ERIC EJ1091196: Progress of Younger Children Learning Chinese

2014·0.81 MB·English

by  ERIC

Progress of Younger
Children Learning Chinese
by Zhihong Li, Hutchison School Former lems, and become open minded. Landry the study focuses on two-year-old chil-
Chinese Teacher; Keith Sisson, PhD., (1973) explained that second language dren who are learning Chinese. I researched
Graduate Studies Coordinator, University learners score significantly higher on stan- my students through observation and note-
of Memphis; hsiang-te Kung, Phd., dardized tests than monolingual students. taking to show each child’s progress and
director of the confucius institute, Second language learning not only provides development. the study uses qualitative
University of Memphis children with the ability to depart from the methods to analyze data by using cross-sec-
ABSTRACT traditional approaches to a problem, but also tional survey designs to fill out question-
the purpose of this study is to find out supplies them with possible rich resources naire forms. the child’s parents are asked
how young children can learn, understand, for new and different ideas. Bialystok (1999) to fill out questionnaires to learn what the
and progress in the Chinese language. this believes that bilingual children are more ad- parents have observed about the child’s use
study focuses on 13 students between two vanced than monolinguals in the solving of of Chinese at home. Most researchers con-
and three years old. the data collection experimental problems requiring high levels clude that not enough studies have been
methods used classroom observation, bench- of control. Also, children will learn about conducted to provide insights from the
marks, and parent questionnaires about at other cultures which will help them become child’s perspective.
home behavior. the data analysis used is global citizens. Educators feel that more BACkGROUND
qualitative depending on student bench- than one language is necessary for children’s this research will study how 13 very
mark, class observation, and parents’ de- future economic and social prosperity (Wil- young girls learn Chinese, how they retain
scriptions of Chinese language use at home. liams, 2013). the language, and how it influences them.
the purpose of this research is to find how In the United States, there are 125 Experts say the first three years of a child’s
children improve and develop their for- schools that offer Chinese language classes life are the most intensive period of lan-
eign language skills. Findings include that to kindergarten children. However, research guage and speech development, because
through foreign language study, students’ use on how to teach two-year-old children the this is a very important time for brain de-
of English improved, and students who at- Chinese language still needs to be devel- velopment. Language and communication
tended class five days a week were more suc- oped. It seems no school provides Chinese skills are developed best in an environment
cessful. All the students’ pronunciation was language class to two-year-old children in that is rich with sounds and sights. Voice of
great. there was not a difference between the United States. America (2013), an organization that re-
their accents and the accents of native Chi- Hutchinson School, in Memphis, ten- searches teaching English as a Second Lan-
nese speakers. My findings showed that nessee, offers an early foreign language class guage, says children should repeatedly hear
the students who used Chinese language at called “Little Hive,” which is for two-year- the speech and language of other people.
home, had improved verbal English usage old children. these students are sensitive Strauss (2009) explains that the younger
and that the child’s personality affects the in developing language skill because they children are, the more comfortable they are
learning results. are already naturally learning English at this in acquiring language. this research study
Keywords: Progress of learning Chinese, age. they can adopt sounds and speech ef- will provide useful information on young
Chinese language, two-year-old foreign lan- ficiently. they can also respond well to the children’s development and education. Yo-
guage education. class songs, activities, and games and enjoy shida (2008) explains that “Results of previ-
Language: Chinese learning the Chinese language. they absorb ous studies vary according to research design
INTRODUCTION Chinese class content naturally and com- and classroom context, as well as learners’
Studying foreign languages is important fortably. age and language level” (p. 527).
