Janesvile schools' Chinese program seen as model
JANESVILLE — The Chinese program in Janesville's public schools is only 2 years old, but it has earned the admiration of an outside agency that is backing up its praise with a $10,000 grant.
Janesville will become part of a nationwide network of 100 "exemplary" Chinese-language programs that is being developed by the nonprofit, nongovernmental Asia Society.
Janesville will become part of the Asia Society's Confucius Classrooms Network.
The recognition also comes with access to resources and a promise to match Janesville with a partner school in China.
The partner schools could work on joint projects, set up pen pals and, eventually, send students over the Pacific Ocean on exchange programs, said Julie DeCook, who oversees the district's foreign-language programs.
The award recognizes Janesville's strong local support, commitment to international collaboration, "global vision for the future" and potential as a model for other schools setting up Chinese programs, according to a news release.
DeCook said Janesville's use of computer technologies, and commitment to integrating Chinese culture topics in non-Chinese classes also played a role, as did resource-sharing with the Hedberg Public Library and UW-Whitewater and parent/school support for activities such as a Chinese talent show.
The network provides an online link in which teachers can share resources and best practices.
Chinese in Janesville began with pilot programs in 2007. In 2009, Chinese began in grades 3 to 5 at Harrison and Roosevelt schools. It has since expanded to Marshall and Edison middle schools, where combined classes of sixth- and seventh-graders are conducted.
Two teachers, one of them half-time, teach Chinese to about 300 students, 45 of those at the middle schools and seven through a Janesville Virtual Academy online class, DeCook said.
The program was set up to expand to a higher grade each year, but whether that happens in the years ahead depends on the school board's budget decisions, DeCook said.
DeCook said some of the grant is required to be used for travel expenses for a teacher to go to two national conferences, with the Asia Society picking up lodging and conference fees.
The money also will be used for instructional materials such as books, web cameras, calligraphy pens and ink and to give the Chinese teachers time to plan and collaborate with other teachers.
Oct 1, 2011 at 8:15 p.m.
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All others: if you would like to watch Chinese National TV CNTV: http://english.cntv.cn/live/
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Yes, it is run by the government, but that said, it has a lot of cultural information that comes through. I especially liked watching it when it was Chinese New Year, to learn what the families do to shop for dinner, or going out for the holiday. View the story, you learn what the home is like, what type of refrigerators they use... (Yes, it does differ between the haves and have nots.)
Oct 1, 2011 at 8:05 p.m.
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@Sandman: you wrote: Seems like a lot of effort and expense just to order take-out in this dying little town!"
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At least you could tell if they were talking about you if you ate where they worked.
Oct 1, 2011 at 8:02 p.m.
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It is difficult, but no more than calculus or a computer engineering course, and not one parent says they're a waste of time or money. I loved the Mandarin course I took, just as an introduction. Wonderful language that I better appreciate after taking the course. I've encouraged young students I know to take it when they can.
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For parents and friends: http://english.cntv.cn/learnchinese/ Chinese TV's "free Mandarin Video Lessons"
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Wisc Public Radio's Joy Cardin had a program recently on 2011-09-16
Listen: http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/play-mp3.c...
or, Download: http://www.wpr.org/wcast/download-mp3-re...
>>>New research shows Mandarin Chinese is the most useful language. . . other than English . . . in the business world. After seven, Joy Cardin and her guest discuss how learning a new language is not only beneficial to you professionally, but personally, too.
Guest: Richard Young, Professor of English, UW-Madison. Past President, American Association for Applied Linguistics.
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Bloomberg's "Mandarin Chinese Most Useful Business Language After English"
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-30...
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BBC's "Podcast of 20th Century China"
Podcast of 20th Century China by bbcchinese.com gives you the most vivid accounts of witnesses and historians on China's 20th century history.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/tcc...
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"Podcasts of the Day" from bbcchinese.com for Students of chinese
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/pod...
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Boston's Public Radio: WBUR's On Point program of Wednesday, September 14, 2011 | 11:00 am
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/09/14/deng-...
Deng Xiaoping: The Man Who Made Modern China:
We’re talking with eminent East Asia scholar Ezra Vogel about the man behind China’s astounding rise — Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping.
Oct 1, 2011 at 2:36 p.m.
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Well said, Proartist.
