Situation #4.8: I wish my child had more time learning Chinese. It takes a lot of time away from her regular studies.Reality: It is true that learning another language can pose more time on the regular studies. There is a solution to this: bilingual (or dual language) classes. When a child learns content while learning the language, the knowledge stays. It will be ideal if she can attend a school where the main curriculum is woven with both languages, but these are a rarity. Also, this method is much slower in achieving literacy if used as a standalone mechanism because of the high demand of character recognition as an essential prerequisite to beginning reading in Chinese. But these two strategies, purposeful content acquisition through reading, writing, speaking and listening, coupled with effective character recognition, formulate an ideal method in learning Chinese. The very last ingredient that completes the picture, and that will help one truly acquire the essence of the language, would be its artistic part—the way Chinese characters can be composed poetically, rhythmically, and meaningfully (see Situation #4.3).

Since the ancient canonical classic texts are rhythmically arranged sections of verses with embedded topical meanings composed by a high percentage of non-repeating characters (70% versus 10% in modern textbooks), they (or any similar curriculum of this kind) are truly an ideal combination of valuable content learning, efficient character recognition, and artistic essence.

Family support is of utmost importance in supporting this model. In a way, you should also maintain your language competence, especially if that is your child’s sole source of Chinese input. All that is discussed in this booklet is also applicable to you as well in view of language acquisition. Learning Chinese can become an essential, enjoyable and natural part of living for you and your child.

Situation #4.7: Pinyin and flashcards are easy tools to use, but I am not sure whether they are effective.Reality: Pinyin (a romanization system that helps instruct Chinese characters by representing the sounds in alphabetic terms) can be easier to grasp, making a child more inclined to start learning and less likely to shun away from the first sight of characters. One thing you need to take notice, however, is whether there is confusion if your child is simultaneously learning the English phonetic alphabet at the same time. Pinyin may also help the child to read sooner since he can then put together the sounds and figure out the unrecognized Chinese characters during reading. With that said, pinyin can only help a child if he is orally proficient in the Mandarin dialect. The main disadvantage of pinyin, or any phonetic assistance, is that it takes away the urgency to recognize characters. Hence, a child may eventually lag far behind in character recognition and rely too heavily on pinyin alone. He may thus become less competent in reading text that consists solely of characters. Therefore, it is important to take notice and evaluate periodically that pinyin is used only as a guide to pronunciation and perhaps a stepping stone toward reading in characters, but never an end to itself. On another note, however, pinyin can be used in character typing on a computer, but it is not the only method.

Flashcards, as we refer to them, are a set of cards to teach Chinese characters. It usually includes a clear, large print of a Chinese character written on each card along with a picture that shows what it means. There is sometimes an English translation on the back or the front as well. These can easily be found in educational stores, especially in Asia. A Chinese character, however, is already a pictorial representation, often of its own meaning. Having a picture associated with the character may create unnecessary distractions and may, as a result, hinder the progress of character recognition. Showing only the Chinese characters is the most effective method. Actually, it can be quite enjoyable for the child because the composition of the characters is interesting and meaningful in itself.