I came across this report on Chinese Language Education in Australian Schools yesterday and found some really interesting highlights.
Some of the findings:
- "94% of Chinese second language learners learners drop out before Year 12."
- "Australian language students receive some 500 hours of instruction. The Foreign Service Institute in Washington DC estimates that it takes a native English speaker approximately 2200 hours to become proficient in Chinese (600 hours for French)."
- "Scaffolded practice resources need to be developed for all levels of Chinese learner."
- "Ways to provide frequent, sustained opportunities to hear the language used naturally, and inviting opportunities to use it productively need to be created."
- "Teacher education programs for pre-service and in-service participants are needed to develop teachers’ expertise in helping their students meet the learning challenges of Chinese, and to be sufficiently competent in digital technology to be able to use it creatively."
Some of the recommendations:
- "Time spent on Chinese in all programs should be extended through increased allocation of hours, use of digital resources, and opportunities to hear and use the language in shops, restaurants, cinemas, excursions, language camps, and in-country sojourns."
- "Innovative programs should be initiated which permit seriously concentrated periods of time to be spent on the language."
Learnosity's suite of Voice tools are well positioned to be able to assist in the goals of improving the fluency of Chinese for second language learners as it gives students a place free from the distractions of peer pressure where they can practice and review their oral and aural skills.
The full report is available on the Asian Education Foundation site and here is a direct link to the report PDF.
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