Organisation: Haileybury
Job Title: Languages Teacher (Chinese Mandarin)
Word Limit: 500 words per criteria
Location: Melbourne
A sound understanding of current junior and middle years teaching and learning theory and
practice including the place of a thinking curriculum within a structured learning program
Having completed a Masters of Teaching at the University of South Australia, and since gained
over six years of experience in the classroom, including my current role as Head of Chinese at
Balwyn High School, I have consistently demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the current
junior and middle years teaching and learning theory and practice. I maintain currency through
regular professional development, which is then applied to my teaching practice and classroom
methods. My experience includes teaching years 2 and 3, and years 6 to 12 Chinese Language to
students from a range of backgrounds, including first language, background learners and
beginners.
Whilst working with years 2 and 3 students at Mary MacKillop Memorial Primary School I focused
on the speaking element of the language, whilst incorporating a range of games and artistic
expression through art, dance and music to engage students in the learning process. As a result,
students enjoyed interacting with each other utilising the Chinese language skills they had
developed throughout the year.
With older students I implement enquiry based learning to inspire and engage students through
the learning process. One specific example of this was when I was teaching students to answer a
question in Chinese. I wrote the question in both Chinese and English on the board and asked
students to compare the two, identifying what was the same or different, and particularly
considering the word order. In this way students were not just being taught an outline of Chinese
grammatical structure, but developing a deep understanding through enquiry and intentionally
thinking about how it compared with what they already knew. I then followed the same process
with the students in constructing an answer to the question.
In ensuring my teaching practice maintains alignment with current educational theory, I am
committed to continuous improvement. When I began in my current role at Balwyn High School I
observed that the approach to the implementation of the Chinese curriculum was less than
optimal. I took the initiative to rewrite the program for Years 9 Pathway 1, Year 11 first language
and Year 12 second language advanced in order to better engage students in their Chinese
language learning, and provide a more effective approach which catered to differing learning
styles. I divided my program into four parts. These were key intercultural concepts, key language
concepts (grammar), key interaction (listening and speaking), and key assessments. Students
commenced the program by gaining an age-appropriate insight into the influence of culture on
their own life, which enabled them to rationally discuss and contrast their own culture to that of
Chinese speaking countries. Students had the opportunity to realise the similarities as well as the
differences, and develop an awareness of the connection between language and culture. This laid
the foundations for grammatical, verbal and auditory learning, and gave context to the next
phases of student development within their Chinese language course.
An ability to respond to the differing needs, interests and talents of all students especially in
relation to gender differences
During the last six years teaching Chinese language I have gained experience teaching students
from diverse backgrounds, in both the single-sex and co-educational classroom. This experience
has developed a strong understanding of the individual needs of students, as well as more general
differences, such as gender. These differences are particularly evident in preferred learning styles,
and understanding both the general and individual differences within my classroom plays a key
role in informing my teaching strategy for that particular class. Specifically, while I’ve found girls
generally respond very well to artistically driven activities, such as dance, music and art, boys need
much more hands-on activities, as well as very specific, clear instructions. I further take the
opportunity to get to know my particular class at the beginning of each year through a survey. In
this survey I ask students what topics they would like to cover, how they would prefer to learn,
what they find interesting and what they would like to improve the most this year (writing,
speaking or listening). I utilise this understanding to provide differentiated learning to cater to
these varied needs, facilitating each student experiencing success and continuing to make
progress in their learning of the Chinese language.
I utilise a range of listening, observational and hands on activities to immerse students in the
Chinese language, and to give all students access to effective, enjoyable learning. My Year 12
students, for example, completed a unit on the Taiwanese election. This saw them utilise a variety
of sources including articles, films, documentaries, blogs and a Taiwanese political debate to
conduct research into and analyse the two main parties, their histories and their supporters. This
enabled my students to think critically about the Chinese system of government and present on
their thoughts, and we engaged in significant in-class discussion about the topic. I utilised a variety
of assessments, including writing a letter in Chinese to a student with whom they imagined they
were about to exchange places with in a student exchange program, preparing and delivering an
analytical oral presentation on Chinese family life, including being able to confidently answer
questions following their speech, and conducting several in-depth studies on aspects of Chinese
culture that interested them. The variety of in-class and assessment tasks engaged all the senses
of my students and enabled them to gain a deeper insight into Chinese culture, language and life.
My planning and implementation of the Chinese language curriculum at Balwyn High School is an
indication of my skills in developing, implementing and evaluating curriculum driven,
differentiated programs to achieve positive student outcomes.
In addition to this, I have experience working with students with physical, intellectual and
behavioural disabilities and providing learning opportunities in line with their individual learning
plans, creating an inclusive classroom environment and adjusting assessment tasks to be
accessible to the individual student.
Ability to use the Zhuyin (bopomofo) phonetic notation system comfortably or demonstrate a
willingness to acquire the system with the expectation of incorporating it strategically in the
Junior School curriculum
As a native Chinese speaker, with primary and secondary school completed in China, I am highly
skilled in the fluent writing of Chinese characters. In terms of phonetic notation systems, although
I have had limited experience with Zhuyin, I have fluency in Pinyin, and as a result I am confident
of my ability to acquire the Zhuyin phonetic notation system quickly.
