 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
October 15, 2005: k3 y1 u# a% g: I
Classes in Chinese Grow as the Language Rides a Wave of Popularity
2 ^9 r0 ~* G( Q
, n* H3 A; |$ H. HBy GRETCHEN RUETHLING ^$ w. [! Z( e% Z
# ]' V/ _& ?# \CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the5 i+ b+ b2 m% ~& Y' ~
United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary
/ ]* X7 `- F& U4 G# vSchool, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas0 j1 N: r& [5 C; l
dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese
2 i3 @2 e! y( Z0 _flag hang from the wall.7 G9 n6 X1 A4 e+ x( o! N
1 K* i9 Q5 C+ ?4 O( Z) t) JOne recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one
5 P% `, ]$ y7 s2 q/ `/ W* m8 t3 ?9 Kanother and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders! {4 r* Y6 ]" t8 V7 F/ k
practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker3 u9 d2 l$ a" @ W A9 c# H% p' }
boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students
% H. U! K# D: ?6 e care already choosing it over Spanish.
' G8 O$ j6 @. ~% z) a
1 P2 l, }# N4 O; n"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal
( k h* g1 l& u+ Fat Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city( R) l* n5 l" t) u/ L; n6 s0 L
offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."
- R* J, |; v& ^3 a! R! q, V; s: t' x% T! a
With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments,
, D/ N' ]6 _- m* Vschools across the United States are expanding their language offerings
5 U* }. R9 X' v) |to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention
7 Z6 F* w7 P' Q( C' kone of its most difficult to learn." ]& H* Q3 @6 L/ P! b" U, r* c
2 P: j: ? S: c5 e1 {Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to; q' I8 G8 H% t
public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students
! Y+ s# S" v. P+ w. P! fstudying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I.
% A1 j# ]9 c, {7 {: i8 MLieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of
% z2 n0 S& P( ]; ETennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on
( a& C7 n+ X8 O( BChinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to
8 b% n4 {9 ]6 \# S d7 A/ M" Timprove ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.4 [. v4 t& F, k6 V
4 _* p& {" k' ~% x4 e
After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement
/ t r# c& l( U' N7 LChinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country) w' I9 _7 v5 \+ D
starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to: `3 I3 a/ y# T0 @6 a# ]0 e6 ^
develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing, i% t8 }) P) B# C; x. r- R7 I! b' c
curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director9 _' J. q: `7 R" @9 ~. p
of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.; a x/ E5 R% C2 j; W5 y- [) s8 G
+ i5 o9 ]- g" L3 I"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of3 ~6 A" L# G3 H( w: f
speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education1 D$ f# r& i" U
Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we
! k- I% i$ g3 t# c4 h$ V" r6 W% }can."
) `; | N6 ~. S
& ?: M ^+ w0 s# f1 ~3 O& S! r) QThe number of Chinese language programs around the country, from
8 L7 j# A! D5 x$ }, b& E, Selementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10
; i* k! I. d* Z2 n7 `years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language
% F Y7 E+ ~# ~" U. A2 }3 Y& `Institute in Washington.4 p& d0 u$ a" x- F
E$ a# x5 K8 w- J1 I- v3 q
"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages- w% h2 n5 K" u$ @' l0 k
aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr." z* U( p3 U" s4 I
McGinnis said.( s: b# |) K# \1 q# i" X
3 s X) G7 s# }& M# ?" D& l
"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical
2 j; e) f$ b5 Zlongstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be
x# c6 j$ b, A+ vready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a
- E. I) C* J' V$ ~! r% {0 Schallenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."9 P; n& P/ Z0 w* z6 J6 F; t, v8 z* c
9 O; c/ U. ?) Y% j; s+ LUp to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and
! t3 _* P$ d$ ^secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in
* m: G5 x# c& ]$ Icities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of- |+ P# F4 K9 P* f! r0 L! p
Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or
' E2 x: [- l# ]9 Q/ p6 uon weekends.' u$ u) h+ a) ^! {# Y
$ R2 t* [: p: u9 {* \/ _; ?
The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public
/ |, n* e5 _1 s" E$ ` }; rschools during the regular school day and primarily serves% a: i$ p O! I/ |. {4 |0 G5 x3 _
students who are not of Chinese descent.% h" U! V. \$ u- ^, o* l! }! d
5 N( b$ C" s {6 T* }( v# t
Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said' k5 J5 [- j- |# h# l% S6 w+ d# ^
proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the
% r7 I) h/ G" g1 Q ^' @2 |competition.
9 A* s4 E( B& ] J. l
) r% }2 n; D8 ["I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley% i" e& ^+ i) u' w$ ?
said. "There will be Chinese and English.", b# h3 P6 }" P
% S3 f, X/ F" r2 m$ P( \8 eFrom an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly" Q# Q' `0 D9 G) ~' Z8 X2 Z0 W
all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse+ x2 f, y9 | m: d1 b% e6 v
schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from
" J, |: A% f5 \; K% zkindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students$ H2 ^$ U8 O* V6 j" k
who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to
9 Z0 J. j0 G+ K) p8 `the school system last year.8 _; W0 `8 \$ p" O% ~
6 p' |& l( \/ L( D
The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this. t h c9 Q, u9 o
year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.
