Every child is different! Each remembers things via different cues. Some are kinesthetic and some are visual. There was once a character presented raw many a time to a child, but she never memorized it. The character was 實. Even when we pointed out that the middle was like a fruit (e.g. an acorn, as in 果實); but because we were not using this vocabulary as much in casual Cantonese conversation, that was not particularly helpful.

It frustrated the teacher as much as the child. Finally, a light bulb came up. Using what was available at hand, the teacher tied a used sock with two metallic twist ties that came with those clear plastic bags, and made the sock very tight. In conversational Cantonese, the word 實 also means solid and pulling tight. Ever since then, the child has never forgotten what the character is, just because she sees that sock in the middle of the character!

The principles learned:

• Know how the child learns (e.g. kinesthetic, visual, audio). Even if you know it is visual, is it pictures, patterns, or colors that click with the child?
• Make use of what the child already knows in his own daily conversational Chinese and objects he is familiar with. Draw from existing and prior knowledge.
• Make it fun and memorable. Who would forget the look and smell of your papa’s old sock! Have fun touching it (visual and kinesthetic) and making it “tight”!
• That is why you who know your child can best supplement what he is learning from others. Because your lesson can tailor to his individual needs.

*Notice that at times, the simplified version of a character (e.g. 实 for 實) may miss the visual cues that can be useful in drawing literal meanings. Hence, it is a decision you should make when you are deciding which version to teach. Please refer to Situation #4.4: I am not sure whether my child should study simplified characters or traditional characters.

 

I once had a Chinese cook who can make wonderful Asian cuisines. One day, I wanted her to make some Western butter squash soup for me. I told her the exact instruction. Unfortunately, the final result was nothing but a Chinese-style squash soup which I couldn’t puree. The taste was just not what I had in mind either. Believe me, I tried to teach her again and again later, but after a few more failures, I concluded that there is just something impossible for a Chinese cook to change, especially when she’s set in her ways for years because that is her “core.”

Over the years, I have found it difficult to find one who possesses a high quality in ALL of the following:

1. Chinese language proficiency,
2. Knowledge of the Western culture enough to understand the audience’s way of life, i.e. the children of today’s modern society,
3. Proficiency in how children work and how to teach in general

Perhaps this is one of the major difficulties most Chinese language classes face in finding competent teachers to pass on the language. As the soup analogy goes, “core” of teaching styles is hard to break. Children are smart enough to notice the difference between one who is only proficient in the language and one who truly cares about them and their learning. Contrary to what most schools are seeking using the priorities above, it may be more effective to reverse the order. It is certainly possible that a teacher, who knows more how children works than how the language works, has a much higher chance of nurturing Chinese into the core of her students.