Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Mandarin Chinese

One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion

Elementary (K-5)
Middle School/Junior High

In this presentation, we will explore the role of culture and communication in building and sustaining successful Mandarin immersion programs. Strategies for facilitating effective communication among all involved will be shared and implications for developing strong staff development programs will be discussed.

In this presentation, we will build on the cross-cultural work of Ge Gao and Stella Ting-Toomey to explore the role of culture and communication in building and sustaining successful Mandarin immersion programs. Mandarin immersion programs in the U.S. are staffed primarily by teachers who were born and educated in China or Taiwan. In the context of an American school, differing cross-cultural assumptions about education can lead to misunderstandings in communication between parents and teachers, students and teachers, and among colleagues. Differing expectations for academic rigor, including the role of testing, expectations for homework and views on differentiation need to be bridged and understood from both cultural perspectives. Different approaches to instruction need to be acknowledged and addressed through staff development, such as the difference between the Chinese educational system's teacher-centered approach and the American educational system's student-centered approach to instruction and classroom management. Instructional approaches that support language learning in an immersion setting should be emphasized and privileged. Strategies for facilitating effective communication among all involved will be shared and implications for developing strong staff development programs to ensure program success will be discussed.