Ying Kong's Portfolio Page
Navigation links: ETAP 623 Spring 2024 | Ying's mini-course front page
About Me
My name is Ying Kong. I am currently in the doctoral program of Curriculum and Instruction at School of Eduction in SUNY albany. Working as a language teacher for 17 years, I am interested in the field of second language acquisition and development, especially of learning effectiveness of Chinese in speakers of other languages.
My Topic and Purpose
My mini course focuses on “Enhancing Cultural Awareness in Classrooms of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language”. Destinated for the ultimate question “What makes up the effectiveness in language learning”, the guided question addressed here is whether explicit and implicit instruction in cultural nuances can bolster the learning of Chinese as a second language and to what extent. I design this course to equip Chinese language teachers with 1) an understanding of the significance of cultural loads embedded in common expressions, 2) insight into why fostering cultural awareness is essential for language learning, and 3) practical strategies and metacognitive approaches to improve cultural awareness within Chinese formulas context.
Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content
The course aims to empower teachers to integrate cultural insights into their teaching practices through deep learning, enhancing the learning experience for students of Chinese as a second language (CSL), and thus facilitating the teaching and learning effectiveness of CSL.
Specifically, this course will equip learners with comprehensive KNOWLEDGE of 1) cultural linguistics, which include but not limit to how cultural context inform language understanding and producing, 2) pedagogical methodologies, which address the supportive role of culture on language learning, particularly 3) cultural knowledge pertaining to formulaic expressions such as Situation Bound Utterances (SBUs). Besides, the course intents to help learners (Chinese language teachers) enhance the SKILLs in enhancing cultural awareness and permeating into teaching practices, thereby fostering an effective language-learning environment.
Needs Assessment
- The educational problem or opportunity
- The learners/participants involved (be brief here; more detailed analysis to be added in the following section)
- Analysis of gaps in term of know vs. need to know (reality vs. ideal)
- Existing efforts to address this gap
- Intent statement: how will this mini-course help your participants address their needs?
Needs assessment not only maximizes the effectiveness of my mini-course but also ensures it is equitable, relevant, and aligned with the evolving landscape of Chinese language learning and development. It is an investment to make sure optimal efforts can be build up on responsive designs (Shambaugh et al. 1997).
Educational Problem
Drawing from nearly two decades of experience as a language educator and researcher, I have often noted a pronounced disparity between Chinese language proficiency and cultural competence among students of Chinese as second language (hereafter CSL). This incongruity is particularly pronounced when instructors simplify or inaccurately convey cultural nuances. Many educators find it challenging to weave cultural dimensions seamlessly into the language curriculum, frequently treating them as ancillary to linguistic instruction. Additionally, the endeavor to find suitable materials that genuinely reflect the myriad cultures and subcultures of the Chinese-speaking world is often a daunting and laborious task.
Language competence, as defined by Halliday (1972), enables individuals to utilize language for a variety of purposes, including expressing emotions, organizing information, and navigating social relationships, all of which intersect with socio-cultural backgrounds. From the socio-cognitive approach (SCA) perspective, socio-cultural experiences are reflected in preferred ways of saying things (Wray, 2002; Kecskes, 2014) and preferred ways of organizing thoughts (Kecskes, 2008, 2014). Cultural awareness thus plays a pivotal role in selectively negotiating these "preferred" linguistic and conceptual elements to attain a more native-like or, the opposite, self-identified language use.
Learners Assessment
This mini-course will address language teachers who teach Chinese to speakers of other languages in China. They are native speakers of Chinese immersed in Chinese culture for years. All of them have educational or linguistic background with or without teaching experiences on CSL. It couldn’t be better if learners have great motivations to have a professional development on Chinese teaching theory and pedagogy and thus illustrate great expectations to make their Chinese learning classroom more effective and engaging.