for children’s future and has many benefits. Curtain (2000) believes that foreign lan- the Voice of America (2013) explains
F.t. Williams (2013) explains that for over guage instruction is more important than that unborn babies, begin learning to recog-
nearly half a century research on language ever as the nation’s demographics and na- nize voices and inflections in spoken words
immersion education has heralded benefits tional security issues change and the world’s and they are ready to begin learning spoken
such as academic achievement, language economies become intertwined. Weather- language as soon as they are born. Adults
and literacy development in two or more ford (1986) points out that when foreign should help infants to develop their lan-
languages, and cognitive skills. Children language education begins at an early age, guage skills by providing them with oral
who learn foreign languages develop cre- foreign language study can shape children’s stimulation by talking to them and read-
ative thinking, are more able to solve prob- acceptance of others. ing books to them. Echoing their nonsense
16 ~fall/winter 2014
sounds is equally important. this ensures foreign language… optimal language acqui- I used a case study approach focusing on
that they will develop the skills related to sition happens in early childhood” (p. 42). the 13 students in my classroom. Each stu-
their later success in school and in life. Researchers who study children’s language dent was assessed by collecting data for re-
Bilingualism has positive effects on development are always discovering new search. My students are very young; I try to
memory at all age levels. Cade (1997) be- things. they feel that learning a new lan- do my research in a setting that is very com-
lieves second language learners have guage is a uniquely rewarding experience at fortable for them. For example, how they
improved test scores, are able to think diver- any age. For obtaining natural-sounding, na- counted numbers, greeted family members,
gently, achieve in their first language, and tive-like accents children are always mim- and sang Chinese children’s songs. Each stu-
attract and maintain parent involvement. icking what they hear and are surprisingly dent was given an accuracy score for bench-
Foster and Reeves (1989) argue, in particu- good at it. they are uniquely attuned to marks. Qualitative research methods were
lar, the students who had received foreign slight differences in tone and sound. (Voice used when parents responded to inquiries on
language instruction scored higher on tasks of America, 2013) this is good for my re- questionnaires. these questionnaires helped
involving evaluation, which is the high- search, because I speak Chinese as my na- in collecting data about my students’ learn-
est cognitive skill according to Bloom’s tax- tive language; I use the tones and accents ing from their parents’ perspectives. one
onomy. By joining together thoughts and associated with the Chinese language. Le- possible area of interest, for example, would
ideas from each of the two languages, bi- loup and Pontierio (2005) explain that be to find out what impact, if any, the child’s
lingual children experience cognitive and young learners, use of authentic language, participation in the program has had on the
memory benefits. Bilingual children can in context of high interest, and of familiar child’s behavior at home. other follow- up
more readily solve social problems when nature to the learner would seem to be the questions were also used. For example, “Do
working with their peers. best bet for success. My students are able to they sing the Chinese songs at home?” “Do
A study by Peal and Lambert (1962) mimic these accents, tones, and sounds as the parents learn any Chinese words from
found that bilinguals performed consider- they echo my Chinese words and phrases. the children?” I also asked the parents some
ably better than their monolingual controls When designing lessons for my “Little simple questions like “Have you noticed
both on the verbal and on the nonverbal in- Hive” students, it was important to make any differences in your child’s verbal behav-
telligence tests. Research supported the hy- sure that each student would be success- ior at home since she began “Little Hive”?”
pothesis that the mental abilities for the two ful. After six years of teaching experience, I “Do you hear her speaking any Chinese?”
groups differed with the bilingual group hav- learned how to adapt each lesson so it could the parents told me stories about their chil-
ing a more varied set of mental abilities. be used with different grade levels. For ex- dren’s use of Chinese at home; I roughly
My research provides a look into how ample, after reading a research article which transcribed the information gathered from
young children learn Chinese. the results said younger children below three years of the questionnaires, compared the answers,
of my research will support other educators age could not understand the abstract ideas and looked for major themes. Each student’s
that teach second languages to two-year- of colors, I altered my teaching plans for my progress was compared with others in the
old children. I have seen how children feel “Little Hive” students. Instead of teaching class to track their usage of Chinese in daily
safe and supported when they are in a posi- colors during the first semester, I waited un- life.
tive learning environment. through the ef- til the second semester to introduce these OBSERVATION RESEARCh mEThODS
fective arrangement of space and classroom color words. Most of my “Little Hive” chil- the use of assessments for each stu-
equipment, learning experiences for young dren are now three years old or older. I have dent in the “Little Hive,” and the meth-
children are enhanced. Curtain (2010) said also created games, songs, and hands-on ac- ods of the assessments used during each
the following about preschool students (ages tivities that allow the children to have ex- class period were of great importance.
2 to 4): “they respond best to activities and tra movement and use of their large motor this was done through observation and
learning situations relating to their own in- skills. this helps my “Little Hive” and pre- note-taking in order to show each child’s
terests and experiences. Preschoolers re- kindergarten students enjoy learning Chi- progress and development. I learned how
spond well to concrete experiences and to nese. to depend on my observations and notes to
large – motor skill involvement in language For English speaking individuals, the help me develop educational research on
learning” (p. 18). Chinese language is very difficult to study. younger children who are learning Chinese.
Psychologists Hakuta & Bialystok (2003) there are major differences between Chi- through their participation in class and
wrote, “…a typical result was that profi- nese and English. First, the Chinese pro- their application of skills learned in class,
ciency scores declined with increases in nunciation of sounds is completely different it became evident what teaching methods
age of initial exposure to the second lan- from English sounds. Second, the Chinese were most effective and which students were
guage. the claim that there is an age-re- sounds have four tones. third, when pro- the most successful.
lated decline in the success with which nouncing the Chinese characters, the cor- BENChmARkS RESEARCh mEThODS
individuals master a second language is not rect Pinyin is needed in order to read them After the first three months of school,
controversial” (p. 35). Another researcher, as words (the symbols used are the same my “Little Hive” students learned to count
Weatherford (1986), points out that “when English a, b, c). Fourth, the shapes of the numbers, name and greet family members,
beginning at an early age, foreign language Chinese characters are square, making them sing songs, and follow simple commands
study can shape children’s acceptance of hard to recognize and write. A Chinese Dic- (such as, please stand up, please sit down,
others” (p. 4). tionary- 辞 海 (2013) explains that there are and sing the Happy Birthday song.) All
Penfield and Roberts (1959) states, “early about 40,000-50,000 words. only 3,500 of of these were done using Chinese words.
theorists held that younger, rather than these words are used most commonly. Benchmark I was administered after three
older learners are better equipped to learn a mEThODS OF DATA COLLECTION months that tracked progression.
