Mandarin Chinese Language Learning Strategies For Bodily-Kinesthetic Learners

Learning the Chinese language can be difficult, so it is important that you develop a proper learning strategy before diving into your studies. Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences is a great theory to reference when developing your learning strategy. The theory states that there are seven distinct types of learners, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical. This article will focus on learning strategies for bodily-kinesthetic learners.

What Are Bodily-Kinesthetic Learners

Bodily-kinesthetic learners are people who are very in touch with their bodies. They are good with their hands, and they enjoy using movement, making things, and touching objects. They can be found in a range of professions, from dancers to surgeons. These are the type of people who tend to communicate as much with their body language as they do through spoken words. If you are one of these learners you will learn well through physical activity, role-playing, acting, and many other types of hands-on learning. You should incorporate physical objects and tools into your learning strategy.

Learning Strategy 1

If you are a bodily-kinesthetic learner, you need to get your hands on real objects, so, when learning basic vocabulary words, do just that. For example, if you want to learn the names of basic kitchen items, start collecting those items and using them as study tools. Instead of using flash cards to memorize, for example, the names of eating utensils, get real knives and forks and chopsticks and put them into a box. Memorize their names by reaching into the box, pulling out an item and reciting its name in Chinese.

Learning Strategy 2

Role playing is a powerful tool for anyone learning a foreign language. It is especially powerful, though, for bodily-kinesthetic learners. If you are one of these learners, you need to find a partner ASAP. There is an unending supply of role-playing activities when learning Chinese. For example, you can act like you're in a restaurant, a travel agency, or a hotel. You can ask each other for directions or have mock business meetings. You can even spend an entire day together acting like tourists or tour guides, or anything else you like. The important thing is to communicate as much as possible using Chinese.

Learning Strategy 3

If you are a bodily-kinesthetic learner, you are good at acting out, which means you most likely deliver passionate speeches. You may or may not be a great speech writer, but that's not important here. What's important is the delivery. So, what you can do is go online and search for famous speeches that have been translated into Chinese (there are lots of them). Memorize the speeches and then deliver them to your friends and family members.

Learning Strategy 4

Building things is a powerful way for bodily-kinesthetic learners to remember things. How can this help you learn a language? Well, say you want to learn how to discuss family in your target language. You can actually build a family tree. It doesn't have to be too sophisticated or time consuming. You can use paper and other objects, or just draw a picture. It's the act of creating something with your hands that will help you learn.

Summary

If you are a bodily-kinesthetic learner, you need to be active. Don't just sit at a desk and memorize vocabulary words. If you do, you will become bored and lose interest in your studies. Instead, collect physical objects and use them as study tools. Be sure you stay active, building, creating and performing as you learn.

How To Learn Chinese: Language Learning Strategies For Linguistic Learners

Chinese Language Learning Strategies For Intrapersonal Learners

Ways to Improve Adult ESL Learners' Pronunciation Skills

One of the most difficult and trickiest areas for language educators to teach and ESL (English as a second language) learners to acquire is that of pronunciation. ESL students new to the States, know the importance of speaking communication yet often their accents get in the way of correct pronunciation and as a result, have an even more difficult time being understood.

Today's current focus on communicative approaches to ESL instruction and the increasing emphasis on oral communication skills and teamwork are renewing interest in the role that pronunciation plays in adults' overall communicative competence.

Incorporating Pronunciation in Instruction

Celce-Murcia, Brinton, & Goodwin (1996) introduced a curriculum that supports a communicative and cognitive approach to teaching pronunciation. It takes into account features of North American pronunciation and the sound system and builds effective pronunciation lessons and activities.

Teachers who teach pronunciation need to build their lessons on targeted instructional pronunciation goals which include the following:

Teach the pronunciation feature which help raises learner awarenessListeners practice and listen for recognizing the targeted featureProvide guided practice and feedback based on structured communication exercisesProvide communicative practice and feedback on specific pronunciation instruction

A lesson on word stress, based on these instructional goals, could include the following information:

1. The teacher presents a list of targeted vocabulary items from the current lesson, employing both correct and incorrect word stress. In order for English learners living outside English speaking countries to listen to a native speaker's speech, teachers can run Panopreter text to speech software ( http://www.panopreter.com ) on their Windows 7 or Vista desktops or laptops, then Microsoft Anna will read out any English text clearly at various speed This is a good opportunity to introduce the concept of word stress and model it again and again. modeled.

2. Microsoft Anna can help learners listen for and identify stressed syllables, using sequences of nonsense syllables of varying lengths (e.g., da-DA,da-da-DA-da).

3. Learners go back to the list of vocabulary items from step one and, together, they show the right stress pattern by tapping out the stressed syllabus with a pen or on their laps. They can also clap the stress patterns. Teachers can also add new words to sustain continued practice, if relevant.

4. Pair work - Learners take turns reading a scripted dialogue where most of the words are understood in terms of meaning. As one learner speaks, the other indicates the stress arrangement on a printed copy. This is a good opportunity to provide feedback on the discrimination of sounds.

Teaching pronunciation is probably one of the areas that language teachers least enjoy addressing in the language classroom. But with up to date software for teaching pronunciation and guided interactive practice, learners can acquire pronunciation in a more user-friendly and communicative way.

Works Cited

Celce-Murcia. M., Brinton, D., & Goodwin, J. (1996). Teaching pronunciation: Reference for teachers of English to speakers of other languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Teaching ESL teachers the basics of accuracy and fluency in ESL instruction is only part of a presentation regularly offered by Dorit Sasson as part of her in-service training programs for teachers of English language learners. For more information about speaking engagements and in-service, contact Dorit Sasson at sassondorit@gmail.com or visit the Teachers' Diversity Coach, at http://www.doritsasson.com/ and click on the "speaking" page.

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