Why would anyone begrudge something that benefits OUR children and prepares them for greater success in the world? In just one example, the company in which I worked had multiple positions requiring bi-lingual employees. Those positions were paid higher than those just requiring English, and rightfully so. In another example, my brother-in-law's company paid to have their presentation translated into Chinese as a sign of respect. There were other companies bidding, equally qualified to do the job required, but it was that "little extra" of the translation that secured the business. Why would we not want to give our own companies every available chance to win bids? America is not the only game in town, no matter what the isolationist egocentric want to think.
It is imperative foreign languages be taught at the elementary level for the best results. Language development is at a peak in approximately the three to eleven year range. After that it tapers off rapidly until it becomes difficult to pick up the subtle nuances of tone, inflection, accents, etc., by high school age. Yet in the USA, high school is typically (and foolishly) when foreign language electives are introduced.
Oct 1, 2011 at 1:21 p.m.
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Proartist. China learns english because it helps them with their take over of the world economy. It is simply an assist to their tactics. It has been reported from some of their nationals who have left China, that the government mandates and forces things like learning english. The free-market society I support is NOT what China is doing. They cheat and they (China's government) is basically evil.
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I like this article's wording, as it is a reminder of what some people like me recognize happening in this nation...A push towards a new world order....."The award recognizes Janesville's strong local support, commitment to international collaboration, "global vision for the future" and potential as a model for other schools setting up Chinese programs, according to a news release."
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Why don't we just work on making our communities strong and teaching our children real quality of life. Unlike having them walk around glued to their Chinese made gadgets, missing out on life itself? By the way, don't tell me that learning Chinese will have ANY effect on how Americans do in the world markets etc. That is false.
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I am disgusted with this push in our schools and I wish it would go away.
Oct 1, 2011 at 10:27 a.m.
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English is taught throughout China and, today, virtually everyone there under 30 speaks it fluently. Students gather on sidewalks looking for tourists so they can get classroom "extra credit" by practicing speaking English. However, there are nuances to every language and if any society limits their functional language singularly to their native tongue, they also limit their understanding of the depth and richness of other cultures. It is NEVER a bad idea expand knowledge of world languages and such education is beyond the short-term price tag when considering the ultimate wealth in ways far beyond just money.
Sep 30, 2011 at 11:30 p.m.
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But I think Mandarin Chinese will surpass Spanish in the US. One reason is merely the fact that a quarter of the global population speaks Mandarin Chinese. Plus the ever growing size of the unstoppable economy. You have to learn a few sentences so that we can do business with China!
Actually, we are getting more English speakers as we speak. There has been a report that approx 300 million Chinese are speaking English. Well, the Queen just got 300 million subjects. That's a lot easier than Christian conversion. Don't worry. English will still be the language the majority of world population will speak!
Sep 30, 2011 at 11:22 p.m.
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I am proposing a lot cheaper way to learn Mandarin Chinese. Some schools and parents have let kids watch Chinese dubbed movies in the summer, and they have achieved great results! These are the ones kids have been watching since their childhood, such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, or even Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, High School Musical, but dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. See http://www.ChineseDubbed.com for some examples. That's a lot cheaper and more effective since the kids are familiar with the contents, and listening to Mandarin Chinese, watching the episodes, reading the English subtitles on the screen, they will NOT get lost in translation. The more accomplished the kids feel, the more and better they can learn. Learning a foreign language is for gifted kids, definitely not for everyone. Some kids get on track very easily, and will most likely succeed down the road. Try playing computer games? Some kids are very good at it, but not everyone. Watching some Chinese dubbed movies and learn Mandarin Chinese the fun and more productive way.
Sep 30, 2011 at 11:01 p.m.
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I would like to why we're teaching children Chinese to begin with, especially in elementary school. It would make a lot more sense to be teaching Spanish than Chinese especially since Spanish seems to be the second language of the U.S. With the budget crisis this should have been one of the first unnecessary programs cut from the budget.
Sep 30, 2011 at 9:46 p.m.
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Seems like a lot of effort and expense just to order take-out in this dying little town!
And...it's getting to be too much to listen to all the wonderful things these schools are doing when the board doesn't even have the fortitude to make tough decisions and live within their budget instead of asking taxpayers to pay for it once again!
Hey--all you folks with kids in the system--why don't you volunteer to shoulder the extra financial burden and pay the difference for all the school extras they just can't live without? If you can't afford these kids, there's no reason that everyone else should have to pay for everything!
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