News on Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources (OER) herald a new era in language teaching and learning with the advent of open textbooks. The Open Educational Resources (OER) movement represents a significant shift in the way educational content is created, distributed, and utilized, especially within the context of language education.
Two OER Pressbooks are now available for free download and use, created by Miao-fen Tseng (曾妙芬) at the University of Virginia. Supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library Affordability and Equity Award, these two open-access textbooks are at the forefront of interactive and student-centered approaches, charting a path for the future of world language education. See the two OER pressbooks here: Https://pressbooks.library.virginia.edu/nehcourse (2023); https://pressbooks.library.virginia.edu/explore-chinas-traditions-and-modernity/#main (2024)
The two pioneering OER Pressbooks focus on technology-enhanced, task-based Chinese language instruction for pre-advanced learners. The first OER introduces a US-China virtual exchange program, providing students with an authentic experience and an inspiring journey through Beijing, China, as an integral part of the curriculum. The second OER thoroughly prepares students for this virtual exchange, immersing them in Chinese culture through an exploration of both traditional norms and modern practices. Each course organizes its curriculum around various types of tasks, placing them at the heart of its modules. It showcases a seamless learning process that thoughtfully links pre-tasks, core tasks, and post-tasks into a three-stage daily cycle. This spiraled and consolidated approach promotes peer interaction and facilitates genuine internalization of the material.
Unlike many OER Pressbooks in world languages, these resources stand out by offering interactivity and instant feedback. By integrating H5P and other technological tools, these resources offer immediate scoring, thus fostering self-regulated learning within an all-in-one modality for learners. The design of the OER transcends the traditional definition of an open textbook by offering a comprehensive suite of materials for teaching, learning, and assessment. All materials are readily usable both in and outside of the classroom, significantly easing preparation efforts for Chinese language educators. For further inquiries, please directly contact Miao-fen Tseng at mt3z@virginia.edu.
Authentic Chinese (I & II) and free resources are available
Authentic Chinese (Volume I) is innovative, forward-thinking, and groundbreaking. It has long been awaited by Chinese language teachers and students in the United States. The whole set of materials includes four books: 1) Textbook, 2) Workbook, 3) Task Workbook, and 4) Character Workbook. Six types of free resources are made available for teachers to save tremendous preparation time, including an interactive E-book, an interactive platform with instant scoring and feedback, teaching PPT slides, test items for assessment, Quizlet (vocabulary and sentences), and authentic materials. Offering everything that teachers and students need for a successful class, it makes learning engaging, communicative, and most essentially, authentic. With the materials at hand, teachers can prepare for each lesson at ease, walk into the classroom with full confidence, and achieve teaching objectives and goals with easy-to-use and ready-to-use materials.
Authentic Chinese stands out to be an ideal set of materials with the following eight winning features.
- Connect with learners’ daily life experience through a story line.
- Identify AP Chinese themes that embrace topics in lessons.
- Use exit tickets to assess learning objectives.
- Visualize a real China through a wide array of authentic materials.
- Strengthen reading through Reading Ladders.
- Consolidate character learning through Character Morsels and Challenge.
- Deepen understanding of China in Culture Corner.
- Complete student-centered tasks at ease.
Stay tuned for more volumes to be released soon. Please view the recorded video to learn the online presentation entitled Authentic Chinese: Teach Chinese at ease and with full confidence, given on June 8, 2023.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O4Ez7l1MgqQmDpSKI-GnXCKNidFfdJFr/view?usp=drive_link
Contact
Office
173 New Cabell Hall
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 400781
Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Charlottesville, VA 22904
University of Virginia
Email
mt3z@virginia.edu