I like Chinese Sing Along....Wo Ai Zhongguo Ren....

I have always liked this video and oldy but a goody....I also wish I could learn more Chinese....but instead, I make excuses and spend my time doing this WoW Laolongwang

How I envisage my visit….

My Virtual Pin boards about China and Language Learning

I recently found a Virtual Pinboard called Pinterest . I started posting China related things that don't exactly match the theme and purpose of my Weblog Chinese Mandarin Learner.

So on my Pinterest I have several boards related to China and Language Learning. Lots of things like infographics (facts and figures presented in an attractive and accessible way), pictures of China, some Chinese comics and other China related things. The majority are still language learning sites and connections (mostly Chinese) . Have a look and see what you think of my Pinterest Boards.

I think I like this media site as it is so so easy to aggregate useful sites and information.

See they are doing it all wrong they are only rote learning...

Another media report comparing East Asian education to our Australian education system. Killer report is from Dr Ben Jensen, School Education Program Director of the Grattan Institute.

There are  killer facts from this article (some of which we have seen somewhere before);

• Money is poured into Oz education

However it is certainly not encouraging or increasing the number of our students learning an Asian LOTE. Asian LOTE study is at an all time low in Australian schools. 

• Rhetoric between policy and reality of what is going on in the classroom does not match. Lot of talk and little implementation.

There was 44% increase in spending on education in Oz schools between 2000 and 2008. Yet we are falling behind. This is most embarrassing. 

• In East Asia teacher status is high.  Perception is that they are doing an important job preparing youth for for the future. As they are respected these teachers are given time and resources to prepare awesome lessons to teach their students. 

Australian teachers on the other hand...

 "In modern Australia it is a different story. Teachers are certainly not given this status; indeed mention the word status and Australians immediately equate this with salary and perks. Too often our schools are treated like repair shops as the community dumps more and more of its social problems on them. Nor are teachers the proper focus of government rhetoric in the so-called education revolution."

More here; When it comes to status, the teachers get less than top marks

There is a perception that when we compare our Oz Education system to East Asian education systems that it is like comparing apples to oranges.  Learning by rote: why Australia should not follow the Asian model of education

Here comes a very oversimplified generalisation which many in the Ed. business and Oz media like to believe.  East Asian studentS only learn by rote, whereas our Ozzie kids are learning problem solving abilities and higher order thinking skills.  Taking this one step further Oz Education is doing it right....whereas those East Asian systems are doing it wrong. After all those killer facts and figures are based on a European tests and league tables.    We can dismiss the fact that a 15 year old student in Shanghai, China is performing at a level two or three times above an Australian student of the same age. Apparently we in Oz can dismiss that three out of the top four education systems are in East Asia.Sigh.....

See they are doing it all wrong they are only rote learning...

East Asian students years ahead of Australian counterparts: report 

Audio here

Chinese language and culture learning more controversial than you thought!

Chinese language and culture learning more controversial than you thought!

It seems that the Confucius Institutes are a subject of controversy in Britain. Have no fear though the British press is alerting the public of the danger.  One might just as well attack the Alliance Française , Goethe-Institut or Dante Alighieri all three institutes have been around for a long time imposing their beliefs and culture on the unwary. All institutes forcing this through the innocent medium of language and culture.  Are these  also clear examples of 'ideological infiltration'?  Which is the accusation agains the Confuscious Institute.

How dare the Chinese invest money, resources and teachers and who knows what else to help foreigners learn Chinese language and culture. Be careful Ozzies we have a few Confucius Institutes of our own in Oz. They also go under the name of Hanban.  We also have Confucius classrooms. So Aussie bogans you need to be aware of the dangers of learning another language and culture. Mothers lock up your children they might learn something.

Read more of the details of the British controversy. Chinese ambassador attacks 'cold war' fears over Confucius Institutes

"Some people are not comfortable to see the rapid growth of Confucius Institutes. They cling to the outdated 'cold war' mentality," Liu Xiaoming Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

"They criticise Confucius Institutes for being a tool of China's 'national propaganda'. They label teaching Mandarin as 'ideological infiltration.' So they have from time to time made irresponsible remarks in western media." Liu Xiaoming

America too has some issues with Confucius Institutes;

What are the Confucius Institutes and why are there so many of them?

US clampdown on visas for teachers upsets China

500,000 tweets debate restrictions on Confucius Institutes teachers

Why study Chinese?

Why study Chinese?

Vietnam to hire more Taiwanese teachers as interest in Mandarin grows - CNA ENGLISH NEWS

Meanwhile in Vietnam....

Vietnam to hire more Taiwanese teachers as interest in Mandarin grows

Chinese lesson Australians must learn

Found this article which outlines some of the cultural ways of doing business with Chinese.  Chinese lesson Australians must learn

Highlights from the article;

"...in China, “yes” does not necessarily mean yes, contracts aren’t always binding and sharing a meal and booze with your Chinese counterpart doesn’t make you his best new mate."

"There is more to business in China than just dollars and cents."

"Relationships are key in China, but it takes time to build trust."

"“Confucianism puts emphasis on guanxi,” says Chen. “To maintain a good relationship is important to work efficiently in China."

From The Australian Financial Review - ROBERT GUY



Chinese lesson Australians must learn

MP Urges Schools To Teach Chinese

Meanwhile in New Zealand 

MP Urges Schools To Teach Chinese.

Quotes from the article.

"...schools need to "look to the future" and offer courses in Chinese as a way of boosting trade with China..."

"It is out of step that Nelson, with such a strong exporting and visitor industry, is not looking to the future and investing in Chinese language skills,"

"The economic benefit is that it [promotes] creativity and problem-solving. All those brain features are massively advantaged if you've learnt a second language."