Having taught Chinese language at junior, middle and senior years of schooling, and with a strong
Chinese heritage, I am acutely aware of the way the spoken and written language is inextricably
linked to culture. I have found that to effectively teach a holistic understanding of Chinese
language, even in the junior school curriculum, the use of a phonetic notation system is helpful to
make the written language accessible, particularly to non-background learners.
In my experience teaching year 2 and 3 students at Mary MacKillop Memorial Primary School, I
began teaching students through speaking and listening, allowing them to develop an aural
understanding of the language before introducing the more complex character system of the
Chinese language. Pinyin utilises English letters with tones, which is much more easily accessible to
students. I have utilised this to assist student in learning the correct pronunciation of new words,
and to observe word and sentence patterns before beginning to introduce characters to them.
This results in greater confidence in the speaking and listening element of the language, which
facilitates a greater enjoyment and engagement in the learning of the language.
With this experience in strategically utilising Pinyin in the junior school curriculum to enhance
learning, I am confident in my ability to acquire the Zhuyin phonetic notation system, and am
committed to incorporating Chinese notation in the junior school curriculum as I see it as a
valuable tool in seeing students engaged in the learning process and experiencing success.
A sound understanding of the Australian Curriculum for Chinese – Second Language Learner
Pathway
In my current role as Head of Chinese at Balwyn High School I have been integral to ensuring the
school curriculum is in alignment with Australian Curriculum standards. With the Australian
Curriculum for Chinese due to be implemented next year, I have been working toward designing
assessment and rubrics for first language learners, revival language learners and second language
learners through an in depth understanding of the Australian Curriculum documents. I have taken
the current curriculum, compared it to the new national standards, and then sought to identify
any areas where the current curriculum was not meeting the new standards. With this
information, I worked backward from the rubrics to develop appropriate assessment tasks that
ensured all strands and sub-strands were appropriately demonstrated, and then developed a
learning program that facilitated these assessments, whilst engaging students in the joy of
learning the Chinese language.
When planning learning programs, particularly for second language learners, I always underpin my
lessons with an intercultural perspective, in line with both the latest Victorian Essential Learning
Standards (AusVELS) and the Principles of Learning and Teaching. This allows students to gain an
insight into and reflect upon their own culture, alongside their learning about the way of life and
cultural aspects of Chinese speaking countries. My programs focus on achieving steady student
progress through the use of language for every day communication purposes, which engages my
pupils and piques their curiosity, since they can see an application for their learning and embrace
the value of the skills of being bi-lingual.
In ensuring my approach at both the planning level and in the classroom respects the
interconnectedness of language and culture, I am supporting the Australian Curriculum strands of
communicating and understanding, and their appropriate sub-strands. I have developed a
program whereby students are focused, not just on the technical language learning, but on
developing a deep understanding of the culture and language in use as I see these as inextricably
linked.
As Head of Chinese, I am currently working with the team of Chinese Teachers to facilitate a
smooth transition to the Australian Curriculum within Balwyn High School. I am confident this
experience has established a strong understanding of the new curriculum standards and their
application in the classroom, and I am committed to continuing to make valuable contribution to
the development of curriculum in line with current overarching policy and curriculum documents.
A key aspect of my professional teaching philosophy revolves around my commitment to my
development as a Teacher in order to continually provide best practice, as well as highly
challenging and engaging teaching and learning approaches to my students. I pride myself on my
commitment to regularly update my knowledge of Chinese teaching, both in regards to keeping
abreast of changes to the Australian National Curriculum requirements, and through attending
and participating in all professional development opportunities and workshops.
Appreciation for Chinese Mandarin as a lingua franca in the Sinosphere and the implications for
teaching non-background speakers
Having been born and raised in China, I have a keen appreciation for the Chinese Mandarin
language and its influence throughout surrounding Asian countries in particular. I understand the
fact that this means there are some varying dialects of the Chinese language, and seek to give my
students a strong understanding of the language in the form it is most used in China. Having come
to Australia to teach, my aim is to promote China as a country and the Chinese language. This is
best achieved when I am teaching non-background speakers with an intercultural approach. The
students’ understanding of the language is established in their understanding of the cultural
significance of it, and aspects of culture that are different to their own. For example, when I a
teaching non-background students about the date, I do not simply teach them the names of the
months and days in Chinese. I utilise this opportunity to introduce them to the Chinese lunar
calendar, zodiac animals, and explain why the Chinese New Year is when it is.
My experience in effectively teaching Chinese to a diverse range of students, including first
language speakers and non-background speakers, from junior school through to senior, including
the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), has shown my ability to effectively show my
appreciation for Chinese Mandarin as a lingua franca in the Sinosphere, as well as developing an
appreciation in my students for the role Chinese Mandarin plays in the broader Asian landscape,
the importance of the language, and the diversity of it throughout Asia. My promotion to Head of
Chinese at Balwyn High School is the result of my effectiveness in this.