Gap Analysis
The mini-course identifies cultural awareness in teaching Chinese, focusing on Situation Bound Utterances (SBUs) to address the gap between language competence and cultural understanding. This structured approach ensures that participants gain a deeper understanding of the cultural contexts of the Chinese language, thereby addressing their needs for a more holistic language learning experience that encompasses both linguistic skills and cultural competence. Specifically, what already known is that cultural awareness does influence the acquisition of CSL particularly in some cultural-loaded formulaic expressions such as Situation Bound Utterances (hereafter SBUs), and what we need to know is how do teachers and the teaching materials regarding SBUs present to enhance cultural awareness of learners and thus facilitate the learning effectiveness of CSL. It’s creative way on learning through culture instead of learning about culture in traditional language classrooms.
Existing Efforts
Teacher Training and Professional Development: There are more and more teacher training programs to include comprehensive training on second language acquisition theories, pedagogical strategies, and classroom management skills. This trend would likely involve a focus on increasing teachers' awareness of the linguistic challenges faced by non-native speakers and equipping them with effective strategies to address new challenges.
Metalinguistic awareness: Language teachers may have an awareness on the ability to reflect on and manipulate the structural components of language, beyond just using language for communication.
Theoretical research background: This mini-course is based on linguistic theory on pragmatics (e.g. socio-cognitive approach, formulaic language, cultural awareness etc. ) and my own research on cultural awareness in teachihng SBUs in Chinese to speakers of other languages.
Intent Statement
Not every problem can be solved by instruction. However, my mini-course addresses the problem on the effectiveness of second language learning which could be facilitated by acquiring knowledge or skills. Thus, it is more like an opportunity for language teachers to address their teaching challenges in CSL.
The mini-course seeks to make language acquisition more effective by unraveling the cultural loads tied to lexical units and raising cultural awareness. This approach is expected to not only enhance linguistic proficiency but also enrich learners' understanding of cultural nuances, thereby improving their overall competence in Chinese language and cultural communication skills.
Analysis of the Learner and Context
Sun Tzu, a Chinese strategist, claimed in "The Art of War"--Know yourself and your counterpart, and you will never be defeated. In essence, learner analysis serves as the groundwork upon which personalized and impactful learning experiences are built, aligning educational content with learners' needs and thereby enhancing the overall efficacy of instructional programs.
| Learner Analysis | Detailed Characteristics/Instructional Context |
| Target learners | Chinese language teachers teaching non-native speakers in mainland China. |
| Background | Native Chinese speakers, extensively immersed in Chinese culture, with varying levels of educational or/and linguistic backgrounds. It’s better if learners have teaching experiences more than 2 years. |
| Motivational Factors | A strong desire for professional development in Chinese teaching theory and pedagogy, aiming to enhance classroom effectiveness and student engagement. |
| Educational or/and Linguistic Background | Normal university graduates or systematically trained in Chinese teaching. Proficiency in English to deliver instructional demands bilingually. General understanding of some linguistic theories as prior knowledge (if possible). |
| Cultural Competence | Deep understanding of Chinese culture but varying abilities to convey this to non-native learners. |
| Teaching Experience | Ranges from novice instructors to seasoned educators with diverse experiences in integrating cultural elements into language teaching. |
| Learning Needs | Development of strategies to integrate cultural awareness into language instruction, especially through SBUs. |
| Technique Skills | Familiar with blended learning approach combining online modules with in-person workshops and classroom observations. |
| Resources | Access to teaching materials, including textbooks, online platforms, and real-life case studies. |
| Support System | Continuous support through mentorship, peer discussions, and a community of practice. |
| Learning Settings | Hybrid learning: Online access and in-person workshops. |
| Time Commitment | Approx. 20 hours over 4 weeks, 5 hours/week, synchronously (workshop) and asynchronously |
Talbe 1 Learner analysis within distinctive instructional contexts
Performance-Based Objectives
My mini-course fits in the framework of Understanding by DesignR(Mctighe & Wiggins, 2012), while taking the theorem of three-element alignment into consideration--learning outcomes/objectives, assessments, and teaching/learning strategies (Larson & Lockee, 2020). Ideal instruction design will communicate to learners to achieve the final instructional goal effectively and efficiently if the teachers inform their students the expectations (outcomes) and then provide the instructions (strategies) in a manner consistent with how you assess them (assessments). (Larson & Lockee, 2020). To clearly communicate expectations, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Outcomes is also very helpful in performance-based pedagogical scenarios for participants to demonstrate or use doing something authentic. Besides, it's worth noting that Gagné’s types of learning outcome (Gagné,1985) provide a framework for structuring effective teaching and learning activities, which complements Bloom’s Taxonomy by offering a structured approach to instructional design that addresses different types of learning outcomes, including intellectual skills, verbal information, motor skills, attitudes, and cognitive strategies.
