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CUHK Public Seminar ‘How can non-native Chinese speakers learn Chinese better?’Open for Registration
The Department of Psychology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will host a public seminar, entitled ‘How can non-native Chinese speakers learn Chinese better?’ on Saturday, 9 January 2016. The seminar will provide parents, educators and researchers with the latest updates on research on Chinese literacy development for children learning Chinese as a second language (CSL).
In 2013-2014, there were nearly 15,000 ethnic minority primary students and secondary students studying in public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools. Learning Chinese is a difficult task for them. It is particularly difficult to learn, to read and to write because there are many unique Chinese characters to be mastered, unlike most other languages which are written with some type of alphabet. Educators and teachers may often find it quite challenging to teach Chinese to students learning it as a second language. The seminar will share the latest research findings from a local study on teaching methods that might help CSL students learn Chinese better, and discuss the implications of this work for Hong Kong CSL children and their parents. Some suggestions for curriculum and policy reform will also be discussed.
The seminar will divide into three talks. The first talk, entitled ‘Challenges faced by ethnic minority students in learning Chinese as a foreign language’, will be presented by Ms. Judy Leung, Research Assistant of Department of Psychology, CUHK. The second talk, entitled ‘Key findings on how children in Hong Kong learn Chinese as a second language as compared to a first language: Teaching implications’, will be delivered by Professor Catherine McBride, Department of Psychology, CUHK. This talk will highlight the results of a research study focused on Hong Kong CSL learners and the implications of these results for teaching and learning Chinese in Hong Kong. The final talk will be given by Dr. Zhou Yanling, Assistant Professor of Department of Early Childhood Education, The Hong Kong Institute of Education. That talk will be entitled ‘What are the key factors that influence young children’s Chinese learning as a second language?’.
This seminar will be conducted in English. Parents, educational practitioners, teachers and members of the public are welcome.
Details of the seminar are as follows:
| Date: | Saturday, 9 January 2016 |
| Time: | 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. |
| Venue: | LT1, G/F, Esther Lee Building, CUHK |
| Online registration: | http://www.psy.cuhk.edu.hk/talk160109 |
| Enquiries: | Ms. Judy Leung, Life Span Development Laboratory, Department of Psychology, CUHK (Tel: 3943 4379; Email: Literacy@psy.cuhk.edu.hk) |
‘How can non-native Chinese speakers learn Chinese better?’ Seminar
