China News Service, Beijing, December 20 (Xinhua) -- How can overseas Chinese education build a bridge of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations?
Interview with Zhang Li, Director of the Center for International Promotion of Chinese and Vice Dean of the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Jinan University.
China News Service reporter Wu Kan Jin Xu.
The 5th World Conference on Chinese Language Education was held in Beijing from December 19 to 20. How can this event help overseas Chinese schools explore the road of high-quality development?What are the new applications of digital technology in overseas Chinese teaching?How can Chinese education promote exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations?Zhang Li, director of the International Promotion Center of Chinese Language and Vice Dean of the School of Chinese Language and Culture of Jinan University, was interviewed by China News Service's "East and West Questions".
The transcript of the interview is summarized below
China News Service: What is the definition of Chinese education?What are the characteristics?What is the current situation of the development of overseas Chinese education?
Zhang Li: Chinese language education mainly refers to the education of Chinese language and culture for children of Chinese descent. Under normal circumstances, in overseas Chinese families, children receive relevant education from their elders as soon as they are born, and then go to Chinese schools to learn XiChinese and Chinese culture from teachers, which are all Chinese education.
The main characteristics of Chinese education can be summarized as inheritance, spontaneity and extraterritoriality. Inheritance refers to the transmission of Chinese language and culture, moral concepts and etiquette and Xi to the next generation by the older generation of overseas ChineseSpontaneity refers to the fact that overseas Chinese and Chinese people spontaneously establish schools and run schools overseas and consciously inherit Chinese cultureExtraterritoriality means that Chinese language education is mainly conducted overseas.
The Chinese children of Brunei Chinese School attend classes seriously in many classrooms in the school. This is the largest Chinese-language school in Brunei, offering formal education from kindergarten to secondary school. Photo by Song Jihe.
From the perspective of social work development, Chinese education, which has attracted more attention now, mainly refers to Chinese school education. The industry generally believes that due to the constraints of objective conditions, there are still many difficulties in the current development of Chinese education, but the overall development is steady and improving. Specifically, in terms of scale distribution, there are tens of thousands of overseas Chinese schools distributed in hundreds of countries and regions, with more than 150,000 Chinese teachers and two to three million studentsFrom the perspective of regional differences, the development of Chinese education in different countries and regions varies greatly, which is reflected in many aspects such as venues, teachers, students, school running forms, and social environmentFrom the perspective of the development environment, the social and political factors of the country or region, as well as the language education and cultural policies of the country or region affect the development of Chinese educationFrom the perspective of teaching elements, the teaching content of Chinese education keeps pace with the times, tells the new development of contemporary China, and shows the modern vitality of traditional Chinese culture.
China News Service: At present, what are the new characteristics of overseas Chinese education in terms of teachers, teaching materials and teaching methods (hereinafter referred to as the "three educations")?How to solve the old problems of "three educations" in overseas Chinese education?
Zhang Li: There are regional differences in overseas Chinese education in terms of "three educations", but on the whole, the team of Chinese teachers is constantly expanding, and the trend of younger, professional and professional teachers is obviousTeaching materials are more targeted, applicable and localized, and the awareness and ability of independent compilation are improvingIn terms of teaching methods, more attention is paid to the combination of skills and educational skills, and multiple elements are paid to assist Chinese teaching, which is also a more professional performance of Chinese teachers.
The students of the 100-year-old Qiao Middle School College are enthusiastic about learning Chinese Xi, and local Chinese teachers in the Philippines are teaching arithmetic in Chinese. Photo by Guan Xiangdong.
The old problems in Chinese education include the lack of teachers, the lack of highly applicable teaching materials and teaching resources, and the lack of teaching methods. "To strengthen education, we must first strengthen teachers", and the key to promoting the solution of the "three educations" problem lies in strengthening teacher training. The scale of online and offline training can be increased, and the professional, localized, and highly educated talents of Chinese education with strong research ability can be cultivated, and while continuing the traditional teaching methods and teaching skills training, teachers can be helped to update their concepts, improve their ability to use teaching resources, compile teaching materials, and coordinate curriculum design, so as to help Chinese school administrators update their school-running concepts and enhance their leadership and leadership.
The most important thing for the sustainable development of overseas Chinese education is to improve the hematopoietic ability of local Chinese educators, and promote the localization of teaching materials and teaching methods, and the modernization of school-running concepts and management methods according to local conditions. Local Chinese teachers write their own textbooks, or Sino-foreign co-authors, and the inadaptability of Chinese textbooks will gradually improve, such as involving local characters, stories, history, etc., it may be more appropriate for local teachers to write them. In terms of teaching methods, we can explore real-life teaching and other methods, leading students out of the classroom to read Chinese signs in Chinatown, read Chinese menus in Chinese restaurants, and explain scenic spots with Chinese, etc., so as to learn to Xi and use Chinese in different life scenarios.
In the Brazilian Dexin Bilingual School, a Brazilian teacher took the primary school students to "row a dragon boat" to welcome the Dragon Boat Festival. Photo by Lin Chunyin.
China News Service: The theme of this year's World Conference on Chinese Language Education is "Promoting the High-quality Development of Chinese Education and Promoting Exchanges and Mutual Learning between Chinese and Foreign Civilizations".How to break through?
Zhang Li: "Four modernizations" have their own emphasis, standardization focuses on teaching content, formalization focuses on school construction and management, specialization focuses on teachers, and informatization focuses on teaching methods and resource development. If every Chinese school is in place in terms of the "four modernizations", it will not be a problem to improve the quality and efficiency of Chinese education. However, the construction of the "Four Modernizations" is leading, and overseas Chinese schools are basically self-sponsored, subject to subjective and objective conditions such as the local school environment, funds, teachers, and students. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation and mutual assistance at home and abroad to jointly promote the progress and development of Chinese education.
