Learning the 214 Chinese radicals is a valuable endeavor for anyone embarking on the journey of mastering the Chinese language. While these radicals alone won’t make you proficient, they serve as an essential building block in understanding Chinese characters and can significantly enhance your language-learning experience. Chinese radicals are components of characters that often provide […]
Category: Teacher Teaching
List of Communication Topics Reference Guidelines for TBCL (Taiwan Benchmarks for the Chinese Languag) Application
During the development of the “Reference Guidelines for TBCL Application,” international language proficiency standards, such as the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (ACTFL 2012) from the United States and the CEFR (Council of Europe 2001) from the European Union, were consulted. These guidelines embraced mainstream perspectives, emphasizing practical language usage and a learner-centered approach. This effort led […]
Combinations of Initials and Finals Table
Mark Swofford of Banqiao, Taiwan, has compiled a comprehensive “Combinations of Initials and Finals” table, which serves as a valuable resource for learners and enthusiasts of Mandarin Chinese phonetics. This table presents a systematic arrangement of Mandarin syllables, listing the combinations of initials (consonant-like sounds) and finals (vowel-like sounds) used in the language. Key Features: […]
Unveiling the Tapestry of Taiwanese Culture: Exploring its Richness and Challenges
Originally, I thought that searching for “Taiwanese Culture” on Google Scholar would yield a plethora of textbooks and philosophical articles, just like “Chinese Culture.” However, upon taking action, I discovered that there is still a lack of systematic introductions to Taiwanese culture. Perhaps we shouldn’t try to understand Taiwanese culture from a systematic or holistic […]
What are Can do Statements? An Overview for Mandarin Learners
The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and ALG (Automatic Language Growth) are two widely recognized frameworks for language learning and assessment. In the context of Mandarin Chinese learning, the Can-do statements in CEFR and ALG can be particularly helpful for setting clear language goals and tracking progress. Can-do statements are brief descriptions […]
Situations of Communicative Language Activities
To carry out communicative tasks, users have to engage in communicative language activities and operate communication strategies. Many communicative activities, such as conversation and correspondence, are interactive, that is to say, the participants alternate as producers and receivers, often with several turns. In other cases, as when speech is recorded or broadcast or written texts […]
Breaking the Stereotype: How Learning Mandarin Can Be Fun and Exciting
Learning Mandarin, like learning calculus or organic chemistry, can be challenging and intimidating. Often, others will say that it’s too difficult, which can make it easy to hate the learning process. However, a formal classroom setting isn’t the only way to learn Mandarin. Unfortunately, if your language class is filled with endless grammar or vocabulary […]
Chinese Paper Cutting Templates for Lunar Year of the Tiger 2022
Lunar New Year festivities can often last for up to 15 days, with different tasks and activities taking place over that period. Paper cutting is one of the oldest folk art forms in China. Making the cuttings together with the family is a popular way of celebrating the Lunar New Year and welcoming the spring. […]
New HSK 3.0 is not the perfect guideline for learning Chinese
“Teaching to the test” is a colloquial term for any method of education whose curriculum is heavily focused on preparing students for a standardized test. Teaching to the test is frequently criticized by academics and educators, while its critics argue that students who are simply taught to the test fail to achieve a lasting and […]
Comprehensible Inputs Facilitate Listening and Speaking skills
Language teacher utilize activities that integrate all four skills because they assume that each reinforces the other, and two of them could be facilitated by inputs. These four skills in the following order: Listening: When people are learning a new language they first hear it spoken. Speaking: Eventually, they try to repeat what they hear. […]