Classroom Management and Student Motivation in the Chinese Language Classroom (I10) Speakers: Chris Livaccari, Wei-ling Wu

1. Classroom Management and Student Motivation in the Chinese Language Classroom Wei-ling Wu , Ph.D. National Chinese Language Conference Washington D.C. April 23, 2010

2. Motivation is, without question, the most complex and challenging issue facing teachers today. (Scheidecker and Freeman 1999:116)

3. Motivation is one of the key issues in language learning and skills to motivate learners are crucial for language teachers.

4. There are no magic motivational buttons that can be pushed to “make” people want to learn, work hard, and act in a responsible manner. (Ford 1992:202). How do we motivate students? The motivating process is usually a long-term one, built “one grain of trust and caring at a time.” (Schei-Decker and Freeman 1999:126). Human behavior is complex, and there are many diverse ways of promoting it.

5. 1. Binding the Students into “Social Units” Pair Groups partners / group members Motivational Tools Social Units

6. In social psychology, the “group” is a social unit that exerts a powerful influence on its members’ behavior.

7. 2 . Encouraging Inquiry in Learning Problems: Too difficult Not exciting How to design inquiry learning tasks and make them work?

8. Spiral Inquiry Learning Assessment Activities Assessment S-Research T–Expand S–Present T-Teach T –Expand & teach more … S –Present & t each other Ss S –Research & expand learning T –Teach basic language items

10. 5 . Connect Learning with the Real World A Video clip

11. 6. Being a Motivating Teacher Teacher skills in motivating learners should be seen as central to teaching effectiveness.

12. What did my students say? When the class is fun and interactive, students want to participate more. When a teacher is enthusiastic and patient, everything is enjoyable for everyone. ---Isi Lesson Plans Teacher Behaviors Almost everything a teacher does in the classroom has a motivational influence on students.