Changing the Paradigm for Language Teaching: The Chinese Flagship K-16 Program

Madeline K. SpringAcademic Director

Chinese Flagship K-16 ProgramUniversity of Oregon

Michael Bacon

Immersion Education CoordinatorPortland Public Schools

What are Flagship Programs?

Ohio State Universitypost BA

Brigham Young Universityupper level undergrads; post BA

University of OregonPortland Public Schools

K--16

Chinese Flagship Programs

• Arabic• Georgetown University Michigan State K-16• University of Maryland, College Park University of Texas

• Korean• UCLA• University of Hawaii

• Persian• University of Maryland, College Park

• Russian• American Councils for International Education (Bryn Mawr College)

In 2005, UO Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) and Portland Public Schools (PPS) were chosen by the National Security Education Program (NSEP) to develop the Oregon K-16 Chinese Flagship language program.

GOAL: Chinese K-16 Flagship will serve as a replicable national model to produce Superior-level speakers of Mandarin Chinese.

Three Meaningful Components

• Content-based instruction

• Explicit language instruction

• Experiential learning

• Partnership

• Curriculum Development

• Professional development (workshops, DATs, technology, conferences, etc.)

• Assessment

• Recruiting students

• Interactions with teachers and administrative structures

What is involved?

Portland Public Schools

Chinese K-12

Flagship Program

Elementary Schools

Woodstock Elementary (K-5)Immersion Program

Atkinson Elementary (K-5)Heritage/ FLES Program

The elementary school portion of the K-12Mandarin Immersion Program sets a solidfoundation for the long term goal of students becoming bilingual and biliterate. Students spend half their day learning in English and the half in Mandarin.

Middle School

Hosford Middle School (6-8)

Immersion, Heritage & Second

Language Program

Students in middle school continue theirMandarin language and cultural skilldevelopment during daily social studiestheme-based classes and Mandarinlanguage arts classes. In continuing tomove students toward a high level offunctional proficiency, the middle schoolexperience culminates with an opportunityto participate in a 2 week academic trip inChina.

High Schools

Franklin High School

World Language Institute

Cleveland High School (9-12)Language Immersion (Starting 2007)

PPS offers rigorous core academic courses in

Mandarin along with advanced level Mandarin

language courses. Both heritage and immersion

Students enroll in these courses, with the

Targeted outcome of advanced skills in listening,

speaking, reading and writing at the end of

High school. Students aiming to become

Flagship Scholars will be strongly encouraged to

participate in special preparation courses along

with community-based language learning

experiences.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

China Research Residency - 8th Grade Academic Trip

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry(OMSI) summer camp in Mandarin

Aspiring Educators - tutoringCommunity Based Language LearningCultural Festival PerformancesPortland Parks and Recreation Summer

Immersion Camp

• High school senior or transfer student with intermediate-high to advanced-level proficiency in Mandarin

• Students committed to developing superior-level Chinese fluency for use in future careers

• Students with a GPA of 3.25 or above who have taken a range of academically challenging courses

• Students who demonstrate commitment to personal and educational growth

• Students interested in being part of a college community focused on learning and sharing Chinese culture with the larger university community

UO Flagship Eligibility

Students choose a major from one of the 135 different programs at the University of Oregon.

Mathematics Education BiochemistryArchitecture Economics Business History Physics Religious StudiesHonors College East Asia Languages & Literatures

2006 students will take classes in these departments and colleges:

Freshman/Sophomore years: 7-8 Flagship credits/term (24/year)

Junior year at Nanjing University: Regular courses related to your major

Senior year: Capstone course, research paper, exit language proficiency test

Rigorous upper-level content and language strategies courses

UO Flagship Courses

2006-07 Flagship Program CoursesTerm Dept Title Faculty

Fall 06 ASIA 199 Perspectives in Chinese language and culture (3 credit) Spring, Madeline

EALL 399 Chinese Language Strategies (3 credit) Spring, Madeline

Winter 07

CHN 333 Self and Society in Pre-modern Chinese Literature (4 credit) Wang, Yugen

EALL 399 Chinese Language Strategies (3 credit) Spring, Madeline

Spring 07

HIST 397 Modern Chinese History (4 credit) Chen Shizhen

EALL 399 Chinese Language Strategies (3 credit) Spring, Madeline

• Taught in Chinese, using authentic materials

• Content courses fulfill General Education requirements in specific departments (EALL, History, Art, Math)

• Distribution of courses from humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences

• Classes held in the dorm• On-site Chinese Flagship program

assistant (CFA)• Structured study groups• Guest lectures • Social and cultural activities

Freshman and sophomore year Flagship participants live in the UO International House as part of a rich language living and learning residence hall experience

International HousePromotes language acquisition through interacting with Flagship students and faculty

Students enroll in regular Nanjing University classes in subjects that match their interests and major fields of study

Academic and Experiential Learning in China

Students can apply language skills and expertise through the various volunteer and internship opportunities available through Flagship

NSEP Qingdao Internship Coordination

Collaborative Projects

K-16 Language Curriculum Framework

Assessment

Rationale for the Chinese language curriculum project

Challenges in building K-12 program

•Traditionally no language curricula•Language curriculum at unit & lesson level•Piecemeal approach - lacking social language •Lacking articulation across grade levels•No accountability for teachers and program•Additional challenge for non-cognates•Shifting content standards, new adoptions, etc.

Goal of the project

To create a comprehensive, articulated K-12 Chinese language curriculum framework that will provide teachers with a clear set of language expectations by grade level. The online document will include functions, grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, and other important aspects of the language program. The curriculum will be compatible with state second language standards and benchmarks.

K-12 Assessment

Grades 3-6: NOELLA

Level 5: Animals

• 7-12 (immersion), 13-16 (non-Flagship)• Administered on-line• Assesses reading and writing proficiency• Graded by computer (reading) and computer-aided

humans (writing)• Analysis reports provided for teachers• Items verified by rigorous statistical analysis • Computer-adaptive testing (CAT) technology• http://www.onlinells.com

STAMP: Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency

Novice Low

Traditional (R

C)

Intermediate H

igh S

implified (E

D)

STAMP: Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency

• Language Biography

• Video/Audio Language Samples

• Writing Samples (Chinese and English)

• Updated Resume (Chinese and English)

• Self-assessment Essay (Chinese and English)

• Linguistic History

• Official Documents

• Language Test Scores

Language Portfolio

Future Flagship Projects

Curriculum Materials AlignmentCurriculum MappingSummer Institutes

Challenges Ahead

• Improve ways to work within existing administrative and school structures

• Develop strategies to recruit teachers and increase faculty buy-in

• Create programs to maintain student, teacher, administrators, and community enthusiasm and commitment

謝謝大家Panelists

Mary Patterson, Woodstock ES PrincipalJessica Bucknam, 4-5th Grade Teacher

Betty Brickson, Parent of 7th Grader