Change is in the air for Chinese language tests and exams in Singapore's schools

to cater to a growing group of students from predominantly English-speaking homes.

In this article how best to teach Chinese to children is debated. Is dual immersion the answer? And how to you adapt your instructional strategy /pedagogy as children get older?

Politicians Ed Balls and David Laws debate introduction of compulsory language lessons for 7-11 (KS2)....

Ministers have already announced the introduction of compulsory language lessons for seven- to 11-year-olds in 2011 to stimulate interest in the subject from a young age.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "Introducing compulsory languages teaching in primary schools will instil a love of language learning in young children and help to encourage them to continue studying it as they move up through school and beyond.

In line with Bamboo's development of a Scheme of Work in Mandarin Chinese for KS2..

Ed Balls will announce that pupils aged seven onwards will be able to learn languages including Mandarin and Arabic to meet the challenges of a globalised world. Officials cited CBI surveys showing that 52% of employers looking for language skills now want people with French, 43% with German and 38% with Mandarin/Cantonese. They said Labour was keen to prepare the next generation of workers for the new global economy.

Balls said yesterday: "In this new decade, our ties with emerging economies like China will become even more important and it's vital that young people are equipped with the skills they need. That's why we want all secondary pupils to have the opportunity to learn Mandarin if they choose, either at their own school or a nearby school or college."

In line with Bamboo's development of a Scheme of Work in Mandarin Chinese for KS2..

Ed Balls will announce that pupils aged seven onwards will be able to learn languages including Mandarin and Arabic to meet the challenges of a globalised world. Officials cited CBI surveys showing that 52% of employers looking for language skills now want people with French, 43% with German and 38% with Mandarin/Cantonese. They said Labour was keen to prepare the next generation of workers for the new global economy.

Balls said yesterday: "In this new decade, our ties with emerging economies like China will become even more important and it's vital that young people are equipped with the skills they need. That's why we want all secondary pupils to have the opportunity to learn Mandarin if they choose, either at their own school or a nearby school or college."

The family tree of Confucius is revealed to celebrate the continuation of Chinese history into moderm times.

The revival of China's love-affair with the ideas of Confucius has taken another significant step forward after 1,000 members of China's most powerful aristocratic clan unveiled the first complete edition of their family tree for more than 70 years.

James Hung, grandson of the clan elder studies Mandarin and Confucius analects with Bamboo teachers Xian hua Long and Wang Fei.

Heartlands High school and nearby primary schools Chinese workshops are a great idea

Workshops for children learning Mandarin Chinese can be highly innovative. Taking children out of the classroom to a local Chinese restaurant to learn about fresh ingredients, what makes a balanced Chinese diet and to get some hand-on experience works.

Dorian Chan lead the initiative and is looking to go national with the concept.

USA based 2009 teaching conference reveals...

how Chinese is becoming mainstream in schools. School visits to Chicago schools, music, ealy language learning workshops, supply of Chinese teachers - it was all covered and more. Use the link to find out more.

Mandarin Chinese grows in Primary schools

Mandarin lessons

PUPILS at a Caversham school are learning Mandarin after school.

Teacher Anna Zhenping Yu Hurst was invited to teach the classes at Micklands Primary School after returning from a family trip to her home province of Quzhou in October.

Mrs Zhenping Yu Hurst, whose son Oliver, eight, attends Micklands, took photographs to show pupils.

Her classes cover basic language and expressions, Mandarin characters and traditional Chinese songs and stories.

Mrs Zhenping Yu Hurst, who lives in Reading, said: “The children are very keen to learn about Chinese culture. I am teaching eight classes to start with and this may be extended if the level of interest continues.”

The point is, whether we like it or not, China is incredibly important to the future of mankind.

I think you'll find that in 10 years, a lot of children will learn Mandarin in school.

It's a very difference place China - the sun rises on a different day, and the culture is extremely old. In a way we're very unaware of it in the West, even though we're very aware of it.

We felt connected to it (ed China), and how it revealed itself to me was sort of up in the mountains; the semi-automonous regions to the south where the Dong and the Mao people live; in teh traffic, in teh gree tea, in the extraordinary landscapes, the foold, the insane neon, the industry - the crazy crazy industry.

... the pentatonic scale, and that in a way is why it (Journey to the West) works....

29 January 2009 Pitchfork - interview by Scott Plagenhoef

Praise for pre-school Chinese programme one year on, but the non-interactive approach is questioned.

Animation Insider worries about the pedagogy of Ni Hao Kai Lan. January 26 2009

Although Ni Hao, Kai-lan still has a tendency to feature characters who speak fluently in Chinese yet whose dialogue remains entirely untranslated, but only on occasion, the terminology that is translated ties well into the episode's central story. At first I thought this balance was a breakthrough in preschool television, refusing to baby its viewers and allowing them connect the dots on their own; but I'm starting to wonder if there's a limit to what you can offer a viewer to take in on his own, before he simply shuts out any information he deems as partially incomprehensible. Ni Hao, Kai-lan does a good job in blending the everyday with the multicultural, but the series frequently puts itself at risk of being too good for itself. The risk isn't always necessary, but when it is, children's television is usually better off for it.