Teaching development grants final and financial report: Collaborative projects to improve Chinese teaching and learning

The Chinese department will enhance its teaching and learning in four ways: guidance for students' field experiences, collaboration in lectures and tutorials, a drama festival, and the establishment of a department website. We will give guidance in lesson planning to students before their field teaching experience in the classroom. Students will work in small teams, each guided by two faculty members in a seminar setting. Teaching episodes of some student teachers will be videotaped for case discussions and analysis. To engage students in drama, there will be a series of lectures and workshops, an inter-hostel competition, and production of the winning play in a drama festival. Many believe that mass lectures are not suitable for Chinese language teaching. We will document some collaboratively developed mass lectures and tutorials to understand the kinds of teaching practices that are suitable for each. In the mass lectures, two faculty members will work together, taking turns as principal speaker and commentator. In the tutorials, they will take turns being discussion leader and observer. The department will establish a website with the assistance of IT and an external consultant. The website will highlight the work of individual faculty members and the department as a whole.