Annual Summary--Susan Wang
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This document is Susan Wang's annual report from 2011 summarizing her work as a Chinese language teacher assistant at Keysborough Secondary College Banksia Campus. The summary highlights that Susan worked with over 280 students from years 7 to 12, believes in treating students equally regardless of ability or background, and helped increase the number of year 10 students studying Chinese from 2 to 40. She organized cultural activities like the Chinese Cultural Day and Chinese Cuisine Festival and hopes to continue improving the embedded language environment and cultural opportunities at the school.
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Annual Summary--Susan Wang
- 2. I believe cross-cultural understanding is muchmore important than language itself. I believe class management is a pro-cess of education. I tried my best to know my studentsin different occasions and assessthem diversely. I will ask students do self-reflectionevery now and then, because I be-lieve it is the source of continuousstudy and the motivation of pursuingexcellence. I believe little bonus could also makebig difference. Education background: 9/2009-6/2012, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Master, Major in Teaching Foreigners Chinese Language 9/2005-6/2009,Shandong University, Bachelor, Major in International politics Hometown: Ping Dingshan (literally translation is Flat Mountain), Henan Province, China Contact details: susan20110126@163.com, QQ: 875816528 Hobby: Traveling, Singing, Writing Basic information Who am I My philosophy A Masters Degree candidate of Beijing Foreign Studies University majoring Teaching Foreigners Chinese Language A participant of Chinese Language As- sistant Program conducted by Chinese government and DEECD A volunteer working in Keysborough Secondary College Banksia Campus A Chinese language teacher assistant dealing with more than 280 students from Yr7-12 I believe that working as a volun-teer is to work dutifully, dedicated-ly and professionally. My students are equally treaded re-gardless of learning ability, culturalbackground and social status. I believe a good relationship withstudents is the very beginningwhen conducting teaching. I believe language class is fun I teach my student knowledge aswell as thinking path and lifeattitude. Successful application for Confucius Classroom. Successful application for Exploratori- um. Students of Banksia Campus who do Year 10 Chinese increase from 2 to 40. An embedded language environment. Successful try in various and engaging cultural activities. Students language improvement by more practice chances, individual tu- toring and more constant, coherent teaching. Changes of Our Chinese Class in 2011
- 3. SIDEBAR TITLE The Confucius classroom is our place and it just might be Then, the decorations spread from our Confucius Classroom to A Desirable Environment The Starting Point Free to Come, More Reasons to Stay Receiving my main part of education in China, I have found that the more they trust you, the more engaged they will be. Students Progresses, Teachers Best Rewards I firmly believe that a good teacher is one who My Understanding of Australian Education If you research the Australian Education Department website for VELS
- 4. The Confucius class- room is our place and it just might be the most colourful and cultural- ly detailed classroom throughout the whole school. Before, it was very empty, and the first thing I did when I came here was to deco- rate it with the tradi- tional handcrafts I brought from China. Gradually, we accu- mulated more things, so that the old ones could be replaced as the new, better ones came in. We were all so excited on the day we hung the two Chinese paintings in the Confucius classroom. When I first got them from my friend, I never thought they could be so exquisite. After Tian had them framed in a professional way, they lit up the whole space. Then, the decorations spread from our Confucius Class- room to all the junior build- ings, through a range of posters which presented school subjects in Chinese. Though the English literal translations were a little tricky, with the indicative background pictures nobody could miss the true meaning. This idea originally came from our College Principal, Heather, and will create an environment for the children that is embedded by the Chi- nese language. This is some- thing which will probably be extended further and more creatively in the future.
- 5. Receiving my main part of education in China, I have found that getting used to the classroom here is by no means an easy thing. I still remember when I first took over the class; it was so hard to get the students to concen- trate and follow my instructions! Compared with Chi- nese middle school students, the children here are more like University students who are regarded as independently responsible individuals, which is why they dont engage with you unless they want to. In this case it is possible for their pursuit of knowledge to become a second priority. As a teacher, you must catch their attention with a lit- tle bit of fun first before you begin with the class. Appropriate class activities then be- come No.1 on my thinking list. I know that every kid wants to be the focus in their teachers eyes, possibly because some kids lack attention at home with their family, which can be why they are rebellious, doing things the opposite way to the way their teacher wants, just to be noticed. I decided to try getting rid of the authoritative image by treating them equally, yet individually and making them feel special. I have learned that when you truly put your heart into teaching, children are able to feel it and appreci- ate it. In return I have found that the more they trust you, the more engaged they will be. Because of a good understanding of all the students, I was able to replace the Chinese teacher to communicate with students parents personally. This Parent -Teacher Interview experience changed my single-dimension perspective of stu- dents evaluation. A good teacher should be sensitive to students progress and potential. Therefore, the evaluation should be inspiring and diverse. I also realize that in the future, we should at- tach more importance to interactive communication with parents, and may- be discover more ways to develop it. School and family both play an im- portant role in a childs education. To bring this collaborative relationship to a healthy circle, personalized feedback to parents is necessary.
