1. Creating Engaging Teaching
Materials for 21st Century
Assessments
Carol Chen-Lin
Janice Dowd
Lucy Chu Lee
National Chinese Language Conference
April 7, 2013
Boston, MA

2. Presenters
 Carol Chen-Lin
cchenlin@choate.edu
 Janice Dowd
drjdowd@aol.com
 Lucy C. Lee
lleeclass@gmail.com

3. What impresses you about exercises
in the teaching materials?
 Please write down three things that you look
for in engaging exercises
 Share with your neighbor and decide on the
two most important criteria to use when
selecting or creating an exercise

5. What are 21st century skills?
Twenty-first Century Skills are the set
of skills students need to succeed in
learning, in work, and in life--in this
century.

6. Essential 21st Century skills

7. 21st Century skills
 Learning and Innovation Skills (4 Cs)
 communication
 collaboration
 critical thinking
 creativity
 Digital Literacy Skills
 information, media, and technology
literacy
 Life and Career Skills
 initiative and self-direction, leadership,
adaptability, and more

8. Global Awareness
Health Literacy
Environmental
Literacy
Financial,
Economic,
Business, and
Entrepreneurial
Literacy
Civic Literacy
21st Century Interdisciplinary Themes

9. 21st Century Critical Learning and
Innovation Skills
Communication and collaboration
 the ability of individuals to communicate
clearly, using oral, written, and non-
verbal languages, and collaborate
effectively and responsibly with diverse
populations

10. 21st Century Critical Learning and Innovation Skills
Communication
 Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and
nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
 Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values,
attitudes, and intentions
 Use communication for a variety of purposes (e.g., to inform, instruct,
motivate, and persuade]
 Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their
effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact
 Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-
lingual environments)

11. 中文学习目标五个C
比 较
应用
沟通
文化
贯连

12. Communication
 1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and
obtain information, express feelings and emotions,
and exchange opinions. (Interpersonal)
 1.2 Students understand and interpret written and
spoken language on a variety of topics in Chinese.
(Interpretive)
 1.3 Students present information, concepts, and
ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a
variety of topics in Chinese. (Presentational)

13. Interpersonal Mode
 Interpersonal mode tasks are two-way, spontaneous
exchanges that involve negotiation of meaning
between people
 The tasks are unrehearsed, unrefined, non-scripted
 May be based on information acquired in the
interpretive mode
 Often there is an information gap

14. Memorized material such a skit or a
dialog is not an interpersonal mode task

15. Interpretive Mode
 Comprehension of words, concepts, ideas, meaning of
entire piece
 One way → between the person and the piece
 Learners are exposed to a wide variety of culturally
authentic materials such as texts, films, works of art,
songs, poems, advertisements, music videos

16. Translation is not an Interpretive mode
task

17. Presentational Mode
 Presentational mode tasks allow learners time to
rehearse, revise, rewrite, consult sources, or otherwise
prepare ahead of time
 These tasks require learners to use the language for a
real world purpose other than display for the teacher
or classroom
 Presentational mode tasks allow learners to use
language in new and different contexts

18. Which mode is it?
1. Talk with a friend about what to do on the
weekend.
2. Watch a travel video and jot down places of
interest.
3. Prepare a poster about your favorite sport.
4. Send a letter to an e-pal.
5. Create a graphic organizer for new vocabulary.
6. Create a skit where you buy something in the
market.

19. Which mode is it?
 Talk with a friend about what to do on the weekend.
Interpersonal
 Watch a travel video and jot down places of interest.
Interpretive
 Prepare a poster about your favorite sport.
Presentational
 Send a letter to an e-pal.
Presentational

20. Which mode is it?
 Create a graphic organizer for new vocabulary.
Interpretive
 Create a skit where you buy something in the
market.
Presentational

21. Which mode is it?
 Listen for the gist.
 Have a face to face telephone conversation.
 Ask directions and listen to the response.
 Create a radio spot.
 Write a travel brochure about Xi’An.

22. Which mode is it?
 Listen for the gist.
Interpretive
 Have a face to face telephone conversation.
Interpersonal
 Ask for directions; listen to the response.
Interpretive
 Create a radio spot.
Presentational
 Write a travel brochure about Xi’An.
Presentational

23. How to examine textbooks and
teaching materials
 Choose textbooks that have engaging exercises
that practice the 5 C’s
 What to look for in the exercises in textbooks
 Evaluating textbooks—no textbook/teaching
material is perfect

24. New Jersey textbook and exercise
evaluation topics
 Organization/Format
 Content
 Teacher's Edition/Supplementary Materials
 Inclusion/Equity/Diversity Issues
 Alignment with district curriculum, state
standards, skills and assessments