On August 6, 2018, the students of the 2018 Overseas Chinese Youth "China Root-Seeking Tour" in Nantong happily displayed their paper-cut works. Many overseas Chinese teenagers come to China to experience the charm of Chinese culture. Photo by Xu Congjun.
On the one hand, the development of the "four modernizations" of Chinese schools depends on the overall coordination of relevant departments in China, and increases the support and assistance in the development of curriculum standards and the construction of information resourcesOn the other hand, Chinese schools should also enhance their ability to innovate independently and implement the "four modernizations" step by step. In recent years, relevant domestic departments and universities have carried out a lot of work, which can summarize experience and sort out more detailed ideas to help the development of the "four modernizations". Overseas qualified Chinese schools can take the initiative to take the lead and try first, setting an example and providing a model for other Chinese schools. At present, some Chinese schools in Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia have started the construction of "four modernizations".
China News Service: In recent years, the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud technology, and big data has injected new impetus into the transformation and development of education. What are the new applications of digital technology in overseas Chinese teaching?How can Chinese schools use new technologies to innovate Chinese education practices?
Zhang Li: At present, there is a high level of attention, recognition and acceptance of new technologies in the Chinese education sector. For example, real-life classrooms, online courses, virtual classrooms, cloud service platforms, and Chinese Xi apps have been applied and promoted in some Chinese schools, and teachers' mastery and application ability of technology have gradually improved, especially young teachers are very good at this aspect. The digital Xi environment allows students to experience the charm of Chinese culture immersively, enhance students' enthusiasm, and stimulate students' imagination.
On September 20, 2020, at the registration point for new students in Sisaket, Thailand, the "Cloud Campus" of the College of Chinese Language and Culture was held by local senior students who have not yet returned to the school to provide registration guidance and introduce the relevant situation of the college to the new students. Photo by Zhang Zhihong.
The application of new technologies requires talents and matching facilities and equipment. Due to the particularity and development conditions of Chinese education, the application of new technologies in the field of Chinese education is still in its infancy. In the future, Chinese education can establish a digital material platform to realize the co-construction, sharing and sharing of resourcesAt the same time, according to the characteristics and laws of Chinese education, new technologies should be applied rationally, and excessive reliance on technology should be avoided while ignoring the needs and goals of education itselfIn addition, Chinese schools can also carry out science education, such as Chinese schools to carry out programming and robotics courses, and regularly hold science and technology competitions and other activities, combining science and technology with Chinese Xi to enhance students' interest in learning XiChinese.
China News Service: How can overseas Chinese education closely integrate classroom language teaching with cultural communication and undertake the mission of international dissemination of Chinese culture?
Zhang Li: Language teaching and cultural teaching are inseparable, and the equal emphasis on language and culture is a special feature of Chinese education. Overseas Chinese have unique advantages and conditions for the inheritance and dissemination of Chinese culture overseas, and it can be said that everyone is a natural inheritor and disseminator, and every teacher and student can influence many people around them.
On June 19, 2023, Chinese teaching class at the São Paulo Chinese Literature School. Photo by Lin Chunyin.
For example, in Malaysia, most Chinese schools account for nearly a quarter of non-Chinese students, and some even more than half. In Southeast Asia, many non-Chinese students find more desirable jobs because of their mastery of Chinese. Chinese education creates conditions for the local community to understand and Xi the Chinese language and culture, and does its best to meet local needs. Many Chinese schools also actively participate in local cultural carnival activities, showcasing the rich and colorful Chinese culture for the local people, and becoming an important platform for the international dissemination of Chinese culture.
China News Service: How can overseas Chinese education better serve the local community?How can we further play a role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among diverse civilizations?
Zhang Li: Chinese education is the language and cultural inheritance education of the Chinese ethnic group. On the basis of running Chinese language and culture education, Chinese schools should also consider how to connect with local national education or other forms of education, and cooperate with other local schools, communities, enterprises, etc., to gain more recognition and support. For example, some Chinese schools cooperate with local enterprises to help them cultivate Chinese talentsThere are also Chinese schools that partner with local schools to offer Chinese courses.
On the evening of January 20, 2023, in Toronto, Canada, local Chinese children sang Tang poems and Song lyrics at the "Star Movement Toronto" Spring Festival Gala. Photo by Yu Ruidong.
Chinese education can also play a unique and important role in the exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations. Chinese educators need to establish a respectful, inclusive, and mutual learning mentality, and integrate multicultural elements into the development of teaching materials, classroom teaching, Chinese expression, cultural activities, etc. For example, in the preparation of localized Chinese teaching materials, both Chinese stories and traditional culture are told in Chinese, and local stories are told in Chinese, integrating the highlights of Chinese and foreign cultures. Chinese schools can also give full play to the advantages of the platform to fully display the excellent Chinese culture, explain and teach the continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness and peace of Chinese civilization clearly and clearly, carry out more in-depth and specific exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and promote Chinese culture to the world better. (ENDS).
Interviewee Profile:
Zhang Li is the Director of the Center for International Promotion of Chinese Language, Deputy Dean of the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Jinan University, and a distinguished researcher of the Collaborative Innovation Center for the Inheritance and Communication of Chinese Culture in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas. He has been engaged in Chinese education for a long time, presided over 7 national, provincial and ministerial projects, presided over the compilation of 2 sets of Chinese textbooks, published professional research reports, and wrote more than 20 research reports, many of which have been adopted by relevant national, provincial and municipal departments. He has gone to more than 20 overseas countries with a high concentration of Chinese education to carry out special research or teaching.