Learning Languages ~ 17
Benchmark I: is engaged in conversation, the greater the said I was so brave when I had a doctor’s ap-
• numbers: one to nine in sequential students’ language skills will become. Chil- pointment last week.” this showed that her
order dren that feel engaged in class activities of- English skills had greatly improved in that
• Family members: mother, father, ten gain educational depth. the “Little short time period. Margaret, like all of my
younger brother and sister, older Hive” students were multi- language learn- “Little Hive” students, was learning to speak
brother and sister (Younger brother ers. they were learning Chinese and Span- English, Chinese, and Spanish at the same
and sister, and older brother and sister ish, and also learning English at the same time when they began Chinese classes. Af-
in Chinese have a different title). time. From this research, I learned that two- ter six months of “Little Hive” class, Mar-
one month after Christmas break, a re- year-old children were very successful in garet was able to say anything she needed
view was given and students learned body learning a second language. they progressed in English. Her classroom teacher said they
parts. Benchmark II was given at the end of quickly in Chinese learning and English. had seen great progress in Margaret’s speech.
February. their parents said their use of Chinese at When school began they did not know or
Benchmark II: home improved their English verbal skills. understand what Margaret was saying. My
• numbers 0, 3, 5, 7, 9 OBSERVATION RESULTS research found, that even though my “Little
• Family members: older sister and From class observation, I saw the chil- Hive” students were young, they exhibited
brother dren’s individual learning styles. the re- a natural ability for learning Chinese. they
• Body parts: hair, mouth, hands sults of my research showed that the “Little understood the teacher’s simple sentences
Results are shown on the chart. Hive” students Abby, Margaret, Cate, and body language. their pronunciation
QUESTIONNAIRE RESEARCh mEThODS Emma, Henley, Zofia, Addison, tinsley and was amazing and there was no difference be-
Parents’ responses were used as a source Ellie were motivated to participate in class tween their accents and the accents of na-
of data for the qualitative research. one activities and games, and were able to give tive Chinese speakers.
possible area of interest was to find out what correct and even insightful answers to ques- the students Cate, Ellie, and Henley
impact, if any, the child’s participation in tions. However, other students needed more have older sisters who learned Chinese at
the program had on the child’s behavior listening time and more one-on-one time Hutchison School. Henley was three years
at home. the following questions were in- spent with the teacher practicing Chinese. old when she stared “Little Hive” Her sister,
cluded in the questionnaire given to the Caroline, Ann, and Eliza Belle were quiet Hannah, taught her to count the numbers
parents of the “Little Hive” students: and had good manners. When I called on one to ten before she learned this skill in
1. Does she sing the Chinese songs at them, they readily responded. these three her “Little Hive” class, and her parents said
home? girls only attended school three days per Henley tries to learn from her sister. Ellie
2. Have you, the parents learned any week. When the time came for the second sang the “Happy Birthday” song in Chinese
Chinese words from your daughter? benchmark, Ann was out of school for one at her birthday party when she turned three
3. Have you noticed any differences in week, but she still did a good job. She did years old. Cate’s parents said their daugh-
your daughter’s verbal usage at home have some difficulty identifying numbers. ters sometimes sang Chinese songs together.
since she began “Little Hive?” Karlie attended class five days a week. She Students with siblings helped encourage and
4. Do you hear her speaking any Chi- often played alone during Chinese class. She improve each other’s skills as they learned
nese? did not always pay attention in class, but Chinese.
