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With China emerging on the global stage
and growing Ohio exports to China increasing ($1.5 billion
in 2007), Chinese language has finally caught the attention
of secondary and even elementary schools throughout Ohio. A
couple of years ago, only a few schools in Ohio offered
Chinese language instruction. Because of the joint efforts
of schools/districts, the OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program
and Ohio Department of Education (ODE), K-12 Chinese has
witnessed a phenomenal growth. According to surveys by the
K-12 Chinese Flagship Program, the number of Ohio
schools/districts offering Chinese language has increased
from 17 last year to 50 this school year. Meanwhile, the
number of students enrolled in Chinese increased from 777
last year to more than 2,000 this school year. Thousands
more elementary and secondary students are taking Chinese as
exploration. More high school students are learning Chinese
through the individualized distance learning and the summer
programs at OSU.
The Ohio State University is the first college in Ohio to offer
Chinese; it is the only institution nationally that offers a
Ph.D. in Chinese language pedagogy. In 2005, the Chinese
Flagship Program was established with federal funding to
enroll M.A. students for the advanced study of Chinese,
preparing them to work in China-related professional
careers. Because of the success of this program, the federal
government increased funding to add the K-12 Chinese
Flagship Program at OSU in October 2006. The Chinese
Flagship Program is headed by Galal Walker, professor of
Chinese and director of the National East Asian Languages
Resource Center at OSU. The K-12 Chinese, which is a part of
the OSU Flagship, is headed by Kun Shi.
The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program works closely with ODE in
many areas, including co-hosting two statewide conferences
on K-12 Chinese in December 2006 and 2007. The program goal
is to build the infrastructure for Ohio schools to establish
successful language programs leading to solid communication
skills in Mandarin Chinese. The program is developing
partnerships in Ohio and beyond to achieve objectives that
include the following:
* Developing performance-based curriculum;
* Providing teacher support and ongoing professional
development; and
* Creating a technology support system with effective
Chinese language programs.
The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program is interested in
supporting any school in Ohio that is operating or plans to
start a Chinese language program. We are building
partnerships with three schools (Beachwood, Beavercreek and
Metro High Schools) in the 2007-08 school year to create
pilot programs in Ohio, and then expanding to more schools
in the following years. Ultimately, we want to see more Ohio
students to be proficient in Chinese language and
knowledgeable about Chinese culture. This will not only
broaden our students’ career possibilities and benefit
Ohio’s economy, but also improve our national security and
international relations.
For more information about the OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship
Program, please visit http://k12chineseflagship.osu.edu or
contact Kun Shi at shi.7@osu.edu.
The Development of K-12 Chinese Programs in Ohio
(Data: OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program) |
