2009 STARTALK TEACHER PROGRAM CURRICULUM SAMPLE Host Institution: Hunter College Program Title: Chinese Teacher-training Number of Hours: 45 hours/course for 3 courses, plus 10 hours of student teaching and 20 hours of teaching practicum Designed by: Der-lin Chao Brief Description of Program (150 words) Provide an overview of your program. What will participants experience during the program and what do you hope that your participants will remember and be able to do after the program ends? This program offers three courses in Methods, Second Language Acquisition, and Teaching Chinese with Technology at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Participants will earn 3-9 credits toward certification and a BA or MA. Participants will learn how to implement Foreign Language Standards and use backward design to help students achieve learning goals. Participants will learn how to become reflective practitioners to align curriculum and instruction with assessment. Participants will engage in student-teaching and receive feedback from peer participants, cooperative teachers, and the practicum supervisor. Participants will be able to design and deliver theme- and standards-based lessons. They will be able to carry out differentiated instruction and integrate culture, content, and technology into their teaching practices. Moreover, they will develop peer-coaching skills and learn how to provide constructive feedback to colleagues. Participants will submit three videos on the course website as teaching resources and experiences to share with other professionals. 1
Major Focus of the Program What three to five key words, concepts and/or topics best identify your program? Standards-based instruction Instructional planning and strategies Differentiated instruction Reflective practice and leadership Technology use in a language class Teacher Curriculum Hunter Pre-requisites Are there pre-requisites to this course? If so, what are they? There are no pre-requisites. Information on Career Options and Pathways To Certification How will you provide information to your participants on career options and pathways to certification? The credits earned in these courses can be used to fulfill the New York state teacher certification. Participants will be introduced to different pathways to certification in New York State. Content and Evidence of Learning Refer to the STARTALK Teacher Program Sample in the References section for examples. Use Can Do Statements to illustrate what evidence of learning is desired. Knowledge (What participants need to know) 2 Skills Targeted and to be Assessed (What participants need to demonstrate) Content Examples Can Do Statements for Participants Standards-based Instruction National foreign language learning standards State foreign language framework Participants can name and describe the concepts embedded in each of the five national standards goals develop appropriate lesson plans in alignment with the national and state standards
Instructional Planning & Strategies Assessing prior knowledge Pacing and sequencing plan a curriculum with student performance outcomes in mind deliver instruction in the target language and make it comprehensible for all students Differentiated Instruction Reflective Practice/Leadership Technology Use in Chinese Language Instruction Individulized student-centered instruction Modifying content, process, and product for diverse learning styles Prior knowledge and readiness to engage in a topic Reflection on putting plans into action Peer feedback Modes and efficacy of technology Technology in practice for teaching and assessment Useful websites and online resources adapt the content and delivery of the lesson according to student need adapt content, process and products to meet student need adapt teaching methods according to student learning style adapt assignments according to student need deliver instruction that suits various learning styles and abilities apply the steps of peer coaching accept and act on constructive feedback provide constructive feedback to colleagues based on observations and learn from this process search for appropriate material to supplement existing material using Internet resources (podcasts, YouTube, etc.) adapt/edit material to fit with lesson plans/curricular goals use appropriate software and technology to create instructional material and manage instruction become familiar with the features in the online course management system increase students participation in an online learning environment effectively Assessment of Participant Progress and Performance What evidence and products are required of participants to demonstrate learning and reflection? See Reference section for suggestions. 3
Evidence/Products Brief description Standards-based unit/lesson design Participants will design standardsbased thematic units/lessons. Student-program teaching Participants will use the STARTALK student program co-located with the teacher program as a venue to practice teaching. Written reflections Participants will keep a daily journal online and reflect on lectures and/or readings designated by the program and comment on peers reflections. Ideas for authentic material sharing and adaptation Participants will share their analysis of authentic materials and how to use them in teaching. Classroom and online discussions Participants will be part of group discussions on readings and presentations. Observations and feedback Participants will observe the teaching of lead and peer teachers and provide feedback. Self-assessment list Participants will conduct pre- and post-program self-assessment using a list provided by the program. Teaching videos Participants will produce three videos on theme-based teaching, a classroom management case study, and a personal story. E-portfolio Participants will create an e-portfolio that documents their learning and products created in the program. Components of the e-portfolio will include daily journal entries, unit/lesson plans, critiques of material, observation logs, a selfassessment list, etc. 4
Program Outline Timeline Methods Course Content Introduce the concept of backward design and three communication modes How to design a lesson plan How to motivate students How to correct students mistakes How to design lesson plans that allow students to build their skills in a spiralling fashion How to design classroom activities How to teach pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar How to make learning Chinese fun and rewarding How to determine whether teaching is effective How to prepare for a lesson, use previous knowledge, and get equipment ready How to give students feedback How to manage a classroom so as to get all students to participate How to observe a class How to improve teaching skills in a specific area How to prioritize or change teaching plans when an unexpected situation happens How to assess students different ways and purposes for doing so Student Teaching and Practicum How to teach micro-lessons to high school students How to identify language samples appropriate for each proficiency level How to prepare a lesson, use previous knowledge, and get equipment ready How to give students feedback How to manage a classroom so as to get all students to participate How to observe a class using observation rubrics How to improve teaching skills in a specific area How to prioritize or change teaching plans when an unexpected situation happens How to assess students different ways and purposes for doing so 5