5. Do you have any stories about your she still progressed in her learning. Abby As I observed students during class, an
daughter’s use of Chinese at home? was a three day per week student. She was assessment was made on each student to
this is the comparative data used for the always eager to participate in class activities. determine their progress. For example, I
qualitative research. She showed great progress in her bench- taught body parts to my “Little Hive” and
ANALySIS AND FINDINGS mark exam. two-year-old Addison was the pre-kindergarten students. When I said the
the research showed that the students youngest in the “Little Hive” class, but she words: hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and
use Chinese in daily life. they are unaware always enjoyed Chinese class. She was the hands in Chinese, I also demonstrated each
that not everyone speaks in Chinese. For first student who said the Chinese children’s by pointing to each named part. My stu-
example, they count numbers and sing songs rhyme, “Little rabbit, white color, ears up dents followed me and pointed to each of
with family members at home. In class, they right, likes to eat carrots and vegetables, and these named body parts. I used different vo-
understand directions given 100% in Chi- jumps, jumps, so cute.” When I said, “two cal tones and different facial expressions as I
nese. Also, research found that the stu- year old little friends, please stand up,” she pointed. these demonstrations allowed me
dents who attend class five days each week immediately stood up and said, “I am two- to make their learning experience fun. All
are better at remembering learning con- years old.” Her mother said the parents have of the students were so happy and laughed
tent. these students scored over 80% on the learned Chinese from Addison at home. together, which enabled them to understand
benchmark assessments. Children’s person- Margaret was only two years and three and learn more quickly.
alities affected learning results. the multiple months old when class began in the fall. BENChmARk RESULTS
articles I read were very helpful to my learn- She spoke only simple English words when Results of this research had two bench-
ing and improved my teaching skills in or- she first enrolled in the “Little Hive” class. marks for these 13 early childhood students.
der to work with my students. I provided the She told me her name and age when I met the chart (see Figure 1) showed the names,
best foreign language educational strategies her for the first time. Even though she had ages, and ethnicity of my students. It also
for children to learn Chinese. the children a limited English vocabulary, she surpris- showed students who had an older sibling
used oral language skills to think, learn, and ingly, from the very first class, was able to who had previously learned Chinese and
play with each other. oral language devel- echo me correctly in Chinese. After three possibly introduced the language to them
ops naturally, so the more a child hears and months, she said in English, “My mother earlier. In the comments section, “three
18 ~fall/winter 2014
FIGURE 1: BENChmARkS I AND II ChART
Name Age Sibling Sibling learning Ethnicity Benchmark I Benchmark II comments
Chinese
Tinsley 3 1 0 AA 53 % 70%
Abby 2 0 0 W 87% 85% three days
Margaret 2 0 0 W 100% 100 %
Cate 2 2 1 W 80% 80%
Emma 3 0 0 W 100 % 95%
Caroline 2 1 0 W 33 % 20% three days
Henley 3 1 1 W 100 % 100 %
Karlie 2 1 0 W 74% 65 %
Zofia 3 0 0 W 100 % 100%
Addison 2 0 0 AA 80 % 95%
Ann 2 1 0 W 80 % 60% three days
Ellie 2 1 1 W 93 % 100%
Eliza-Belle 2 2 0 W 73% 30% three days
note: W = White/ Caucasian; AA = African American;
days” means the girl comes to school only Where are my friends? My friends are here. that their daughters sang the Chinese songs
three days a week (they come to school My friends are in Hutchison.” By the time at home. the girls often times mixed Chi-
on tuesday, Wednesday and thursday. the she completed the Benchmark II assess- nese and English words in sentences. the
chart shows the students’ success in bench- ment, she understood how to use her fin- students also tried to teach the parents to
marks I and II, which are defined below: gers to count numbers and answer questions. say simple Chinese words such as one, two,
Benchmark I: the children learned to use their fingers and three, and hello. Parents observed improved
1. numbers: one to nine in sequential sang a number song as they counted. tinsley English usage as well as skills using Chinese.
order was the only student who successfully used the following were results from the par-
2. Family members: mother, father, her fingers as she counted. She used abstract ents’ questionnaires.
younger brother and sister, older thinking to arrive at the answers, as opposed Children use Chinese at Home
brother and sister (Younger brother to other students who only memorized the Research found that students used Chi-
and sister, and older brother and sister correct answers. nese outside of the classroom. Caroline’s
in Chinese have different title). Caroline and Eliza-Belle both paid atten- parents said she sang Chinese songs and
one month after Christmas break, re- tion in class and did not talk to other stu- spoke Chinese at home. Cate’s parents said
view was given and students learned body dents, but because they only attended class she sang the “Happy Birthday” song and the
parts. Benchmark II was given at the end of three days a week, their benchmark results numbers song. She also spoke a few num-
February: were not as high as the five day a week stu- bers and greetings in Chinese. Cate and her
Benchmark II: dents. the questionnaire responses from older sister loved singing the songs together.
1. Identify numbers: 0, 3, 5, 7, 9. Caroline’s parents showed that she enjoyed Karlie’s parents said, “She said hello in Chi-
2. Identify family members: older learning Chinese at home with her fam- nese to us. She sang the Chinese song and
brother, older sister. ily. Students reinforced and furthered their spoke Chinese at home.” Emma’s, Zofia’s,
3. Identify body parts: hair, hand, mouth. knowledge of other disciplines through Henley’s, and tinsley’s parents said they
tinsley, who was close to three years old learning a foreign language. the introduc- sang the Chinese songs and spoke Chinese
when school started, had learned a lot of tion of the Chinese language and Chinese at home.
