Nowadays, with the rapid development of China‘s national strength and the flourishing “world Chinese fever”, more foreigners pay their attention to study Chinese. At the same time, overseas Chinese education has become an important mission of the Chinese government. As a result, more and more Chinese people go abroad to be volunteers to teach foreigners Chinese language.
In recent years, Huaqiao University has become the most important measure for China to promote overseas Chinese education. Wu Yanhua is an excellent students graduated from Huaqiao University in 2006. She is also an important member of the volunteer programs in China. She said that one of the most memorable times in his whole life was the experience of being a volunteer to teach Chinese language abroad.
Wu Yanhua is one of the first graduates major in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Chinese language school in Huaqiao University. She ever went abroad as a volunteer to teach Chinese languagetwice. The first one is to Thailand and the other is to Philippines. In the following parts, we will tell her story about Chinese language teaching to those who study in China for the purpose of knowing more about Chinese language learning.
According to her memory, those volunteers always tried all kinds of means to stimulate the learners interest to study Mandarin Chinese language in the process of volunteer teaching. In order to make them interested in learning Chinese, volunteers often taught students sing Chinese popular songs. Before teaching songs, teachers wrote down the lyrics with Chinese Pinyin on the blackboard. After practicing the pronunciation and explaining the meanings, teachers played the songs to them and guided them.
Most foreigners who learn Chinese like this method of teaching Chinese language. For the simple songs, they can sing after just some practice. Some students even suggested that teachers teach them sing the songs sung by Jay Chou who is a famous singer in China with fast singing. Besides, they even taught students to play Chinese chess, during which teachers told the relevant Chinese culture to them.
There were also some interesting stories out of class. What made Wu Yanhua impressive was happened in Thailand. When she went to the bank to for some business, one of the assistants asked where she came from in English. After knowing she is a Chinese people, the assistant said a series of “good” with an admiring expression. This is just one story for those who learn Mandarin in China.
However, for Wu Yanhua, it was not only a story. After that experience, she felt the influence of the motherland becomes stronger in other countries. Besides, the range of great influence is getting wider. More importantly, it hardened his determination to teach Chinese language and promote Chinese culture abroad. Most teachers in summer program in China also have the same feeling when they teach Chinese abroad. This is very good for increasing their teaching interest and improving their teaching skills.
According to her story, it is obvious that whether a nation strong or not has very close relationship with the promotion of that language and culture. Only when your country becomes powerful, prosperous and stable are we qualified to spread our outstanding culture, at the same time, overseas Chinese can live a proud life. In the same sense, teachers in Chinese learning programs can do better in their Chinese teaching.
Some students who learn Chinese in China may be curious about her life after she back to the motherland. She returned from Thailand in April of 2007. After that, she ever worked for some large animation companies and large scale group companies. Since July of 2008, she has been a division principle in news propaganda center in Xiamen Huatian International Academy. Until now, she is a member of International Society for Chinese language Teaching.
Wu Yanhua has made her efforts to teach foreigners Chinese language and also made much progress. In today’s China, more excellent people are needed to do this job because the Chinese language getting more popular. Since foreigners are eager to learn Mandarin Chinese, we should be responsible for them by teaching them with effective teaching methods. As long as the nation needs them, they should never hesitate to make contribution to the Chinese language teaching.
The experience of teaching Chinese language abroad is tough but substantial. It is not only an unforgettable memory, but also meaningful to our country’s development and Chinese language promoting.