SLA Practicum for SLA Teaching Chinese with Technology Practicum for Teaching Chinese with Technology Workshop by Guest Lecturers Second Language Acquisition principles How to differentiate learning characteristics and needs for students whose native language is English vs. heritage speakers How to handle errors in speaking and writing How to conduct a contrastive analysis How to conduct an error analysis via data collected How to help students overcome first-language interference How to help students take ownership of their learning so they can monitor their progress Conduct language acquisition projects by collecting data for four students Analyze data and write a report on teaching implementation Use technology in classroom instruction Use technology as an assessment tool Differentiate the need for online vs. face-to-face teaching Design technology-based projects for students Introduce useful websites and online resources Practice conversation with four students online and keep a record of students performance Write a report about the experience and compare the experience with face-to-face teaching Teacher credentialing pathways Building positive community relations and gaining support for Chinese language programs Showcasing students performance Sharing information about community resources and professional organizations Recognition/acknowledgement of student and teacher success What constitutes an effective Chinese language program Criteria and processes for selecting appropriate textbooks and other instructional resources Networking for professional development and growth, professional organizations How to be a successful teacher/collegue/employee in a public school 6
Instructional Strategies How will your program ensure that the following best practices are incorporated into your program? Strategies Differentiate instruction based on participant need Examples Three courses with a focus on different content to allow participants to focus on areas that specifically meet their diverse needs Provide three kinds of student teaching experiences: one-on-one, small group, and whole class groupings Instructional strategies relevant to participants teaching needs and linguistic and cultural backgrounds (native speakers of Chinese and English) Provide mentoring and coaching Instructors and participants will provide daily feedback on their reflective journals Student teaching will be videotaped and the videos will be played for the purpose of critiquing and making comments Provide opportunities to discuss and examine learning and teaching in the U.S. vs. China Dialogues, Venn diagrams and other graphic organizers will be used to examine the differences and similarities between the educational experiences of participants in the program and instructors background knowledge Introduce the American educational system and teaching methods to participants who are native speakers 7
of Chinese Model meaningful interaction in the target language Model integration of language, culture, and content Participants will learn how to locate authentic language samples of meaningful interaction in the target language Participants will create performance-based assessments in which students must produce target language in authentic situations Participants will learn how to use cartoons and children s literature to teach Participants will learn how to make use of the local cultural and community resources in New York City to integrate language learning, culture, and content Model use of authentic materials Participants will collect authentic materials in print, audio, and video formats and create activities for students at different levels Materials & Other Resources Describe the primary resources that you plan to use for the program. Materials/Resources Required reading, including textbook(s) Real /authentic materials Multimedia Links to relevant websites and annotations to the sites List There will be assigned readings determined by each instructor for each course Newspapers, restaurant menus, photos for street signs, open source cartoons, films, videos, etc. Audio and video materials will be adapted and evaluated in terms of their use in classroom teaching Centre for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language at the University of Oxford, UK http://www.ctcfl.ox.ac.uk/index.html ChinesePod 8
http://chinesepod.com Free daily MP3 podcast lessons from a language training service. Study activities: listen, review, practice, and reinforce LangSource http://www.langsource.umd.edu/chinese.php A database of language and cultural resources Atomic Learning http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/home Web-based software training and curriculum resources. Short, easy-to-understand tutorial movies and a library of curriculum resources. Subscription required How to Podcast http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/ Easy, step-by-step tutorial for creating audio content and downloading podcasts to MP3 players (ipods). Free www.youtube.com The website has many authentic video clips that can be used in classroom teaching Other (please specify) Copyright and Fair Use websites http://www.edutopia.org/copyright-rulesteachers http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/copyright/ www.chineseliteracy.net Multimedia Web-based courseware for students to learn to read and write basic Chinese characters in both traditional and simplified form. It also teaches students aspects of the use of characters from historical and cultural perspectives Technology Integration 9
If technology is part of your budget, how will that technology support teacher training? Technological tools needed Computers PowerPoint Internet resources (e.g., YouTube, podcasts) Explanation The program will teach students to: employ technology in nearly all components of program delivery; use technology as a tool for instruction, assessment, and the management of instruction (a grade book will be presented); and incorporate and model the use of relevant website resources in both program delivery and lesson development. Participants will: search online for supplementary teaching and learning materials; and use PowerPoint to enhance classroom instruction. 10