Chinese. She could count and name fam- culture provided students with success- Children Mix Chinese and English
ily members, but when she was assessed ful learning experiences. Students played, one student’s parent said that their child
for Benchmark I, she missed almost every- talked, and mixed English and Chinese in used Chinese and English together. Cate’s
thing. She mixed up many concepts. one the classroom. they were learning concepts, parents said, “She mixed English and Chi-
day in class, she independently said the but not all students were able to recall the nese in the same sentence and I had to ask
Chinese words for the song, “Where Are concepts quickly. Progress and development her to repeat.” the students were not nec-
My Friends?” this was odd because the stu- was different for each individual. essarily aware that their parents could not
dents had only been learning this Chinese QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS speak Chinese.
song during the last few months. It was not out of 13 parents’ questionnaires, I re- Children Try to Teach Parents Chinese
easy for this little girl to say, in Chinese: ceived nine back. the feedback from the Many parents stated that their children
“one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. nine parents was very positive. they shared took on the role of the teacher. Caroline’s
Learning Languages ~ 19
parents said they learned Chinese from the verbal responses they shared, the “Little and Shrum (2005) discussed that culture
her. Cate’s parents said, “We learned a few Hive” students began to teach their parents should be integrated at every level of study,
Chinese numbers and greetings.” Karlie’s Chinese by singing songs and speaking Chi- and the target language should be utilized
parents said, “She requested that we sing nese at home. Most of the students’ families fully.
ABC’s in Chinese whenever we sang and spent time with the children reviewing what this researcher used three ways to collect
then she tried to correct us for not singing they had learned in class. Parents observed data. Researchers Brewer & Hunter (1989)
correctly.” Emma’s parents said, “She improvement in English verbal usage in the express that researchers should collect mul-
pretended she was Ms. Li teaching us at classroom as well as at home. Research us- tiple data using different strategies and
home. She corrected our pronunciation ing children’s stories was valuable because of methods in a way that when used together
when we did not repeat the word correctly. their reactions to their experiences as they result in showing strengths and weaknesses.
She held up a book and stood in front of us. learned Chinese at school and at home. According to the parents’ feedback from the
It was very cute!” Emma taught her parents the research results, gained from the par- questionnaires, and the stories that they told
to count from one to five. tinsley’s parents ent’s questionnaires, showed that the learn- me, the “Little Hive” students taught their
said, “We learned the first three words.” ing begun in the classroom was enhanced parents Chinese as they sang Chinese songs,
the questionnaire did not explain what and expanded by the learning continued at and spoke Chinese words and phrases. Most
those words were, but they were most likely home. For example, my student Caroline is students’ families engaged in activities with
one, two, and three. Zofia’s parents said, so shy and a quiet girl. Her parents said “I their children that enabled them to learn
“She taught us hello and goodbye. We also know she sings the Chinese songs at home, Chinese.
learned to count from one to five.” Ellie’s but not frequently enough for me to know An all-family activity: many families
parents said, “Ellie tried to teach us to count which one.” Her parents also said “ the very have very busy lives. Spending time as a
in Chinese.” Essentially, the students took helpful lesson sheet, take home papers (I family learning a language can be a very
an interest not only in Chinese, but in gave my “Little Hive” students lessons sheet beneficial use of time for all members of the
teaching it to others. after taught them new content) have the family. It can be done in your own home
Children’s Verbal English Skills Improve Chinese words written out for us to read. and not require you to spend time driv-
Caroline’s parents said “Caroline com- Caroline sings the “my friends at Hutchison ing from place to place. When this activ-
pleted sentences, said new words every song.” She holds her fingers up counting. I ity is started early, it can become a building
week, and suddenly asked good questions.” can tell she enjoys Chinese. block for many years to come. As your fam-
Cate’s parents said, “Cate was verbal when the varied active and interactive games ily learns more word and phrases, and be-
she started “Little Hive.” I also observed from other teachers, books, and online en- comes more skilled in fluency of the second
that she was very talkative and interested in abled my students to enjoy learning Chi- language, they will begin to find opportu-
class. Karlie’s, tinsley’s, and Emma’s parents nese. When I taught new words or simple nities to use what they have learned. Your
said that their English usage at home im- sentences, I paid attention to students family may have opportunities to travel to
proved. Henley’s parents said, “She seemed who were good at grasping new content countries where the language is spoken.
to talk a lot more.” Ellie’s parents said, “She and who answered questions or responded Your children may choose a future vocation
was enunciating much better.” Zofia’s par- first. I called on those children first to an- where this skill is used. the possibilities are
ents said, “She definitely progressed quite swer; other children copied from them and limitless (Voice of America, 2013).
