Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Dear All,

Please check out the below link...
I think the original article, which posted on NY Times needs the member ID to log on, below is the link I searched that still has the original article information.

http://paulipema.blogspot.com/2005/10/classes-in-chinese-grow-as-language.html

New York Times, October 15, 2005

Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave
of Popularity
By GRETCHEN RUETHLING

CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language
study in the United States might be glimpsed here at
Louisa May Alcott Elementary School, in a classroom
where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas dangle
overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a
Chinese flag hang from the wall.

One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to
one another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and
a class of fourth graders practiced writing numbers in
Chinese characters on marker boards. Chinese classes
began at Alcott in February, but more students are
already choosing it over Spanish.

"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the
principal at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20
public schools in the city offering instruction in
Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."

With encouragement from the Chinese and American
governments, schools across the United States are
expanding their language offerings to include Chinese,
the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention one of
its most difficult to learn.

Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000
grant to public schools in Portland, Ore., to double
the number of students studying Chinese in an
immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar
Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, introduced a bill
to spend $1.3 billion over five years on Chinese
language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges
to improve ties between the United States and China.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee.

After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced
Placement Chinese classes will be offered in high
schools around the country starting next year. Beijing
is paying for half the $1.35 million to develop the
classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and
developing curriculums and examinations, said Trevor
Packer, executive director of the Advanced Placement
Program at the College Board.

"Many Americans are beginning to realize the
importance of speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul
at the Chinese Education Consulate here, said. "We
need to provide as much powerful support as we can."

The number of Chinese language programs around the
country, from elementary school through adult
programs, has tripled in 10 years, said Scott
McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
Institute in Washington.

"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other
languages aren't," because of China's growth as an
economic and military force, Mr. McGinnis said.

"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a
historical long-standing mutual fascination with each
other," he said. "Planning to be ready to engage with
them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a
challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."

Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in
elementary and secondary schools in the United States,
experts estimate. Many are in cities like New York and
San Francisco that have large numbers of
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after
school or on weekends.

The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely
in public schools during the regular school day and
primarily serves students who are not of Chinese
descent.

Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the
program, said proficiency in Chinese would be critical
in understanding the competition.

"I think there will be two languages in this world,"
Mr. Daley said. "There will be Chinese and English."

From an all-black elementary school on the West Side
to a nearly all-Hispanic elementary school on the
South Side to more diverse schools throughout the
city, some 3,000 students from kindergarten through
high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese
Education Ministry has called the program a model for
teaching students who are not of Chinese descent. The
ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to the school system
last year.

The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to
20 this year and is scheduled to add five by the end
of the school year.

"They have a great international experience right in
their own classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of
the district's Chicago Chinese Connections Program,
which seeks to develop skills to help students compete
in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet on an
equal playing field."

Some parents here worry at first about how relevant
the Chinese classes are and whether they will be too
difficult. The Foreign Service Institute, which trains
American diplomats, ranks Chinese as one of the four
most time-intensive languages to learn. An average
English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient
in Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish
or Italian, the institute says.

Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a
fourth grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar
Chinese characters before deciding whether to take the
class.

"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur
said she told her daughter.

Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her
favorite class.

At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth
grade are studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking
Chinese, although not without occasional frustration.

"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked
during a recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of
the class.

Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish,
said he taught words to his mother so she could better
communicate with Chinese-speaking customers at the
bank where she works.

"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take
Chinese," Raul said. "I think about being a traveler
when I grow up, so I have to learn as many languages
as I can."

Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from
Ecuador, said the skills would help her son be a
better competitor in the job market. "I never thought
that he was going to be able to do something like
that," Ms. Freire said.

Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the
program here offer the language four times a week for
40 minutes a day. Each school decides how to fit the
class in the school day, with some taking time from
classes like physical education, music and art to make
room.

Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to
offer Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers
certified by an American college, a requirement of the
No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.

"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is
qualified because of that missing certification," he
said.

The shortage of teachers is common throughout the
United States, said Michael Levine, executive director
of education at the Asia Society in New York.

Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with
the Chinese government to import teachers from China
and send teachers from the United States to China for
training, Mr. Levine said.

"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to
homegrow our own."

[Anonymous]

It is amazing the amount of Chinese classes that are being offered across the United States in elementary and high school programs. Chinese language programs have tripled over the last 10 years and will only continue to multiply. We should embrace this change and support this type of instruction and learning. As teachers, we can promote multicultural virtues and values in all of our classrooms. Our students come from various backgrounds and they may share their own personal experiences. Each school district can implement programs that will work for their community. Language can be introduced through physical education, language arts, humanities, social studies, or math. Students will in turn, gain skills to use in the world marketplace and local job markets.

[Anonymous]

I agree with Kim. As a counselor, I see the selection side of courses, and have noticed that recently (within the past year) many of our students have turned to take Chinese or Japanese rather than the popular Spanish or French courses. This is the first year that we have offered Chinese at PV High, and the response is wonderful. I feel that our district has the right idea in starting a foundation of chinese in elementary school and follow the students through high school. Once this program has been up and running for a few years, I think we will see a large growth in the student's knowledge and interest of the subject matter.

[Anonymous]

There's not just an interest in Asian languages with the high school students. There's also a growing interest in international topics in general.

I've been planning to create an AP Comparative Government class at PV High for 2006-07 which looks at and compares the governments of China, Iran, Britain, Russia, Nigeria and Mexico. I mentioned this new class to one of my senior classes the other day and the overall reponse was that they were disappointed that they couldn't have take this class this year.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to take that class. Learning about the US govt is interesting, but it would be so much more so with other governments to base it on. 😀

I'm excited for today's lecture on Classical and Warrior Japan. The way Japan has assimilated so many different aspects of other cultures into their own - including the governmental style - should be interesting to hear about from an expert on the subject.

[Anonymous]

I found the article on the growth in numbers of students studying Chinese amazing. I was surprised by the numbers even outside the Pacific Rim area who are studying it at a young age. I think starting it at the elementary level is the way to go. Children will be so enriched by learning a second language. I had lots of trouble learning Spanish I am afraid to think how I would have done in Chinese. My children studied German in high school because of my husband's family. It does make me sad the German will no longer be taught at Peninsula after this year! Not only is the language important but enriching children by teaching them the cultures of mamy peoples is so important in this global world. I feel so fortunate to be expanding my knowledge of China and Japan and look forward to incorporating what I have learned into my units on China and Japan. I would love an expert to come and do a lesson on the Chinese and Japanese language. I feel I really do not have enough knowledge or understanding to explain it well.

[Anonymous]

I'm printing this one out![Edit by="cashb on Dec 13, 6:22:00 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

The classes and opportunities for students to learn and embrace other cultures is incredible these days. I never had that chance when I was in highschool. We, as educators, have signed up to open the eyes of children and enlighten them in many ways. Children are so excited to learn and share about their cultures, and it is quite fascinating to me all of the different ways to incorporate Asian studies. We are shifting gears towards the future but also studying the greatness of the past. I think it is wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Just read this post-- an AP Comparative Government class is a great idea-- my son Philip and his friend Naveen, while seniors at Peninsula, studied together for the exam last year, and found it a very worthwhile experience. This class, along with AP Human Geography (they studied for this exam as an independent project with Ben Smith) and AP World History, is a part of the AP International Diploma program, which aims to broaden the scope of study for high school students, and would make a valuble addition to the curriculum. If you'd like, I can ask my son what resources he found helpful (they researched the program pretty thoroughly).

[Anonymous]

That would be great! I would love to see what your son and his friend found. An AP International Diploma is a wonderful idea. I'll have to look into that.

Thanks again!

Louis

[Anonymous]

Such an interesting article. The statistic that around 50,000 students are studying Chinese in public schools is awesome. It is encouraging to see this becoming a trend as one day when I have children, I would love for them to have studying Chinese as an option. The language is so different than English or the ever popular Spanish (for us Southern Californians) that it holds much interest!

[Anonymous]

I just heard my friend, the Chinese AP exam will start on next year 2007 officially.

[Author]

Posts