Real benefits of Chinese Immersive Learning in Second Life by Mayia Seesaw / Bingxin Chi A SLanguages 2009 Presentation

1. 3j Chinese School, one of the representatives of in-world
language instruction institution, merges in Second Life in
2007, and provides Chinese Courses for all the non-
native speakers of the Chinese language (Chinese
Mandarin) in the world.

2. Distinguished Features of 3jSchool
• It is practical
• It is systematic
• It is flexible

3. It is practical
3j Chinese School provides the most practical training courses
of Chinese Mandarin. Our school creates an authentic
environment as if you were in China when you go to the
location of our school in Second Life. This environment
includes most of the situations where most common daily
conversations will happen. The Chinese we teach in a
communicative way is the Chinese you can use right after you
arrive in China. The class will be taught in English and Chinese
by a live teacher who is experienced in teaching Chinese as a
foreign language and is competent and friendly in cross-culture
communication.

4. It is systematic
When designing the course, we take not only practicability but
also the laws of the language itself and the rules of the
progress in learning this language as a foreign language into
consideration. We try to lead you step by step into this
language system so that you won’t feel overwhelmed. Basing
on the general and fundamental lesson plans, we tailor the
class according to your progress and your needs. In addition to
the synchronous class meeting, you can also find the
asynchronous learning sources in 3j Chinese School. They will
be on-line learning games, visual and aural supports and “take-
home” textures for reviewing, etc. You will learn better in this
“learning by doing” system.

5. It is flexible
You can come to 3j Chinese School anywhere and anytime as long as
you can access Second Life no matter where you are in the real life.
The time schedule of our class is flexible because we offer the same
class in different time so that we can maximize your opportunities to
come to every class. In addition, we offer the notes of the classes;
therefore, even if you happen to miss a class, you can still keep the
consistency of your learning and can catch up quickly and easily. In
addition, we will create a learning forum. If you have any questions,
you are very welcome to post them and everybody can help. We
always expect good communication between the instructor and the
students, and among the students.

6. Co urs e s o f 3 j Sc ho o l
• Beginning Level Course
• Intermediate Level Course
• Advanced Level Course

7. Beginning Level Course
1. Learning materials are designed by professional teachers
who teach Chinese as foreign language to non-Chinese
native speakers in the real life, and are tailored to be
practical for authentic communication.
2. Lessons will be taught by the teachers who design the
course. The same lessons in different time slots are offered
to maximize the possibility for people from different time
zone to attend the class.
3. The registered students will have the privilege to
download and use all the study materials provided by 3
Immersions Chinese School for free.
4. Well-designed and purposeful after-class exercises will be
assigned to reinforce the learning, and they will be checked
and the feedback will be provided.

8. Beginning Level Course
Target Students:
• 1. "True beginners" --- no experience of learning
Chinese before.
• 2. "False beginners" --- have some experience of
Learning Chinese before, but forget most of them.

9. Intermediate Level Course
The goal of intermediate level course:
This is an intermediate language class presuming basic fluency in
speaking and listening and focusing on reading and writing abilities. By
the end of the class students are expected to have mastered 250-350
most commonly used characters and to have the ability to read basic
Chinese texts. Students will be prepared for Advanced Modern Chinese
or the commercial track.

10. Intermediate Level Course
• The Content of the intermediate course
• 1. Enlarge the Chinese vocabulary.
2. Be farmiliar with the Chinese sentence structure
and grammar.
3. Be competent to communicate in Chinese in
different situation.
4. Analysis the writing techniques.
5. Appreciation of Chinese poetry.

11. Advanced Level Course
The advanced level of Mandarin course requires students who
• 1. Have briefly mastered the Pinyin system and the tones, can use
Pinyin and mark tones correctly
• 2. Are capable of adapting the teaching in 50% Mandarin
• 3. Have made use of 500 characters and understand their
common meaning
• 4. Have understood the basic grammar to make simple sentences
and everyday expressions
• 5. Have the fundamental knowledge of Chinese culture and
language background

12. Advanced Level Course
The target of the advanced course:
• 1. Have mastered the perfect pronunciation of Mandarin, and have some
knowledge of dialect pronunciation
• 2. Are able to read various kinds of Mandarin magazines, modern novels as
well as some simple ancient language, with the help of dictionaries
• 3. Expand the vocabulary into 1000-2000. Master 500 common characters
with the well understanding of every common meaning
• 4. To be flexible to make sentences in writing and speaking with the guide
of the correct grammar
• 5. Take a deep look of Chinese culture, in terms of China nature, history,
geography, politics, etc.

13. Advanced Level Course
Basic language courses include:
• 1. Advanced Mandarin Pronunciation and Tones
• 2. Advanced Mandarin Listening
• 3. Advanced Mandarin Reading (Magazines)
• 4. Advanced Mandarin Speaking
• 5. Advanced Mandarin Writing

14. Advanced Level Course
Applied Language Courses include:
• 1. Ancient Chinese Poetry
• 2. Modern Chinese Literature (novels, operas, films)
• 3. China History and Politics
• 4. China Geography and Custom
• 5. Business Mandarin

15. Be ne fits fo r Stude nts
• 1). People can learn native Chinese language at home without coming out
• 2). Learn Native Chinese Mandarin with professional instructors at low cost
• 3). Supplementary learning material available
• 4). Traditional Chinese-style environment for immersive learning
• 5). Flexible course selection system
• 6).Take advantage of numerous in-world resource, such residents form Chinese
community, Chinese events, Chinese group, etc..
• 7). Creative teaching methods inspire the interest of students to learn Chinese
language

16. Fe e dbac k fro m o ne s tude nt o f
inte rme diate c las s
• “First of all, thank you both for the great class. I have learned a lot!
• - I learned a lot of ancient/exotic vocabulary and the usage of Chinese
in ancient times. I didn't know that there was so a huge difference
between old and modern Chinese.
• - I got an overview about Chinese grammar and was very happy that it
is quite non-existant. Nearly everything is done with signal words, cool.
• - I learned a lot of nifty details about the Chinese language. I'm sure
Vivian was annoyed about all the questions that I asked and confused
her ;-) .
• - I liked the old stories and tales that we used. They gave a good
impression of the Chinese culture and history.
• - Great vocabulary list with useful words. ”

17. Expe rie nc e Sharing
• To maximize the opportunities of Chinese lovers to learn and practice
the Chinese
• 2). To get feedback from the instructors and students so as to improve
the course instruction.
• 3). To find a balance between Chinese basic skills training and applied
knowledge instruction
• 4).Supplementary activities are well-designed to facilitate the
application of the language, including task-based activities, 3D learning
games and Chinese salon where learners can communicate with
Chinese native speakers. Activities also provide chances for the
learners to share their learning experience with each other.
• 5).We offer a platform to all Chinese lovers with a wealth of Chinese
cultural knowledge about history, art, sport, geography.
The staff at 3jschool is dedicated to serving its readers by building a
bridge for people around the world to get acquainted with China.

18. 3 jSchool We bs ite :
http:// www .3 jlife .com/ cnSchool /
In- world Location:
http:// s lurl .com/ s e condlife / le novo /211/48/4
1
Contact Us :
SL name : Mayia Se e s aw
Email: maya@3 imme rs ions .com

19. Co urs e s o f 3 j Sc ho o l
• Beginning Level Course
• Intermediate Level Course
• Advanced Level Course

20. SLanguages 2009
This presentation was given at
SLanguages 2009
The Conference for Language
Education in Virtual Worlds
slanguages.net