🌱 Austin's Chinese Learning Story: How did a five-year-old who speaks all English fall in love with Chinese?
Two years of study
Austin is 7 years old (1st grade) and has been studying Chinese at Tongle for two years.
In school, his daily language is English, but in Mr. Bitao's class, he is immersed in the Chinese atmosphere. This transformation gives children a sense of belonging, and they slowly fall in love with Chinese learning.
Teacher Bitao's class atmosphere is relaxed and diverse, tolerant of children's personalities, and gives them the opportunity to fully express themselves. Unless they are particularly undisciplined, the teacher will patiently encourage the child.
From lack of concentration to 2-hour classes
At first, Austin had difficulty concentrating in kindergarten and often drew in class. Mom thought of many ways at home:
adapt the Tao Te Ching into a ballad and use musical notes to drive children's interest;
adopt the division of labor of "you read A, I read B" to let children participate;
Through gamification, gradually increase the child's patience.
After this training, Austin went from having difficulty lasting 50 minutes at the beginning to now being able to concentrate on 2 hours of Chinese class. Not only that, he began to like reading "Journey to the West", and his concentration and interest have made a qualitative leap.
Identification with Chinese and culture
Mom said: "The most important thing is to let children feel the breadth and depth of Chinese culture. ”
Children growing up overseas often have confusion about their identity:
say they are Americans, but they are distinguished because they have Chinese faces;
Say they are not Americans, but have American passports.
In this context, it is particularly important for children to maintain Chinese learning and cultural identity. Austin's parents believe:
Chinese learning is more important than other subjects;
In Chinese learning, the classics are the core, because after reading the classics, the vernacular is naturally not a problem.
Interesting learning stories
At one point, Austin learned the idiom "self-inflicted". When he was tidying up things at home, he fell because he didn't put them away, and he immediately said to his mother: "This is self-inflicted!" ”
What's even more interesting is that Austin's sister also learned it while listening to her brother's review next to her. One day she fell down without throwing the garbage into the bucket, and came to her mother and said, "Mom, I am doing this on my own." ”
Idioms have not only become knowledge points, but also become language tools for children to understand life and express themselves.
Teacher's observation and thinking
Teacher Bitao commented:
Significant improvement: Two years ago, Austin was often distracted in class, communicating in English and not pronouncing Chinese clearly; Nowadays, he can read carefully and actively read it, and the words and sentences in the "Doctrine of the Mean" can be read word for word, rather than relying on audio memory. When writing, you can also draw one stroke at a time, and you can look and see.
Interest-driven: Austin especially likes idiom explanations, and what he learns from "self-inflicted" is not only the meaning of words, but also the wisdom of reflection and introspection.
Home-school cooperation: Overseas children must work closely with teachers, parents and students to learn Chinese well. The mother's patient companionship and creativity allow the child to absorb rich cultural nutrients invisibly.
The teacher sighed: "Children seem to be inattentive, but their brains absorb information like a sponge." In that case, we should give them the most nutritious and high-level information. ”
brief summary
Austin's coming-of-age story tells us:
Patience + creative methods are the key to cultivating children's interest and concentration;
classic learning + cultural immersion can help overseas children establish a deep Chinese foundation;
Identity + language confidence is the long-term value of Chinese learning.
Just as bamboo has taken root underground for many years, one day it will flourish. Austin's progress is the best testimony to this patience and persistence.
