As a language, if students do not practice after they learn certain points, they will forget soon. Many students may feel that the more they learn, the more they will forget when they study Chinese. Before teachers start new teaching contents, they should check students’ learning result. But the simple dictation is not beneficial. Teachers should apply some techniques to the checking process.
The contest for matching the conjunctive words is a helpful method for them to learn Mandarin. Teacher divides the class into two groups to play the game. In the first round, teacher says the former part of one conjunctive word and the students should compete to match the later part of the conjunctive words. The team answering the right answer will get one point and another group should make sentences with that one.
In the second round, the teacher speaks one sentence and the students should find the proper conjunctive words to organize the sentences as soon as possible. One point scored when got one right answer. The more conjunctive words students have learned, the easier they will be confused. So it is necessary to help students study in China consolidate them after learning most of the conjunctive words, thus cultivating the language sense and using them correctly.
When teacher offers “如果、虽然、不但、因为……”, students race to answer “就、但是、而且、所以……” respectively and make sentences with them. In Chinese school in China, when teacher offers the sentence without conjunctive words like “他很聪明,他不努力” and “今天很热,我们去游泳”, students should add proper conjunctive words like”他虽然很聪明,但是他不努力” and “因为今天很热,所以我们去游泳”.
Here is another method to check learning result. When learning Mandarin Chinese, students are divided into four groups and each group chooses one to stand on the platform. Then teachers attach one paper with one character on each student’s back. The four characters on their back can be composed as a set phrase.
After the teacher announces the game begins, these four students should walk quickly in a circle. During this process, each one should try to see the other characters on other’s back to judge the character on one’s own back, thus guessing the whole set phrase. Phrases like “自相矛盾、滥竽充数、亡羊补牢、守株待兔” are often applied to those who learn Mandarin in China.
Generally speaking, the words in a lesson all have some kind of relationship. Accordingly, teachers can stimulate students to remind of some relevant words by given a topic word. Teachers in qualified Mandarin program often divide students into several groups and show one word has close relation with the lesson, mostly the substantial nouns.
After the students who learn Chinese language in China studied the words like “办理、登记、手续、托运、装、掏、机舱、开关、起飞、安全带、插头”, teachers can display the word “飞机场” for the purpose of stimulating students say the phrases like “办理登记手续、托运行李”.
The set phrase in Chinese language is a difficult point for students to learn because most of them carry certain Chinese culture. If learners’ proficiency is not enough, it is difficult for them to use the set phrases and idioms after they learned many. But it is usually practical in oral Chinese language. Therefore, it is essential to practice more in the class.
It is simple to practice this point to students who learn to speak Chinese. After dividing students into groups, teachers speak out the former two characters of the set phrases or the former part of the idiom. Students are supposed to fill the later part. For example, “拔苗——,刻舟——,世上无难事——“.
After checking students’ learning result, students can consolidate what they have learned. Then, it will be not confusing to learn new contents. Teachers should use different techniques to check different contents.