a bit with her speech.” Margaret’s parents learned more quickly. Leloup (2005) ex- Foreign language education should be-
said, “Margaret’s verbal skills definitely im- plained that students connected knowledge gin at an early age and continue through-
proved. She was forming ‘sentences’ when with real world experiences, which caused out all educational levels. Students taught a
she spoke and answered questions in a way them to be more interested in learning a second language at an earlier age are usually
that made sense. Her verbal skills really second language. I have learned how to more likely to continue language study later
took off and we could not get her to stop work successfully with my “Little Hive” stu- in life (Gilsan & Shrum, 2005). the “Little
talking.” Learning Chinese drastically im- dents. I created information sheets to share Hive” students began learning two foreign
proved their English, putting them above with the parents so they knew what my stu- languages, Chinese and Spanish, at a very
others of their age group. dents were learning in class. this enabled young age at Hutchison School. this learn-
DISCUSSION my young children to successfully talk with ing opportunity continues until they finish
these findings for the “Little Hive” re- their parents and express what they were high school. It is such an important skill for
search group could also be applied to other learning. For example, I created an infor- them to have throughout their lives.
young English-speaking children learning mation sheet that showed Chinese number I found that it was very important to use
any foreign language. these students at this characters with numbers inside a Chinese interesting context in my lessons. I used ac-
young age were natural learners and quickly flag. I also had another information sheet tivities and methods of learning that con-
grasped the techniques involved in speak- that showed a map of China and pictures of nected to real experiences. this helped
ing other languages. their pronunciation Chinese dolls. By using these information relate their learning not only to the Chinese
skills were excellent and there was not a dif- sheets, the children were able to read the vocabulary but also to the Chinese culture.
ference between their accents and the ac- characters to parents as well as share all they the researcher Harris (2013) shows that
cents of native Chinese speakers. In theory, learned in class about the Chinese flag, Chi- by tying in the lessons as much as possible
through repeated language patterns, they nese map, Chinese number characters, and with other academic subjects, it allowed my
stimulated brain development that greatly Chinese dolls. As well as learning about the students to begin to apply what they were
increased their learning. According to the information from the sheets, they were also learning in Chinese with what they were
parents’ feedback on the questionnaire and learning about the Chinese culture. Gilson learning in their every-day classes. By us-
20 ~fall/winter 2014
ing body behavior, speaking simple Chinese their sounds, but they are not able to read “Hello,” in response.
sentences and repeating words many times them independently. When I assess my classes, I see the im-
the students are more likely to understand. It is becoming more important for adults portance of adjusting lessons, classroom ma-
they followed my Chinese dictation to play to be proficient in a second language and terials and activities, for the benefit of the
games. After learning to count numbers, have intercultural skills as they look for em- learners. As I assess materials taught, I look
they learned to introduce themselves and ployment possibilities. High-level, high-pay- to see if they are too complicated for the
tell their ages. teaching the Chinese lan- ing jobs will demand fluency in more than students to understand in only one lesson.
guage sometimes includes teaching Chinese one language. In the United States, second- this way I can adjust the teaching curricu-
culture. the “Little Hive” students were language abilities are increasingly important lum by including student feedback. this al-
able to recognize a map and flag of China. to national security, growing our economy, lows me to tailor my classroom lessons on a
they watched a Chinese new Year’s pro- delivery of health care, and law enforce- more personal level rather than at a general
gram and as a Chinese new Year gift, they ment. Knowledge of other languages en- level. this will benefit my students more ed-
each received a “red envelope” containing a riches travel experiences and allows people ucationally and emotionally and will lead
ten-cent piece of Chinese paper currency to to experience other societies and cultures to a positive dynamic in the classroom. Be-
use as a bookmark. the students observed a more meaningfully. Besides access to for- fore Easter, I tried to let the “Little Hive”
demonstration on how to make a paper lan- eign media, literature, and the arts, bi- and students count colored eggs. I showed them
tern during the Chinese Lantern Festival multilingual people can simply connect and the eggs and asked each student to count
this year. Each of these culturally related ac- converse more freely. Becoming bilingual the eggs of a certain color. I realized that the
tivities were incorporated into the curricu- leads to new ways of conceptualizing your- younger students could not do two things at
lum because language activities encourage self and others. It expands your worldview, the same time, such as count and identify
students to play and increase their excite- so that you not only know more, you know colors. one of the research benefits gained
ment and motivation for learning. differently (Williams, 2011). through assessing students in my classroom
the “Little Hive” students can under- the “Little Hive” students Addison and individually and then as a whole, was that
stand basic Chinese directions. During in- Margaret are the youngest in our class, but I was able to see which materials were un-
struction, Chinese is spoken 100% in the these two students always pay attention, en- derstood more easily when presented by the
classroom. I show the students numbers joy learning, participate in all games and teacher to the students.
