Chinese Curriculum Design: Live and Learn - 学无止境
If I were to design a unit based on this. My central idea might be how humans solve problems by mimicking plants. The summative assessment could be a short play about one example of the central idea. Those examples could be designing clothing or equipment to protect bicyclists by mimicking turtle shells, acorn shells, and animal scales; stabilizing structures by mimicking animal tails and roots on plants. Once the assessment is in place, I would start to map out the unit and decide learning objectives for each week.
Teachers also have to consider students’ interests and classroom management before planning any class activities. For example, if I were to design a game to reinforce the words 走 (zǒu, "walk") and 跑 (pǎo, “run”). The first idea that comes to my mind would be for students do the actions as I direct them with 走 and 跑. Young students enjoy the Total Physical Response (TPR) approach since they enjoy moving around. However, before I actually use this activity in my lesson, I also need to consider classroom management. I spend time thinking about what could go wrong if some students run too fast or run into each other or make it into a competition. After thinking about the potential scenarios, I might think of some basic rules or change the game to have the students run in place when I say 跑.
Professional Development
In order to better help students develop both academically and mentally, I often find myself discussing thoughts with other teachers and seeking chances to observe other classes. Apart from that, I would find time to read books related to different kinds of hands-on activities and classroom management strategies. I’ve also tended professional development like Responsive Classroom and Startalk. Other great opportunities include the Curriculum Design training in Chinese or English from Better Chinese. I think summer is a great time for teachers to grow in order to thrill the next school year.
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