"We have tried to promote the language and the culture through initiatives with the Confucius Society. The benefits and potential opportunities seem obvious, but parents and students seem reluctant to embrace the language."

"If we could encourage 20 students, even across a range of year levels, we would run the programme tomorrow."

Read more -->  MP Urges Schools To Teach Chinese

Chinese language learning in Ireland and Indonesia

Meanwhile in Ireland

"A growing number of Irish school students are expected to learn about Chinese culture and language as a result of a new programme that has been developed for Transition Year students."

New Transition Year course in Chinese culture and language 

Chinese culture and language course for Transition Year students

Chinese class will spread to 50 schools
Meanwhile in Indonesia

"Indonesians are going mad for Mandarin in record numbers as they look to give their careers a boost by taking advantage of China’s growing economic influence and its improved ties..."

Chinese language is playing a significant role in building business relations not only between the two nations (China and Indonesia), but also among business around Asia.

Chinese Challenge: More Indonesians Learning Mandarin

'via Blog this'

Asian language 'vital for syllabus'

"ASIAN languages should be compulsory for every school student because many will go on to work in Asia's fast-growing economies, says the accounting body CPA Australia."

This article in the Australian highlights some of the recommendations of the CPA an accounting body in Australia. At present there are only 300 (non background speakers) year 12 students studying Mandarin in our senior schools across the nation. The article states that learning an is vital to engage with Asia now and in the  future. 

Melbourne University's Joe Lo Bianco, an expert in language education is calling for a more moderate approach to the national curriculum with an emphasis on language learning. Lo Bianco recommends a gradual build up of language teachers and quality programs.

Asian language 'vital for syllabus' | Story & Education Stories | The Australian

Language lessons languish in Aussie schools

An Australian Broadcasting Corporation report about the current state and decline in    Asian languages in Australian schools. It highlights our former Prime Ministers goal for Asian language learning and makes comparisons to the current apathy and lack of interest in language.
 
I really wonder how much longer schools in Australia are going to ignore Asian languages. The report makes some very astute observations; lack of investment in Asian languages, now more students study Latin than Chinese, our nation is stubbornly monolingual, SE Asian history was not is is not taught in schools, education departments are unable to stream Chinese students into appropriate classes, there is a growth in private schools teaching Mandarin, Australians remain disinterested in our Asian neighbours.

We seem to be going down the very same path as schools in England.  There schools are seeing rapid declines in French and German Lack of languages in schools concerns unis

A very brief report that says it all. Watch the report or read the transcript here
Language lessons languish in Aussie schools

Study More Chinese

Visit Study More Chinese

龙 2012 Year of the Dragon

龙

2012 Year of the Dragon begins on January 23, 2012 and ends on February 9, 2013. Apparently dragons are energetic, robust and stubborn. They  are honest and courageous, and they inspire trust. People admire them. They know how to get what they want. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. It is the most eccentric sign of the Chinese horoscope. 

Their generous personalities give them the ability to attract friends, but they can be rather solitary people at heart.  Their self-sufficiency can mean that they have no need for close bonds with other people. In ancient China, the celestial Dragon represents an emperor and power. In Chinese astrology the dragon is the only animal of the Chinese zodiac year that is not real. 

龙  is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness.  2012 is the Chinese year of the dragon. So what does 2012 hold for a person born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon? Such people double their efforts in whatever they do - work, education and other projects. Their natural talent and abilities should stand out with great results.  May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to you. 

龙

新年快乐!
 

First hand experience of China's Great Firewall

During my short visit to China I was fortunate to have access to the Internet in my hotel room. Despite knowing in advanced that many of the things I would normall do on the Net were not accessible, I was still surprised about what I could and could not access.

Gmail was not blocked, however nearly all images that were in my emails were blocked. BBC news was not blocked. I was told that the pages in Chinese were all blocked. Wikipedia also not blocked. My Google Reader worked well which allowed me to read the content of

As expected YouTube, Facebook, Blogger, Google+, Twitter, Livemocha all blocked. My friend described this as blocking “Things 老外lǎowài Like”. While this trivialises censorship in China it is an accurate and perceptive description of how inconvenient annoying the Great Firewall was.

I did try and succeed using a web proxy once. While it worked it was excessively slow (it was as fast as dial-up Internet speeds) and did not work the next day. I have heard that there are better solutions to accessing content and I would definitely do this if I were spending a longer time in China. 

Below are some links to articles and documentaries about China's Great Firewall.

The Other Internet – Beyond China’s Great Firewall This is an interesting podcast from the BBC.

China: 1.3 million websites shut in 2010

Chinese learn to leap the 'Great Firewall'

The great firewall of China

Why immersing HISD pupils in Mandarin Chinese will enhance learning

Houston public schoolchildren will have the opportunity to learn the world's most spoken language in a new school that opens in August 2012.

Why immersing HISD pupils in Mandarin Chinese will enhance learning

Education Survey: China Scores Top Marks; - TIME

From Time one year ago.


"The rise of China as an economic and political juggernaut has become a familiar refrain, but now there's another area in which the Chinese are suddenly emerging as a world power: education."

Education Survey: China Scores Top Marks;  - TIME

Project rallies for China-US friendship Society

"The US State Department says 600 times more Chinese study the English language than Americans study Mandarin."

Project rallies for China-US friendship Society

Chinese is the new English - southindia - Hyderabad - ibnlive

Chinese is the new English apparently.  Well at least in Hyderabad, India.

Chinese is the new English - south India - Hyderabad