- 6. Students progresses, teachers best rewards Kids here dont have much chance to practise Chinese because English flows eve- rywhere, and because of that, we cant really blame their bad memory, since lan- guage is the tool for communication. In response to these circumstances, I pro- posed 10 Minutes Chinese Only. During this time, no matter how confused the children were or how much they struggled, teachers could only use face, ges- tures, and visual prompts in the surrounding environment to give them clues. In my mind, for our kids who only have a small vocabulary and who are always shy and reluctant to speak Chinese, the effect was unpredictable. However, to my surprise, it was a complete success! They would all stop doing irrelevant things and listen to you carefully, eyes blinking, memory searching deeply. There are no greater rewards than this: being a witness to my students progress. Im so proud of some kids; they are on their way. I firmly believe that a good teacher is one who shares plenty of enlightening phi- losophies and who teaches as much through personal example as verbal instruc- tion. For VCE students, the most important thing is to help them keep a dynamic perspective and positive life attitude so that they will be humble and graceful when in favourable circumstances, and tenacious and optimistic when they are in adverse circumstances. I would also like to enhance the depth of their under- standing and the breadth of their communication skills overcoming their use of limited and specific words when answering teachers questions in oral tests. I have tried my best and conveyed all this by sample texts and personal guidance. Maybe one day in the future, they will re- member there used to be a teacher whose words opened a win-
- 7. Personal Development Personal develop- ment is a professional requirement of teach- ing and so during the year, we participated in four Professional Development sessions with the CTTC (Chinese Teach- er Training Com- mittee). I also attended the CLTFA (Chinese Lan- guage Teachers Fed- eral Association) An- nual Conference in Sydney. After every session I felt rejuve- nated and full of en- ergy. In the first profession- al session, we were told that parents would say Have a good day! when their children were leaving home, and that the educational goal was to foster children as responsi- In the second PD, we were in- formed that a good relation- ship with students is the foun- dation for everything. they are ready to learn. It also recommends that to engage students with language studies, with the aim to sustain them through to year 12, the content delivery should be as hands on and entertaining as possible as Australian students learn best through doing. The Levels, as described above, also at- tempt to map the students personal progress by monitoring the students collaborative learning and creative thinking paths. Teachers are required to effectively provide the five elements essential to learning. That is to ENGAGE, EXPLAIN, EXPLORE, ELABORATE and EVALUATE, commonly referred to as the E5. If you research the Australian Educa- tion Department website for VELS (Victorian Essential Learning standards), you will find out that the framework and guidelines for the teaching and assessment of LOTE (Languages other than English) are well-defined and rigorous. Divided into Domains (which define subject areas) and Levels (which qualify skill devel- opment), the guidelines do not dictate a set curriculum for each year level but rather they suggest that each group of students is assessed by their teacher for the content My Understanding of Australian Education In the third PD, we were encour- aged to take advantage of every opportunity in the classroom to use our mother language, ideally more often than English. We were advised that a smart teacher embedded language in- to class interaction and manage- In the fourth PD, we explored how using International Communication Technology is becoming our new teaching strategy. All the- se ideas and concepts are refreshing and have triggered improvements in our classes.
- 8. SIDEBAR TITLE Chinese Cuisine Festival Dumplings Cultural activity is a good way to implant alternative cultural codes into a students mind. LOTE Week is an intense period. LOTE Week Chinese Excursion 2011Chinese Cultural Day We encourage students continue Chinese study and set more ef- forts in it, because some non-background kids in other schools have done such great work. Dumplings could be easily got from Chinese restaurant, and most people like eating dumplings. However, few people know how to make dumplings and
- 9. Financial Chinese Excursion Cultural activity is a good way to implant alternative cul- tural codes into a students mind. LOTE Week is an in- tense period. This was the first time that many cultural activities were held in this school. It happened to coincide with one of most important Chinese traditional festivals the Moon Cake Festival. The children enjoyed moon cake and jasmine tea, as well as a shuttlecock competition, chop- sticks competition, Chinese painting, chess and karaoke. Some students were even more delighted because they had successfully participated in the daily Chinese Cultural Puzzle. Even some teachers were interested in joining us, and that was great! Though Tian, Li and I were so busy that week, we were still very happy. We hope these activi- ties will become a regular, yearly program that will run long into the future. We encourage students continue Chinese study and set more efforts in it, because some non-background kids in other schools have done such great work. We will show children Chinese Language Show or Competition video every now and then, and even took them to Town Hall to watch the contestants on-the-spot demonstra- tion. LOTE Week
- 10. Chinese Cuisine Festival Dumplings Time: 08/12 12/12 Place: Confucius Classroom Dumplings could be easily got from Chinese restaurant, and most people like eating dumplings. However, few people know how to make dumplings and the way to cook them. Therefore, at end of School Term4, we bring dumpling production site into our Chinese class. From stuffing to the skin, the whole process was showed vividly in front of students in Chinese class. Students took initiative to help teachers out making dumplings, engaged and enjoyed the process. Whats more, we also guided children how to cook them. Eating dumplings out of their own hands, both teachers and children were having a good time.