After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:
- Understand the importance of cultural awareness in Chinese language learning and teaching
- Enhance learners' cultural awareness via well-designed activities throughtout the unit.
- Identify several teaching strategies that can be applied to enhance cultural awareness in the classroom
- Demonstrate examples of how cultural awareness can be enhanced aligning within instructional design (ID)
- Design a curriculum which will facilitate instructional effectiveness through culture in teaching practice
Task and Content Analysis
Before taking this course, learners are already equipped with (prerequisites):
1. Essential prerequisites: teaching qualification and certification for teaching Chinese as a Second Language (CSL); a linguistic and educational background to understand language teaching through culture.
2. Supporting prerequisites: motivation and willingness to facilitate the teaching effectiveness of CSL; cognitive strategies and intellectual skills to enhance the learning process; positive attitudes, passions and curiosities committing to effective teaching.
After learning the unit, learners will be able to:
Unit 1: Introduction: Bridging Language and Culture through Instruction
- Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize the significance of language/culture relationship.
- Discover & Discuss cultural awareness behind Chinese language
- Reflect on the interplay between cultural nuances and language teaching challenges.
Unit 2: Unpacking the Cultural DNA of Language through SBUs
- Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze SBUs to uncover their embedded cultural values and social norms.
- Utilize instructional design strategies to create engaging lessons that highlight the cultural significance of SBUs.
- Assess the impact of cultural contexts on the interpretation and use of SBUs.
Unit 3: Designing Culturally Rich Materials and Engagement Strategies
- Learning Outcomes:
- Master selecting authentic materials that spotlight cultural insights through SBUs.
- Design interactive activities that promote deep cultural engagement and language skill enhancement.
- Apply instructional design principles and teaching strategies to foster a dynamic and culturally rich learning environment.
Unit 4: Measuring Success in Cultural Competence: Feedback and Evaluation
- Learning Outcomes:
- Implement feedback mechanisms tailored to evaluate cultural understanding and application.
- Develop assessment strategies that reflect both linguistic competencies and cultural insights.
- Refine teaching approaches based on feedback, ensuring adaptive and responsive instruction.
Unit 5: Fostering an Effective Language Teaching Cycle: Reflect, Adapt, and Evolve
- Learning Outcomes:
- Design a mini-course to illustrate the way of enhancing cultural awareness in supporting CSL classrooms.
- Create a systematic and systemic curriculum for acquisition of cultural loaded expressions to facilitate CSL.
- Engage in reflective practice to critically assess teaching effectiveness and student engagement through culture.
- Identify pathways for ongoing professional development in the intersection of culture and language teaching.
Curriculum Map
Richard Feynman's teaching philosophy was grounded in the idea that if you truly understand something, you should be able to explain it in simple terms. Visualization is a powerful tool in this endeavor, as it allows abstract concepts to be represented in more concrete, accessible ways. In this curriculum map, instructional goal is identified from the perspective of the instrucors. Learnig task analysis will be completed in learners' views to determine the terminal objective achieved in each module, to address prerequistes and prior knowledge/skills and to identify enabling objectives based on performance for analyses.
References and Resources
Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2019). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design. Routledge.
Shambaugh, R. N., & Magliaro, S. (1997). Mastering the possibilities: A process approach to instructional design. Allyn and Bacon.
McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2012). Understanding by design framework. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.