Bridging Learning Objectives and Student Performance in Chinese Language Teaching

1. CLTA-SCSpring Workshop May 6, 2017Pasadena City College Finding the Missing Pieces between Learning Objectives and Student Performance Nyan-Ping Bi University of Washington

2. Presentation Outline • Sharing student learning outcome examples from different proficiency levels • Discussing disconnects between standards for Chinese language learning, learning objectives, and student performance • Balance between language styles and language skills • Lesson planning and delivery • Articulation between levels within a program

4. Presentation Takeaways At the end of the presentation, you will be able to assess whether the following are in place and work well in your courses or program: • Standards for Chinese Language Learning • Learning Objectives for Lessons • Desirable Student Learning Outcomes • Acceptable and Measureable Learning Evidence of Competence • Lesson Planning and Delivery • Articulation between Levels

5. Standards for Chinese Language Learning • Consensus among colleagues? • Guidance from program/school administrators? • Guidelines for standardized exams? • World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages? [https://www.actfl.org/publications/all/world-readiness-standards-learning-languages]

6. National Standards for Foreign Language Learning • K-16 • Five Cs • Three modes of communication

7. Identifying Learning Objectives • Themes and topics • Linguistic forms • Language functions • Language skills • Learning strategies • Cognitive development • …

8. Standards for Chinese Language Learning Student Performance Measurable Outcomes Assessment Learning Objectives Set for Your Lessons/Units

9. Example A: Third or Fourth Year Chinese in Higher Education • Produce learning outcomes at the Advanced Low Level if assessed using the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. [https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines2012_FINAL.pdf]

10. Advanced Low: Listening • Students are able to understand short conventional narrative and description texts. • Students understand the main facts and some supporting details.

11. Advanced Low: Speaking • Students can speak about some topics related to employment, current events, and matters of public and community interest. • Students demonstrate the ability to narrate and describe in paragraph-length discourse. • Responses produced by students are typically not longer than a single paragraph. • Students are able to use communicative strategies such as rephrasing and circumlocution. • …

12. Advanced Low: Reading • Students understand conventional narrative and descriptive texts with a clear underlying structure though their comprehension may be uneven. • Students understand the main ideas and some supporting details. • …

13. Advanced Low: Writing • Students are able to compose simple summaries on familiar topics. Advanced Low writers are able to combine and link sentences into texts of paragraph length and structure. …

14. Example A: Third or Fourth Year Chinese in Higher Education: Learning Objectives • Do narration and description in paragraph-length connected discourse; • Do some amount of supporting and explaining; • Explain new vocabulary using learned materials; • Use colloquial Chinese to explain the meaning of written Chinese; • Do oral summation; • Obtain the gist of the written text

15. Student Samples (Writing) • 作者讨论一般人为了养家糊口而工作，工作的时间比在家跟家人一起的时间多得多，疏忽家人，这是一个矛盾。作者建议人生最美好快乐的事情是与家人。 • 作者指出现代的人为了养家糊口而工作，对工作的投入超过了对家庭的投入。作者认为人们应该在工作与家庭之间保持平衡，并用自己的亲身经历来说明家庭的重要。 • 作者认为人们为了养家糊口而工作，投入工作的时间超过投入家庭的时间，造成工作与家庭之间平衡的问题。作者举例来说明跟家人一起共度时光才是人生最重要的事情。

16. Student Samples (speaking) • https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1097898/gradebook/speed_grader?assignment_id=3533913#%7B%22student_id%22%3A%223647243%22%7D • https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1097898/gradebook/speed_grader?assignment_id=3533913#%7B%22student_id%22%3A%223639430%22%7D

17. Example BLearning Objectives

22. https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1137864/gradebook/speed_grader?assignment_id=3636787#%7B%22student_id%22%3A%223590328%22%7Dhttps://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1137864/gradebook/speed_grader?assignment_id=3636787#%7B%22student_id%22%3A%223590328%22%7D

23. Example CLearning Objectives

24. https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/895342/gradebook/speed_grader?assignment_id=2477984#%7B%22student_id%22%3A%223419377%22%7Dhttps://canvas.uw.edu/courses/895342/gradebook/speed_grader?assignment_id=2477984#%7B%22student_id%22%3A%223419377%22%7D

25. Articulation Text types: • Sentence Level vs. Paragraph Level Language Styles: • Conversations vs. Narrations • Informal vs. Formal …

26. Key elements in developing student ability at connecting sentences in continuous discourse:

27. Example 1

28. Example 2

29. Example 3

30. Example 3

33. Key elements in developing student ability at connecting sentences in continuous discourse: • Pronouns • Omitting repetitive elements • Time words • Location expressions • Adverbs

34. Different focuses at different levels • 人称代词、指定代词 vs. 专名 • 语境限制： 除了……以外，…… • 因果关系 vs. 句子顺序： 因为……，所以…… • 韵律排比

35. Different focuses at different levels • 已知信息 vs. 新信息 • 焦点： 世界各国为了解决能源供应问题而开发新能源 vs. 世界各国开发新能源来解决能源供应问题

36. Presentation Takeaways Self-Check List: • Standards for Chinese Language Learning • Learning Objectives for Lessons • Desirable Student Learning Outcomes • Acceptable and Measureable Learning Evidence of Competence • Lesson Planning and Delivery • Articulation between Levels

37. World Language Online Modules http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/228321.html Module #4 by Nyan-Ping Bi Interpersonal Communication: Enhancing Students’ Interpersonal Writing Abilities https://cbtwitterfeeds.collegeboard.org/ap-training-modules/world-languages-cultures/developing-interpersonal-writing-abilities/

38. Nyan-Ping Bi 畢念平 npbi@uw.edu