Audioblogging: Supporting the Learning of Oral Communication Skills in Chinese Language

This is a paper that we have crafted for the upcoming AECT Research Symposia to be held in Indiana University, Bloomington from 22 – 25 June 2006. This paper reports on our pilot study “Project Muvocast” which involves Woodlands Primary School back in the second-half of 2005 with the support of Creative Technology Ltd.
How’s the results? What are some of the findings? Find out for yourself 🙂
Download from:
Either
Audioblogging: Supporting the Learning of Oral Communication Skills in Chinese Language [Local mirror]
OR
Audioblogging: Supporting the Learning of Oral Communication Skills in Chinese Language [AECT mirror]

Why be bilingual?

A cat lurking in front of a mouse hole.
The mouse asks “Who’s there?”
The cat replies “Arff“.
Thinking that there is a dog outside, the mouse comes out and is eaten.
The cat turns around and says “You see, being bilingual has its advantages.
just for laugh, the source.

Second Language Teaching Methods

Compiled by Jill Kerper Mora (Ed.D.) of San Diego State University, this list serves as a quick overview of existing L2 teaching methods:
The Grammar-Translation Approach
The Direct Approach
Reading Approach
Audiolingual Method
Community Language Learning (Curran, Charles A. Counseling-Learning in Second Languages. Apple River, Illinois: Apple River Press, 1976.)
The Silent Way (Caleb Gattegno, Teaching Foreign Languages in Schools: The Silent Way. New York City: Educational Solutions, 1972.)
Communicative Approach–Functional-Notional (Finocchiaro, M. & Brumfit, C. (1983). The Functional-Notional Approach. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.)
Total Physical Response (James J. Asher, Learning Another Language Through Actions. San Jose, California: AccuPrint, 1979.)

Bilingual Approach (BA) to the Teaching of Chinese Language

List of schools piloting approach:
2002
1. Anglo-Chinese School (Junior)
2. Methodist Girls� School (Primary)
3. St Andrew�s Junior School
4. St Michael�s School
2004
5. Fairfield Methodist Primary School
6. Henry Park Primary School
7. Marymount Convent School
8. Montfort Junior School
9. St. Anthony’s Primary School
10. St. Gabriel’s Primary School
11. St. Stephen’s School
[source: MOE Media Centre]