ACTION@GWU 2022 Program
Advancing Chinese Teaching: Innovations, Outcomes, and New Directions
2022 Symposium on Chinese Language Pedagogy
L2 Hanzi Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age
电写时代的L2汉字教学
Saturday, July 30, 2022
9:15 - 9:30 am Opening Remarks
- Immanuel Kim, Acting Chair of Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures, GWU
- Gregg Brazinsky, Co-Director of East Asia National Resource Center, GWU
9:30 - 11:00 am ► Session 1: L2 Hanzi Learning: New Directions (Keynote)
- [9:30] Chengzhi Chu 储诚志 (University of California, Davis): Instrumental Characters and Cultural Characters in Chinese L2 Teaching at the Era of Digital Writing 电写时代国际中文教育中的工具汉字和文化汉字
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从纸笔书写到电子书写的当代转变,是近4000年来汉字书写方式的第二次革命性变化。这一变化深刻地改变了汉字能力的实质内涵,也为解决国际中文教育中“汉字学习老大难”的长期困扰提供了根本条件。但是,如何正确理解和适应这一变化,使国际中文教育中的汉字教学与时俱进,更有效益,是当前中文教师和学术界需要厘清的重大课题。对汉字的工具属性和文化属性及其关系的认识是理解和解决(或妨碍解决)有关问题的一个关键。本报告将从学理思考和教学应用两方面就有关问题展开讨论,提出思路和方案。
The contemporary pervasive shift from handwriting using pen and paper to digital writing on electronic screens marks the second revolutionary change to Chinese character writing in its long history of over 3,500 years. This revolution has profoundly changed the essential properties of character writing and the competence of Chinese literacy. How to properly understand and adapt to this change is a major issue that challenges the field of Chinese L2 teaching, and the key lies in properly understanding the nature of Chinese characters as both instrumental scripts and cultural symbols as well as the relationship in-between. The talk will address relevant issues and propose a theoretical framework for discussion.
- [10:15] Nan Jiang 蒋楠 (University of Maryland, College Park): Analytic word recognition by CSL learners and its pedagogical implications 汉外语学生的分析性汉字识别及其教学应对
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本报告介绍三个有关汉外语学生分析性识字的研究,并讨论如何在教学中帮助学生逐渐形成整体识字的能力。
Word recognition is an essential part of reading. A distinction is made in reading research between analytic and holistic word recognition. The former is characterized by serial processing of sublexical units before a whole word is recognized, and in the latter case, visual input is processed in parallel and a word is treated as a single processing unit. Research has shown that beginning readers rely more on analytic than holistic processing, and as their reading experience increases, they transition to holistic processing. In this presentation, three studies are summarized that were intended to explore this issue. In two of them, CSL speakers and native speakers (NS) of Chinese were asked to perform a lexical decision task on words that differed in the number of strokes. The findings from all these studies suggested that CSL speakers are more likely to rely on an analytic processing strategy in visual word recognition than NS do. In the last part of the presentation, pedagogical interventions are discussed that may help CSL learners to transition from less efficient analytic word recognition to more efficient holistic word recognition.
11:15 am -1:00 pm ► Session 2: Innovations in Theory and Practice
- [11:15] Zheng-Sheng Zhang 张正生 (San Diego State University): Typing Characters and Skill Integration 打字与技能整合
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成本效益分析表明,打字比手写具有明显的优势。可训练多种技能,却不增加成本,可谓“一石数鸟”。可加强拼音和发音,强化同音字辨析能力,并缩短了语言和文字之间的距离。
A cost-benefit analysis suggests that typing characters has clear advantages over handwriting them, as it ‘kills many birds with one stone’, contributing to many areas of learning while incurring no extra cost. It enhances romanization and pronunciation skills, intensifies homophone differentiation practice, and reduces the distance between speech and writing.
- [11:40] Wayne Wenchao He 何文潮 (University of Rhode Island): The Three Teaching Modes Dealing with the Chinese Character-Teaching Signify Feasibility and Necessity of “Computerized Chinese” 从三种处理汉字教学模式看“电脑中⽂”的可⾏性和必要性
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本报告将分析⼏种现有汉字教学模式,指出其存在的问题,提出新的“电脑中⽂”模式,及其在罗德岛⼤学中⽂领航项⽬的应⽤实践,表明该模式在汉字教学中的可⾏性和必要性。
This report will analyze a few existing Chinese character teaching modes, and point out the problems they caused to the Chinese curriculum. Based on the analysis, it will discuss the new teaching mode "Computerized Chinese", its application at the URI Chinese Flagship Program and indicate its feasibility and necessity in teaching Chinese as a foreign language.