) I8 E' e- {% n3 J% X2 \8 O3 e! `- N D2 I3 ^9 ], h3 ~' }% @7 |0 q
"They have a great international experience right in their own
- u) u! u" I, u" c) ^$ oclassroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago9 y. D" N4 r; I, T" S5 u: V
Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to
2 \9 e l# l: j, K& L5 A6 shelp students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet
" }% d/ ^6 [' ~; S: V1 f: son an equal playing field."
9 h% s# q/ [. v
% L3 ^& G% L; X9 @. z3 `% |Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese
8 S2 o; U3 c0 Z3 o* Z. p. \. bclasses are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign3 s1 G5 k# A# B, g6 `4 H
Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks
3 H- ]" F3 o) _* @$ JChinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An% z$ ^ s. L9 {4 Z; o# I2 c
average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in3 }3 V* q9 H3 Z, |! l( \6 J0 m
Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the6 T, V: r( k& n- J' {
institute says.
9 D9 K5 A4 j( p& T
0 C6 o4 u( P* WSevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth6 J6 G. C- ~4 a. M4 E3 x
grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before8 h& L# ~! T5 z6 x
deciding whether to take the class.
0 l7 k" h1 @; ^ G
( }6 M. x0 d9 ?4 v# `: i" W# v"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she
( L8 z2 @5 N ltold her daughter.
7 M/ S7 I. P. k+ {1 w" a/ d' z$ j! t6 R* P; A, _/ Y6 Y5 ]
Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite
2 i+ j0 h. d* ^/ N, N7 Q- @( ]& y8 eclass.
4 L, Z6 T1 R8 [' }( f( G" I+ i8 C, h0 W: x+ C! v
At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are7 i- a- P9 [* u# U
studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without2 X$ [- p$ M, g3 W6 b8 y7 C
occasional frustration.
- f" C5 D/ A% |0 f4 }+ d& s& ^' O* ?. J# o# g) [
"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a
( {( v( F2 ?* b" A% j" a. srecent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.
0 J: H+ g7 b6 X. m- y5 e! D* X% J. A8 ]+ D
Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he
( D+ Q8 q! R( ]- i o1 Q+ k/ r( ?taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with
' l8 r$ Y- T% F! b/ K7 H+ i! f8 lChinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works. c& J3 W- y) [/ I) ^
. a2 u4 ~" F. F7 k"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul( q3 N: j4 s& l6 {& ^
said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn
! ^9 {3 m- }+ r2 I; j T% jas many languages as I can."
. S/ b8 c; c4 V5 ~6 c& L' _( c! ?- v
/ C, e' |. g, N' v- q; S1 H+ FAdriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the6 f9 {5 [% [5 A7 a$ o5 z& U
skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job
9 O$ u' g( `0 U, B9 m% \market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like. O/ [, L+ G6 b" G! s3 X. y7 C' }1 X
that," Ms. Freire said.
" f; w" `3 Y* d. q3 H8 K0 `+ d2 n# T9 s' |" G7 C
Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program+ y* W2 c2 ?1 W4 F/ I
here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each
8 b9 c3 W7 w0 {& H/ C9 h, x5 \school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking
2 ~9 x9 W+ R* S7 i c* F+ vtime from classes like physical education, music and art to make
. w! D m% X* yroom.
- D% b: R" [. Z" o' g; Z9 `; V9 Q6 x$ j7 c4 D/ _
Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer1 B Z5 w8 M* u$ l! W# m4 O
Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American- c% Y7 p" m8 N3 e5 \& h% j i
college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.
% ^) L5 j" j# G! h5 Q; S
( A6 s5 e1 h7 I/ P7 n0 b"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified
- N, y+ j1 b3 L6 zbecause of that missing certification," he said.) ]8 _6 ~8 ?8 ?( E n2 u% z
X" t' C5 w% C6 O6 U" s2 P
The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States,/ l C, i d8 K2 m D" M# |- |
said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia& C! K: S! J$ b7 o& V; [& r, s
Society in New York.
5 q) Y" o" n/ D: Y* u6 {
1 X/ w* W" }: ^Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the5 a6 N4 Z+ b s& D' K& I. @
Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from
* Y: o6 c* [7 m6 i8 v' R6 e( gthe United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.! E8 S; |( b" d1 U; |5 K: Y2 z/ }9 p
( d: ~0 b+ O3 s2 J"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our
7 |# w* R5 ]* d$ p7 zown."- a0 F5 r5 N& \; N) i
6 K: L4 o& X: e. N9 z- X
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2005-10-18 09:28
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2005-10-18 10:30
楼主
发表于 2005-10-18 15:23
