Teaching Chinese by Culture and TV Drama

This book explores the potential of contemporary TV drama as teaching and learning materials for intercultural Chinese language teaching and learning,addressing the four main challenges in culture teaching in TCFL. It examines the culturally shaped beliefs, values, and practices that give meaning to the action and language of the selected clips in a modern, award-winning Chinese TV drama, providing a potential experiential pathway into pedagogical practices to bring contemporary culture into classrooms, engage learners with contemporary and authentic texts, and encourage inquiry-focused teaching practices.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book explores the potential of contemporary TV drama as teaching and learning materials for intercultural Chinese language teaching and learning, integrating culture and authenticity into Chinese classroom practice. It addresses the four main challenges in culture teaching in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) and draws on a wide interdisciplinary base, including foreign language education, cultural studies, and intercultural communication. It examines in detail the culturally shaped beliefs, values, and practices that give meaning to the action and language of the selected clips in a modern, award-winning Chinese TV drama. The book demonstrates a potential experiential pathway into pedagogical practices to bring contemporary culture into classrooms, engage learners with contemporary and authentic texts, and encourage inquiry-focused teaching practices. These practices, which are intercultural, allow learners to interpret cultural messages in interaction and recognize their own values and beliefs as they learn to explore those of other cultures.

Introduction:
Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) faces significant challenges in culture teaching. These challenges include the lack of cultural knowledge and experience among TCFL teachers, the difficulty of integrating culture into the curriculum, and the lack of effective teaching materials. This book aims to address these challenges by exploring the potential of contemporary TV drama as teaching and learning materials for intercultural Chinese language teaching and learning.

The Four Main Challenges in Culture Teaching in TCFL:
1. Lack of Cultural Knowledge and Experience: TCFL teachers often lack the necessary cultural knowledge and experience to effectively teach culture. This can lead to a lack of authenticity in the classroom and a failure to engage learners with cultural messages.
2. Difficulty of Integrating Culture into the Curriculum: Integrating culture into the curriculum can be challenging, especially when it comes to teaching complex cultural concepts and values. Teachers may struggle to find appropriate teaching materials and may not have the skills to effectively integrate culture into their lessons.
3. Lack of Effective Teaching Materials: The availability of effective teaching materials for TCFL culture teaching is limited. Traditional textbooks are often outdated and may not reflect the current cultural landscape. Teachers may need to rely on their own creativity and resources to develop effective teaching materials.
4. The Need for Experiential Learning: Experiential learning is an effective way to engage learners with culture and to promote understanding and appreciation. TCFL teachers need to find ways to incorporate experiential learning into their lessons to help learners develop a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.

The Potential of Contemporary TV Drama as Teaching and Learning Materials:
1. Authentic Content: Contemporary TV drama offers authentic content that can help learners develop a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. The drama's characters, settings, and language reflect the cultural norms and values of modern China, providing learners with a realistic and relatable experience.
2. Language and Culture Integration: Contemporary TV drama can be used to integrate language and culture into the curriculum. The drama's dialogue and language can be used to teach vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure, while the cultural context can be used to teach cultural concepts and values.
3. Engagement and Motivation: Contemporary TV drama is engaging and motivating for learners. The drama's plot, characters, and themes can capture learners' attention and interest, making learning Chinese more enjoyable and effective.
4. Inquiry-Focused Teaching Practices: Contemporary TV drama can be used to encourage inquiry-focused teaching practices. The drama's clips can be used to prompt learners to ask questions, analyze information, and draw conclusions. This type of teaching practice promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this book explores the potential of contemporary TV drama as teaching and learning materials for intercultural Chinese language teaching and learning. By integrating culture and authenticity into Chinese classroom practice, TCFL teachers can overcome the four main challenges in culture teaching and promote a more effective and engaging learning experience for their learners. The book provides a wealth of information and ideas for TCFL teachers to use in their classrooms, and it demonstrates the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of foreign language education.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367680817