- 11. Time flies! A full year has passed and much has been achieved. However, there are still things that I couldnt accomplish that I believe would be of long term benefit to both the teaching of Chinese and the schools broader academic environment. They include: R o o m f o r i m p r o v e m e n t Continue to work on creating an embedded language environment. With Chinese Exploratorium coming into our school next year, students are not limited to static images any more. An exhibition room is planned and should be paired with an inte- grated arrangement and decor. For the new Chinese Classroom, in addition to more post- ers, ornaments and childrens work, the allo- cation of an exhibition shelf and a bookcase will make it appear more professional. Cultur- al pieces could be accumulated and shown, and all the donated books from Hanban could also be applied in an appropriate way. Stu- dents could assess the books by following a series of rules for the Chinese Book Corner , and can even further set a regular Reading Time. Then, good learning habits will be es- tablished. Proceed to organize various Chi- nese cultural activities. LOTE Week this year was a great success, which is a good start for more follow-up cultur- al activities. Since weve already successfully applied for the Confucius Classroom to ac- commodate any large-scaled cultural activi- ties, we could do more promotions, e.g. invite other schools personnel (could be within the Confucius Classroom intranet) or even the Chinese Education Consul to our school. For next year, hopefully the Chinese Cooking activity could be more formal and more en- gaging. Provide students with more tradi- tional talent courses. As Chinese painting, paper-cutting and callig- raphy are art forms, courses like this not only activate and add flavour to Chinese classes, they can also develop students creativity and motor-skills. Based on this, a public fundraiser could be held in, and even out of, the school community. Chinese art pieces could be sold, giving the students a sense of achievement and an opportunity to practise Chinese arts. Spare no efforts to encourage students participation in Chinese language competitions. Spare no efforts to encourage students par- ticipation in various Chinese language com- petitions. The experience of joining in on a competition will significantly boost students language skill levels as well as their motiva- tion to study. If high-achieving students were to compare themselves with mainstream students, they would easily identify the gap in achievement potential, encouraging them to look for and compete with other high achiev- ers. This should inspire continued improve- ment through friendly competition with their peers. Strengthen mutual communication between teachers, the school and parents. Develop different channels to strengthen interaction between teachers, the school and parents, and update parents with students performance more frequently. The subject notebook should be adapted so that students can write down the date and class content that day, and then parents signatures would be requested, encouraging parents to recog- nise their childs development. Parents are also welcomed whenever cultural activities and fundraisers are planned. During Parent- Teacher Interview times, childrens projects can also be shown. Parents will be proud of their kids and also appreciate what the teach- ers and school have done. Expand school influence by visit- ing primary schools and character- ized Chinese teaching. Send advanced students to visit primary schools periodically to share experience and to show achievements in Chinese learning. As long as accomplished and responsible students are chosen for these programs, their outstanding performance will win the school a good reputation and Chinese teach- ing will also become a feature of our school. Primary school students and their parents who value Chinese study will prefer our school. As a result, the development of the school and Chinese teaching will become mutually promoted.
- 12. Thanks Giving Season Last but not the least, I want express my appreciation to our school and all the people here who offered me help generously during the whole year. I want first say Thanks to Chinese teachers Tian and Li. Without your help, I cant settle down my life here and set into work immediately, cant make progresses on good relationships with students, let alone making more contributions. Their democratic and cooperative working way makes me not only feel be respected, but also gives me plenty of freedom. I want to say Thanks to Patrick and Heather, especially to Richard, who treat me equally as other staffs, support my work so much and always care about living conditions. Thank you for your generosity on work, by encouraging me to get more personal development chances, and also on life, by great efforts in seeking better homestays and trying to meet my other needs. I want to say Thanks to our friendly staffs, Steve, Glenda, Jonathan, Elif, Mitz, Judy, etc. Your assistance and guid- ance makes me a relax and harmonious working environment. I want to say Thanks to my homestays, for your under- standing and tolerance in life. And also thank all the kids, your progresses proved the worth of my efforts. This is definitely a meaningful year. what I harvest this year that every- ones friendly and kindness Ill never forget! Hope one day you could come to China and be my guests! Susan Wang On DEEDC Appre- ciation Farewell, Li and Richard, the most important persons for me. Homestay Cathryn Levvey, enjoying dumplings I made. Having a good time with her. Steve and Glenda, who always help me out in the key moments, and did so much for me this year! Tian, always makes funny face when taking picture, (the only individual pic- ture with me?) cares me like big brother, the most important person, too.