- [12:10] Phyllis Ni Zhang 张霓 (Geroge Washington University): Unlock the Learner’s Potential to Achieve More: Restructuring Hanzi Instruction for CFL Beginners 释放潜能可事半功倍--重构CFL初级汉字教学
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电写时代的L2汉字教学应该如何定位?例行写字要求对初学者是助力还是压力、甚至阻力? 本报告指出汉字教学应破除“写字优于电写”的迷思。GW初级班的训练方式、成效、和学生感受的案例说明‘电写为主、手写随意’的模式有助于加速词汇学习,促进读写能力的发展。
How should L2 Hanzi instruction be situated in the digital age? Do routine stroke-based handwriting-memorization requirements facilitate or burden or even hinder beginning Hanzi learners? This report addresses the common 'myth’ that writing is superior to pinyin-based typing in Hanzi learning. The training methods, outcomes, and student perceptions of the GW program demonstrate that the typing-primary approach with a handwriting practice choice not only accommodates all types of learners, but also speeds up vocabulary learning and boosts overall L2 Chinese literacy development.
- [12:35] Matt Coss 高正远 (George Washington University): Handwriting, Typing, Hanzi Learning, and Hanzi Teaching Revisited 再谈手写、电写与汉字教学
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Contrary to the general belief that Chinese character teaching is inseparable from teaching the hand-writing of characters, this presentation will argue that “teaching and learning Chinese characters” is different from “teaching and learning to hand-write characters.” Based on a discussion and demonstration of a recent course-based iteration of systematically teaching Chinese characters, it will elucidate that learning Chinese characters and acquiring Chinese literacy in the digital age does not necessarily require learning to hand-write Chinese characters. This methodology retains all of the inherent cultural knowledge, systematic patterns, and field-tested character decomposition (using common components in Hanzi instruction) possibilities of teaching Chinese characters without the overwhelming and discouraging burden of a primacy on hand-writing hundreds of Hanzi from memory.
1:00 - 1:55 pm Lunch Break
2:00 - 3:30 pm ► Session 3: Sharing Experiences & Perceptions
Learners Panel, moderated by Matt Coss:
- [2:05] Five current GW students interviewed by Matt Coss
- [2:40] Learner-turned-teacher Roundtable (Kevin Fedewa, Eric Pelzl, and Matt Coss)
3:30 - 7:55 pm Afternoon Break
8:00 -10:00 pm ► Session 4: Challenges and Opportunities for Programs, Pedagogy & Curricula
Roundtable Discussion, moderated by Chengzhi Chu
- [8:05] Xinying Edens 张新颖 (Holland Hall Upper School) [ download presentation] [related article]
- [8:15] Ninghui Liang 梁宁辉 (Yale University) [ download presentation]
- [8:25] Xiwen Lu 陆熙雯 (Brandeis University) [ download presentation]
- [8:40] Zhiying Qian 钱之莹 (Florida State University)
- [8:50] Qian Wang 王蒨 (University of British Columbia)
- [9:00] Hsiang-ning Wang 王祥寧 (University of British Columbia) [ download presentation]
- [9:20] Q&A and Discussion 问答与讨论
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- Xinying Edens 张新颖: 高中电打教学的必要性与挑战—基于高中学生学业、升学、测试及生活方面的思考
- Ninghui Liang 梁宁辉: 初、中级中文教学在淡化手写汉字要求的同时,增加泛读练习和电打写作训练,极大地提高了学生学习效率,学生的阅读速度和理解力以及写作能力均有显著进步。
- Xiwen Lu 陆熙雯: 电写教学容易保持和激发学生的学习兴趣,学习效果更好。电写教学也带来了新的教学难点和挑战如形近词认读、同音异形词输入、测评方式及网络字典的使用等。
- Zhiying Qian 钱之莹: 汉字要求从“手写”改为“认读”后学生人数有了显著增加。本次报告将分享汉字改革的理论背景和三条具体的实践方法。
- Qian Wang 王蒨: 使用以电打为主的综合汉字教学法促进中文教学中的公平性,多元化,和包容性。
- Hsiang-ning Wang 王祥寧: 电写有效地提升华裔学生学习祖裔语言的动机与自信;除写作能力外,认字与发音的准确度均得到高。
10:00 pm Closing
- Organizers closing remarks
- Participant feedback (fill out the short online survey)
Advancing Chinese Teaching: Innovations, Outcomes & New Directions 乔治·华盛顿大学中文教学与研究论坛