¶¶Òõ̽̽'s Chinese program offers an innovative language curriculum that teaches the Chinese writing system and the Chinese sound system according to their unique characteristics and intrinsic regularity. All our Chinese faculty members are native Mandarin Chinese speakers with genuine knowledge of Chinese culture and modern Chinese history. They are skilled teachers and are internationally known for their achievements in research on Chinese language pedagogy.
Students are able to learn Chinese with confidence and enjoyment in class and have opportunities to interact with their native Chinese-speaking instructors outside the classroom. The program aims to lay a solid Chinese language foundation for students, enabling them to acquire enough Chinese language skills to communicate freely with people in China or to continue to advance their Chinese language and culture studies after graduation.
Beyond the classroom
Three University of Vermont seniors completed their last few credits by teaching Mandarin to students in a Burlington elementary school. Rutland, Vt., native Ian Reilly on Wednesday taught a class the word "Mià ntiáo," (pronounced: mee-an-tee-ow) or noodles in English. He wriggled his arms in a wave-like gesture and asked the students to repeat after him. He and the other student-teachers Nicholas Palmer and Lily Kim (pictured here) taught the students six words for foods that are eaten in China including: Jiǎozi (gee-ode-zah), or dumplings, in English.
"What I find most interesting is how learning Chinese is connecting the Nepali students with their own culture," said Ying Hu, a Department of Asian Languages and Literature professor at ¶¶Òõ̽̽. Hu described how a student, after writing her Chinese name under her English name, also wrote her Nepali name, displaying all three with pride. This summer Hu is continuing the language instruction practicum anthropology professor Emily Manetta began last year.
Manetta's grant-funded pilot program made Mandarin and Japanese available last year to elementary school students at no cost to the district. The ¶¶Òõ̽̽ students improved their language proficiency through teaching and acquired a marketable skill.