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CHIN 131 is a basic Chinese course designed for non-heritage students. Our main objective is to help students who had no previous experience with the language of Chinese to be able to engage in simple Chinese conversations. CHIN 131 contains 5 lessons, which consists of school life insights from a few students with different nationalities. The theme goes into detail as the lessons go on from the protagonist’s family to his/her friends and school life. As students complete this course, they will be able to introduce their family, friends, and themselves to others, as well as their hobbies and interests, etc.
This course will elaborate and improve students’ Chinese language in three different aspects: knowledge, skill, and competence. Students will gain valuable knowledge on the application of Chinese language usage, and this knowledge will build a strong foundation for learning in the future. In addition, students will have many opportunities to practice their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Competence leads the students to self-reflect on their language skills and strategies. Moreover, competence also suggests the development of students’ understanding and familiarity with Chinese culture.
CHIN 131 is also an interactive and co-active course. Besides participating in the classroom, students have many opportunities to communicate with their teachers, other students, and volunteers to practice their conversation skills. Teachers also encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and participate in student projects and activities that are associated with the Chinese community. The objective is not simply acquiring a language, but to use the knowledge as a tool to connect with the Chinese community. CHIN 131 has established oral practices that take place once a week to help students build confidence while having the opportunity to communicate with native speakers. We invited many passionate volunteers that are Chinese native speakers to engage in conversations with students one on one. As students participate in oral practices, they develop the courage and tactics to convey their ideas accurately in Chinese.
Another component of competency is the ability to acknowledge one’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of improving one’s language skills. This acknowledgment will help the students to find their best-suited learning strategy, as well as solving any obstacles during this process. We also hope to eliminate any separation that is caused by the differences between Western and Chinese culture. For example, ethnic Chinese talk about their marriage and their age in daily conversations, while these topics are considered to be sensitive in Western culture. One of the main purposes of CHIN 131 is to lead students to explore the distinctive qualities that distinguish Chinese culture and to avoid any misunderstandings or possible unfamiliarity.
The Chinese program at UBC will open 3 classes of CHIN 131 next term. The 3 teachers of this course will vary in their teaching styles, however, their goals and standards will remain constant to expectation. This course is designed for students that wish to incorporate the Chinese language to their lifestyles, as well as anyone who wishes to gain a better understanding of Chinese culture and the Chinese community. Please feel free to register for this course and we welcome anyone interested in learning Chinese!
For more information on CHIN 131, click here!
CHIN 131 Basic Chinese Language Courses for Non-heritage Students
CHIN 131是一门为非华裔学生开设的入门级中文课，宗旨是让中文基础为零的学生，在课程结束后，能够用中文进行基础对话和交际。CHIN131一共有五课，内容以几位不同国籍学生的校园生活为主，主题由浅入深，由主人公的个人家庭信息逐渐拓展至朋友间交往与校园生活。在本课程结束时，学生将学会如何简单地介绍自己、家人、朋友以及谈论兴趣爱好等。
本课程的教学围绕三个方面开展：Knowledge(知识), skill(技能) and competence(能力)。Knowledge，顾名思义，目标在于授予学生中文语言的相关知识，为学生日后更深入的语言学习打好基础；而skills， 指的是学生的听、说、读、写四项技能的培养；competence 则是引导学生反思自身的语言学习能力与策略，此外competence 也旨在发展学生对华人圈文化的认识与理解的能力。
CHIN131在培养学生听、说、读、写四项技能的同时，十分注重课堂的互动性以及交际性。除教师授课外，学生有大量的机会与老师、同学、志愿者交流，学会将四项技能融入到日常交际情境中。此外，教师也鼓励学生走出教室，接触当地社群，并通过作业和活动的设计来帮助学生将课堂所学与和周边中文社群的交流相结合，引导学生走出舒适圈，让中文不只是他们所学习的一门语言，而且成为他们联结自身与华人社群的工具。为了让学生更加适应中文的应用环境，与母语者更顺畅地交流，CHIN 131特别开设了每周一次的口语练习。我们邀请到了很多以中文为母语的热心志愿者们，和学生进行一对一的中文练习。在口语练习中，学生们在提高自己语言技能的同时，也积攒了用中文与他人交谈的勇气。
至于在情智方面的能力(competence)，我们希望学生能认识自己在语言学习方面的强项和弱项，进而发展出适合自己的学习策略，并帮助自己突破语言交流的障碍。此外，我们也希望通过语言教学来缩短中西文化差异所产生的距离。例如有些话题，像“你今年多大啦”“你结婚了吗？”，是华人之间日常交流的一部分，可在西方文化里，却是平常不会轻易谈及的敏感话题。而CHIN131的目标之一便是帮助学生了解中华文化社群的特色，而减少潜在的误解或距离感。
UBC的中文项目在下学期即将开设三门CHIN 131课程，三门课的老师教学风格各异，但是教学目标与标准高度一致。这门课十分适合想要把中文融入到生活当中，并且想了解这门语言背后的华人社群和文化的同学们。对中文感兴趣的同学，欢迎你们来报名哦。
Written by: Yudan Wang 王禹丹
Chinese editor: Alexandra Hu 胡艺涵
Translated by: Lindsay Yan 严瑗