounds adapt to a North American teaching environment and expectations? Designed to help teachers create and execute strong, sustainable K-16 Chinese language programs, this ground-breaking resource book is the first of its kind specifically written for teachers of Chinese as a foreign language. It contains essays written by a diverse group of experienced educators in the field. Essays are divided into three main sections: 1) Teaching Chinese in Context, 2) Teacher Knowledge and Pedagogical Decisions, 3) Challenges and Strategies for the North American Classroom. Features: * Perfect as a course book for pre-service and in-service teacher training programs. * Contains just the right blend of theory and practice---includes relevant theories as well as hands-on classroom methods, examples, and innovations. * Addresses not only how to teach the language, but also how to create and sustain a sequenced, articulated curriculum---especially relevant as the demand for new Chinese programs continues to rise. * Stresses application of both ACTFL national content standards and Chinese language standards.