Exploring the association memory method to make Chinese learnable for beginning learners in Australian schools : a novice Mandarin teacher's collaborative action research

Abstract

Improving learning efficiency of Chinese and making Chinese learning easier have been two of the most difficult issues in front of every Chinese language teacher around the world in years. In this case, the research aimed at applying association memory methods into Chinese teaching, which is to associate students' prior knowledge with Chinese phonetic, semantic and cultural parts to increase their impression on newly learnt Chinese knowledge and maximize their learning efficiency. In this collaborative action research, the teacher-researcher observed students' performance at two participant schools during her teaching period and wrote reflection journal every week to record students' behavior as well as her professional teaching skills. In the meantime, she interviewed the classroom teacher in each school and received their feedback about association memory methods to verify her research. Based on her four terms' study, association memory methods have been proved as a valid teaching method in Chinese language teaching through the analysis of the data and effectively improves students' learning efficiency during teaching process, which also can be implemented into other language teaching fields.

Date of Award	2016
Original language	English