and Chinese characters, and then ask in activities, and are extremely motivated to CONCLUSION
Chinese, “What is the number?” they im- learn. taylor-Ward (2003) explains “Re- the deficiencies of this study are that the
mediately answer. I show them family mem- search shows that students who are moti- study included only girls because Hutchi-
bers. they can identify each family member vated are more likely to learn. In contrast, son School is a private girl’s school. other
and say, “I love father, mother, older sister, students who are not motivated to learn the limitations would be that they learn Chi-
younger sister, older brother and younger target language or feel vulnerable or anxious nese only during the nine months of school
brother.” I point to body parts and they re- in their learning environment experience each year, which is a short time period. Also
spond. When I say, “Sing the numbers a heightened affective filter” (p. 42). Addi- some of the children do not attend school
Song, Where Are My Friends? Song, or the son and Margaret have memorized the Chi- five days each week. School breaks also
Happy Birthday song,” they know which nese children’s rhyme. “Little rabbit, white greatly affect the retention experienced by
song they should sing. In Chinese, I say, color, two ears up right, like eat vegetable the students.
“two year old little friend (or three year) and carrots, Jump jump, so cute.” they can How can teachers use limited time to
please stand up.” the three girls, who are also introduce themselves with their age and provide efficiency for children learning a
only two years old, know to stand up and name. their motivation has improved their second language, and make the program
say in Chinese, “I am two years old.” When Chinese retention. successful? the teacher should positively in-
I call the color (they learned three colors) A variety of instructional strategies are teract with and support students to make
red, blue and white, they can find and point used in the curriculum. Hands- on activi- them interested in learning the Chinese
to that color. Sometimes they are able to ties, visual aids, and many more concrete language. teachers have to provide oppor-
tell me their dress colors. objects are incorporated in the lessons. the tunities for students to learn a second lan-
Bialystok (1997) found that bilingual Chinese instructor always cares about stu- guage and speak the target language 95% to
children understood better than monolin- dents’ emotions and creates a natural learn- a 100% of the time.
gual children did on the general symbolic ing environment. this allows all students to Educational research adds to our knowl-
representation of print. the older Chi- have positive experiences during class and edge, and suggests improvements for prac-
nese-English bilingual children also showed also stimulates positive results. through- tice (Creswell, 2012). these study methods
advanced understanding of the specific cor- out the research, I realized the younger stu- could be used to research other grades or
respondence relations in English print. All dents were learning to copy Chinese words by researchers interested in explaining
of my pictures and teaching materials are al- and phrases, but they were not thinking in second language learning. through posi-
ways done in Chinese characters. this way Chinese. they did not know how to use ab- tive reinforcement, the “Little Hive” and
it lets students see Chinese words all the stract thinking. When I saw “Little Hive” pre- kindergarten students gain a sense of
time. this enables them to be familiar with students on the Hutchison campus I said achievement. Positive reinforcement mo-
print and storybooks in both languages. It hello or I love you in Chinese. All the chil- tivates students to participate in class and
also allows them to observe how print refers dren did in response was smile. By the end therefore, they are eager to learn. through
to language. As of right now, all of the chil- of the school year, the pre–Kindergarten my studies of early childhood foreign lan-
dren can identify some printed letters and students were the first to say in Chinese, guage education, I hope to learn how to im
Learning Languages ~ 21
✍
prove my teaching methods with younger support and academic training. Strauss, V (2009). Early Launch for Language.
children. I also hope to make my research I am grateful t o Dr. Morrison who was Washington Post
taylor-Ward, C. (2003). the Relationship Be-
available to others who desire to teach early my education researcher teacher. He gave
tween Elementary Foreign Language
childhood foreign education. me many helpful suggestions and directions.
Students in Grades three through Five and
I have observed that the 13 students REFERENCES Academic Achievement on the Iowa tests
have different ways of learning. Zofia is Bialystok, E. (1999). Cognitive Complexity and of Basic Skills and the Fourth Grade Louisi-
quiet most of the time and will not speak up Attention Control in the Bilingual Mind. ana Educational Assessment Program for 21st
Child Development, 70(3), 636-644. Century test. Louisiana State University, Baton
on her own, but she can answer all the ques-
Bialystok, E. (1997). Effects of Bilingualism and Rouge, Louisiana.
tions. In Benchmarks I and II she earned Biliteracy on Children’s Emerging Weatherford, H. (1986). Personal Benefits of
100%. Margaret is the youngest in the “Lit- Concepts of Print. Developmental Psychology, Foreign Language Study. Washington, DC:
tle Hive” class and she has been able to fol- 33(3), 429-440. Center for Applied Linguistics (ERIC Document
low the teacher in speaking Chinese from Brewer, J. & Hunter, A. (1989). Multimethod Reproduction services No. ED 276305).
