This set of multimedia materials, video clips of survival Chinese, is designed for low intermediate learners of Chinese who wish to improve their listening skills and to learn how to communicate in various real-life situations in China. The material consists of video clips, the text of the video with annotations in Chinese, listening comprehension exercises, and suggestions for integrating these clips with other language learning activities. The materials can be used for independent study or as part of a general Chinese language course.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
These materials are potentially useful in assisting low intermediate Chinese learners in listening, speaking, reading (vocabulary), and character recognition. These cover situations such as: getting a taxi, shopping, changing money, checking into a hotel, getting a prescription filled, etc. The organizing principle is quite clear: learn how to manage survival language in real-life situations. The exercises are of the same type for each situation: 1. multiple choice questions in English; and 2. view the video clips with an annotated script. The language spoken is visually contextualized.
Concerns:
Variations on ways of communicatively managing these everyday situations would be useful for intermediate learners. Also, the characters on the annotated transcripts are too small, making it more difficult for a beginner to recognize. More visual information concerning the contexts, especially visual information that is culturally salient, would enhance the usefulness of the clips.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
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Strengths:
This site is a potential teaching and learning tool for American students who are studying Chinese language and culture. The sound is very clear, the language authentic. The context/images are recorded in Chinese places such as an apartment, a hospital, a doctor?s office. The clips not only show how the language is used in context, but also some cultural differences. For instance, when the Chinese doctor examines the patient, you instantly recognize the authentic aspects of a Chinese hospital (the same with the bank, the library, the hotel counter, etc). It is a very useful teaching resource in this regard. The video and exercises can definitely reinforce language skills on the one hand, and make students culturally aware of how things are done in China on the other. Because the video clips are short,
the exercises are short and with the help of the annotated transcript they become ideal for studying the language and the culture. Students can be assigned to use these materials independently with some prior knowledge of the language.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
This site makes good use of audio and video. It is engaging and easy to navigate. The quality of the video and audio is good. Various listening comprehension exercises help learners clearly understand the content of conversations.
Concerns:
A note from the author on technical requirements (e.g., Real Player) and a link to download would be helpful to first time users.
Creative Commons:
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