The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, "Learning without practical application is futile. Only when knowledge is applied in everyday life can it be considered true talent.” (Confucius, 479 BCE). This quote has always guided my teaching: how to enable students to apply this knowledge in their daily lives? How to build students' confidence in speaking Chinese? How to make learning Chinese an enjoyable experience for students? Project-based learning is an excellent approach and method. “Projects in which students engage in long-term investigations of significant questions and produce artifacts that represent their answers to those questions have the potential to motivate students and help them better understand subject matter content” (Blumenfeld, PC, 1991). From this statement, we can conclude that project-based learning allows students to deeply reflect on a problem and create their own authentic works, which can greatly enhance their learning motivation.
However, creating an authentic Chinese language environment in the context of the United States poses a great challenge for teachers. When we were studying the unit on Chinese New Year, the students had no firsthand experience of these customs, so the knowledge remained abstract. Of course, we could show them videos, but watching a video is completely different from experiencing it firsthand. Therefore, as teachers, we organized a Chinese New Year celebration for 1st grade students. During the event, students had to use the "lucky phrases" they learned in class and receive red envelopes from the teachers. The activities included making dumplings, creating greeting cards, and making crafts! Afterwards, students would create a Chinese New Year lapbook, where each student would choose their own interests from the activities they experienced. The teacher would only provide an outline with questions, such as two related to food, two about traditional New Year activities, and two “lucky phrases” that people would say. Students would engage in large group discussions, small group sharing, create the lapbook, and finally give presentations. The entire process would take eight classes to complete. In project-based learning, students immerse themselves in the culture, reflect on it, find their own interests, and create their own works. The teacher serves as a facilitator in this process, but the most rewarding moment for me as a teacher is listening to the students' presentations.
There is another ancient Chinese poem that goes: "Knowledge gained from books is ultimately shallow; only through personal practice can one truly understand （纸上得来终觉浅，绝知此事要躬行）"(Luyou,1199) It means that the knowledge acquired from books is superficial, and to achieve a deeper understanding, one must apply it in practical life. “another justification for bridging is to ensure linkage between students’ learning contexts, in order to increase students’ ability to integrate the knowledge and skills acquired in those contexts, and thus to build ‘connected knowledge” (Linn & Eylon, 2006). This paragraph also conveys a similar meaning. When knowledge is connected with other knowledge and with the environment, individuals can apply what they have learned and create value. My trip to Spain exemplified this point perfectly. Before coming here, I read numerous books on Spanish history, art, and culture. While I found them interesting, I couldn't fully comprehend their significance, nor did I understand the purpose of reading those books. Even after finishing them, I couldn't articulate what they were about. It wasn't until I visited the Prado Museum and saw historical and religious paintings, heard the names of kings and warriors in the audio guide, that the content I had previously read suddenly appeared in my mind like a shower of raindrops. I finally connected the dots between the knowledge I possessed and the environment I was experiencing. Such moments occurred repeatedly. Allowing students to apply what they have learned in real-life scenarios can greatly enhance the effectiveness of their learning.
References:
Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating project-based learning: sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26(3-4), 369-398.
Fallik, O., Rosenfeld, S., & Eylon, B. (2013). School and out-of-school science: A model for bridging the gap. Studies in Science Education, 49:1, 69-91.