Research: A Synthesis of styles. Newbury Williams, t (2011). What Research tells Us
the first class. She is always motivated to
Park, CA: Sage, 209 pp. About Immersion. Education.com Development
learn. Caroline, Eliza Belle, Ann, and Abby Cade, J. M. (1997). the Foreign Language Im- Goals for Infants and Toddlers Administration for
were three day a week students and only mersion Program in the Kansas City, Children.
Abby received an 80% for both bench- Missouri Public Schools, 1986-1996 [Abstract]. Voice of America (2013). How Babies Learn,
marks. three day a week students only study Dissertation Abstracts International - A 58(10), When, and Even in What Position “Sci-
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辞 海 (2013). Chinese Dictionary voanews.com/content/howbabieslearnwhenande-
cannot remember all of the content. Cur- Creswell JW. Educational Research (2012). Plan- venwhat-position/1582366.html
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Development - Head Start. http://eclkc.ohs.
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acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural
peers in a variety of ways” (p.14). Foster, K. M. & Reeves, C. K. (1989). Foreign 1990’s. She has taught
Chinese language
the nine parents said that their children Language in the Elementary School (FLES)
to Kindergarten,
have improved English. their spoken lan- Improves Cognitive Skills. FLES News, 2(3), 4.
Glisan, E. L. & Shrum, J. L. (2005). teacher’s Elementary and Middle
guage is much better and their frequency
Handbook: Contextualized Language division in Hutchison
of speaking has progressed since the “Little
Instruction. (3rd Ed.) United States: Thomson School for five years
Hive” class began. Rhodes (2013) believes Heinle. (2008 to 2013). She
that the more children learn about a foreign Hakuta, K. & Bialystok, E. (2003). A test of the is now teaching
language, the more they understand about Critical Period Hypothesis for Second Lan- Kindergarten Chinese
guage Acquisition. American Psychological so-
their own language. Learning a foreign lan- language at Lausanne
ciety. p. 32- 35. VOL. 14, NO. 1, JANUARY
guage has many benefits, and is very good Collegiate School. She has learned different
2003
for young children. Kessler & Quinn (1980) Kessler, C. & Quinn, M E. (1980). Positive teaching methods and methodology and has
explain that a well-organized bilingual pro- Effects of Bilingualism on Science Prob- gained skills that helped her develop her own
gram where children learn two languages lemSolving Abilities. In J. Alatis (Ed.), Chinese curriculum and lesson plans. She
Georgetown University Round Table on Lan- learned the value and importance of using
can make the positive interactions of cogni-
guages and Linguistics (pp. 295-308). evaluation techniques to chart and monitor
tive functioning and language development
Landry, R. G. (1973). the Enhancement of Fig- the progress of her students’ learning. She
more successful. Being able to converse in ural Creativity through Second Language received her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
a foreign language will give them more op- Learning at the Elementary School level. For- from the University of Memphis in 2003 while
tions in education and life. Researchers eign Language Annals, 7(1), 111-115. from she was teaching at Hutchison. Her specialty is
Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts
have found that learning other foreign lan- in education with a focus on “Teaching Chinese
Database.
guages can help to improve conversation and Research on Learning Chinese”. She has
LeLoup, J W. Ponterio, R. (2005). Lets Go to the
skills and literacy in English, as well as ben- Zoo! Sites for Young Language Learners. attended the STARTALK program which is a
efit students’ performance in other subjects. Language Learning & technology. http://llt.msu. program that trains the foreign language teachers
Foreign language study in the lower grades edu/vol9num1/net/ Volume 9, number 1, pp. to teach Chinese. She was a nurse, a high school
4-16. ISSn 1094-3501 4 physics teacher, and business manager in China.
helps students acquire English Language arts
Peal, E. & Lambert, W. E. (1962). the Relation She worked for social behavior and neuroscience
skills (Rafferty, 1986). By the “Little Hive”
of Bilingualism to Intelligence. research at the University of Memphis. She has
learning the Chinese language, it will pro- Psychological Monographs, 76(27, Whole no. experiences in the work force which helped
vide cross- curricular opportunities that de- 546), 23.
her gain much knowledge and variety of skills.
velop critical and creative thinking skills, Penfield, W. & Roberts, L. (1959). Speech and
She used these skills to help her on educational
Brain Mechanisms. London: Oxford University
and effective oral and written communica- research, and success in her dual language
Press (p. 42)
tion. classes with all-different level students.Zhihong Li
Rhodes, n. (2013). Director of Foreign Language
ACkNOwLEDGmENTS Education at the Center for Applied has provided and continues to provide Chinese
I truly appreciate the Hutchison School Linguistics in Washington, D. C. learning websites for NNELL.
22 ~fall/winter 2014