Self-Paced Projects in Mandarin
Written by Karen Jia | karen.jia@uamaker.nyc
Embedded Files
Problem of Practice
Some students are struggling to make connections between Chinese and their daily life, which in turn affects their engagement.
Hypothesis
If students work on projects they can easily relate to, at their own pace, their engagement will improve, and it will be easier for them to connect with Mandarin and its writing, as measured by the output of their work.
Target group
My target group is the entire senior class I’m teaching. Students will use the words and phrases they learn in class to adapt excerpts from Naruto, a popular manga book series. Students will have the same booklet, but will be working at their own pace.
Planning & resources
Student Work
Student Work
Click through this student example to see how they adapted excerpts from Naruto!
Reflection
How did you measure success?
Student engagement
Student output
Teacher reflection:
I was very impressed with how students dove into the project. They were engrossed in it for a couple of weeks and did a superb job in putting their creativity into something they cared about or could relate to.
Student quotes:
“Can you do another series?”
“Oh I love this project!”
“I like this!”
Actionable steps
If you want to use this strategy in your classroom, I recommend …
Give students some options
Allow students to come up with their own option
Leverage their design thinking
Reach out to Karen Jia if you have any questions, or want support adapting this practice to your classroom!
Email: karen.jia@uamaker.nyc
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