25. Organization of a good textbook
 Textbook provides a useful table of contents,
glossary, and index
 Layout is consistent and chapters are
arranged logically
 Chapters contain clear and comprehensive
introductions and summaries
 Textbook contains references, bibliography,
and resources

26. Organization (2)
 Information is accurate and current
 Reading level is appropriate for age/grade
 Size and format of print is appropriate
 Format is visually appealing and interesting

27. Content that makes for engaging
exercises
 Real-life applications are given
 Information and directions are clearly
written and explained
 Activities are developmentally appropriate
 Non text content (maps, graphs, pictures)
are accurate and well integrated into the text
 Activities are interdisciplinary

28. Content (2)
 Activities apply to a diversity of student
abilities, interests, and learning styles
 Activities include guiding questions which
encourage the development of higher-level
thinking skills

29. Teacher's Edition/Supplementary
Materials
 Textbook provides a separate teacher's
edition with resource package
 Teacher's edition is comprehensive,
organized, and easy to use
 References are readily available and reflect
information on the standards

30. Teacher's Edition/Supplementary
Materials (2)
 Supplementary materials are well organized,
of high quality, and are useful in enhancing
instruction

31. Exercises align with district curriculum,
state standards, skills, and assessments
 Women and minorities are featured in
important roles
 Subject matter covers a spectrum of
accomplishments and contributions by all
genders, races, and physical conditions
 All groups are presented in broad scope
 Pronouns and descriptors of both genders are
used equally

32. Alignment with district curriculum, state
standards, skills, and assessments (2)
 Nouns, adjectives, terms, and illustrations are
non-stereotypical and non-prejudicial
 Children of both genders and various cultures
and physical conditions use the materials
without feeling excluded, estranged, or
diminished
 References and timelines feature events
throughout various parts of the world

33. Important Caveats about Textbooks
 The textbook is a guide—you do not have to
follow it word for word; choose exercises
judiciously
 The best teachers supplement the material
found in textbooks
 Teachers add to the textbook
 Teachers decide to teach some things later
 Teachers often supplement the textbook with
their own material

34. Then Now
 Learn about grammar
 Textbook as curriculum
 Teachers-presenter
 Synthetic situation from
textbook
 Students “turn in” work
 Use the language
 Thematic units/authentic
resources
 Students—doer, creator
 Personalize real world tasks
 Learners create to “share and
publish” for an audience more
than the teacher

35. Look at the following exercise

36. Exercise
What is good?
What do you like
about it? What
criteria does it
show?

37. Authentic Material
 What is authentic material?
 Why is authentic material important?
 How does it teach culture?
 What are some examples of authentic
material?

38. Authentic Material

39. Look at this exercise

40. Evaluate the exercise
 What is the purpose?
 Sometimes a drill can be helpful but
recognize that it does not further real
communication
 Exercises need a context

41. Evaluate the Content
 What is age appropriate?
 What is level
appropriate?
 What is culturally
appropriate?

42. Performance-based tasks
 Why do we want students to do
performance-based tasks?
 What do performance-based tasks show
about a student’s learning?
 How are they better than just pencil and
paper tests?

43. Presentational Performances

44. Look at this exercise
Master the following phrases

45. Evaluate the exercise?
 What is the purpose?
 Sometimes a drill can be helpful but
recognize that it does not further real
communication
 Exercises need a context

46. Writing Example
This coming Friday is your friend Mary's 17th birthday. You are trying to
order a birthday cake on line for her birthday party of 20 people. Please
fill in the blanks with Chinese.

47. Evaluate the writing example
 What are some of the good features of this
example?
 How can you modify it? What other kinds
of writing examples can you do?
 Teachers can modify exercises to make them
more engaging

48. Another exercise

49. Evaluate the exercise
 What is the purpose?
 What does it show that students can do?
 How useful is the skill that students are
practicing?

50. Compare this exercise

51. With this one

52. Compare them—is one better than the
other? Why?

53. Survey exercise

54. Evaluate a survey
 How does a survey aid communication
between students?
 What mode is it usually?
 What kind of things lend themselves to
surveys?

55. Interpretive
Students listen to an introduction from the tour guide at the Chengdu Panda
Research base
-- concerning the educational functions of the Base
-- keeping the public aware of the status of endangered species
--necessity of conservation of natural habitats
-- human conservation behavior
--essential needs of the captive collection
Learning Scenario

56.  (interpersonal mode) Students discuss in a group of 2
ways to promote awareness of saving the endangered
pandas
 (presentation mode) resulting in a brochure for panda
adoption for the students in the New Haven Chinese
Heritage School.
Learning Scenario 2

57. Questions