Exploring Chinese Dining Culture through Language Learning

1321 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Different eating habits between China

Links to QCAA Senior Syllabus Guidelines
The topic of four texts for senior secondary students with advanced or upper intermediate language level of Chinese is about dining in a Chinese restaurant. It is under one of four prescribed themes ‘Leisure, recreation and human creativity’ in the Chinese Senior Syllabus required by QCAA (2008). The unit mainly focuses on introducing Chinese food culture and dining etiquette. Through learning of this unit, apart from mastering linguistic features in both spoken and written language and improving receptive and productive communication capabilities, students can enhance their inter-culture knowledge and competence and effective communicative skills required by the QCAA Senior Syllabus (refer to the Syllabus).
Authentic Texts for Four Macro Skills
In recent decades, much attention is paid to advocating text authenticity in language teaching. For more advanced language learners, authentic materials could be effectively used to challenge learners’ intelligence and language proficiency. Morrow (1977, p. 13) claims that “An authentic text is a stretch of real language, produced by a real speaker or writer for a real audience and designed to convey a real message of some sort”. Apparently, apart from pragmatic function for communication, authentic materials also provide "real life" linguistic input as well as authentic cultural information of the target language for L2 (i.e., second language) students to comprehend in the real life. Gilmore (2007) asserts that authentic texts can motivate language learners and stimulate their interests. Considering the benefit of authentic texts, Language other than English (LOTE) teachers need incorporate authentic materials into the target language teaching. T...

... middle of paper ...

... be taught in the pre0teaching activity because strategies such as guessing meaning from the context is still encouraged in L2 learning.
In summary, I believe that these texts I selected are very attractive, accessible and appropriate, thereby, they can stimulate discussion about the topic and motivate student learning. By decoding what they hear and observe from the speech and non-verbal language and what they read from the text structure, students can learn to match these with what they know of the language and finally comprehend the meaning of the words and phrases within the authentic cultural context. As a result, they can further apply the new knowledge to solve problems in real situations, for example, ordering food in a Chinese restaurant. Meanwhile, students’ communication and comprehension capability can improve with increased exposure to authentic texts.

Show More
Related

  • Panda Express Research Paper

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people all over the United States identify Panda Express as not only authentic but also the best Chinese food they have ever had. However, it is initially important to understand that Panda Express is not real Chinese food and incomparable to cuisines found in China. By exploring the impact of American culture and its’ effects on Chinese food in America, it will shine light on Panda Express’ authenticity. The importance of this research lies in clarifying the false perception people have about Panda Express. It will elucidate how American culture influences a Chinese restaurant to acclimate and cater to

    Read More

  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fegar, Mary-Virginia. “I Want to Read: How Culturally Relevant Texts Increase Student Engagement in Reading.” Multicultural Education, 13:3 (Spring 2006): 18-19. [E Journal]

    Read More

  • Chinese and American Cultures

    4366 Words  | 9 Pages

    Chinese-Americans authors Amy Tan and Gish Jen have both grappled with the idea of mixed identity in America. For them, a generational problem develops over time, and cultural displacement occurs as family lines expand. While this is not the problem in and of itself, indeed, it is natural for current culture to gain foothold over distant culture, it serves as the backdrop for the disorientation that occurs between generations. In their novels, Tan and Jen pinpoint the cause of this unbalance in the active dismissal of Chinese mothers by their Chinese-American children.

    Read More

  • Inauthentic Chinese Food

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    On one side, menu items of Chinese restaurants change a lot when the Chinese immigrants came to the United States. For instance, authentic Chinese restaurants does not have General Tso’s Chicken and fortune cookies. The dish of General Tso’s Chicken is originally from America. Since the General Tso’s chicken has a same name with a famous Chinese statesman in the last century. Most people think it is authentic Chinese food. But actually, it is inauthentic Chinese food. There is a joke of this disk. That is even Zongtang Zuo does not eat General Tso’s chicken because of the dish of name is from Zongtang Zuo (“The Strange Tale”). The other is fortune cookies. People do not eat fortune cookies after they finish all dishes in China because there are cultural differences. In China, the Chinese restaurants has not a traditional culture which eats fortune cookies after finish eating all dishes. Also, the cold water does not exist at the dinner table in China. Hot water is almost always served (Xiaoyu Yan). But, the cold water absolutely appeared in the Chinese restaurants in the United States. Even the authentic menu items do not include either fortune cookies or General Tso’s Chicken. On the other side, Chow Mein is a traditional Chinese food. But, the chef changes the cooking process of Chow Mein in the United States. The reason is the owner of restaurant wants to adapt

    Read More

  • Recognized Futures By Lisa Suhair Majaj

    472 Words  | 1 Pages

    Using their home language, English, or both languages, students are to write brief sentences describing the pictures which show what their favorite parts of both cultures are, and why. When they are finished, students are

    Read More

  • English Language Learners Essay

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    The purpose of this assignment is to explain the impact of English language learners in the classroom. As a foreign student, English language learner in the United States faces multiple challenges for achieving academic success. To successfully complete a task, they need to master both English as a language and how it is used in core content classes especially when they are an adult. When trying to assist in instructing English language learners, they usually have many concepts and language abilities that they need to master, as do the teachers that are trying to teach them. With the incorporation of the concepts and approaches to identify and assess the issues and concerns that we have learned in our classroom instruction, such as lesson preparation,

    Read More

  • Susan Sparks's Guilt Free Tutoring

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    Myers, discusses the purposes of this article by saying, "I want to show (…) that it is indeed the "linguistic" component (vocabulary and syntax) that ESL students as much or more than what is considered the "writing" (rhetorical0 component that ESL need most, and that their "errors" are persistent evidence of normal second-language learning and processing" (Myers 52). Myers believes that tutors should be cultural informants, similarly to "Guilt-Free Tutoring." She believes that being a cultural informant is more than just the structure of a society, but also the "way that a language determines, subordinates, complements, coordinates, pluralizes, counts, modalizes, interrogates, and lexicalizes"(Myers 55). She goes on to say that “writing tutors need to acknowledge and respond to the central role of lexis in language learning” (Myers 65). From reading the article, Myers opinion seems to be that tutors need to realize that ESL/EFL students are not on the same level of writing as native speakers especially when it comes to the lexical part of the English language so they need to be taught in a different way. Some tutors might think of her teaching method as unethical, but this only so with native speakers who knows the language better than ESL

    Read More

  • Differentiated Instruction: A Teaching Theory

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...o provide read alouds that talk about that country’s culture, or have a guided reading book that does the same thing.

    Read More

  • Essay On Authenticity In Chinese Food

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to keep a restaurant open, we must minimize the labor, the material cost, and the cost for food to be served. And also they restaurant need to make the food appealing to customers. And importance in Lu and dines American use vegetables such as carrot, snow pea, green paper, broccoli, and mushroom but in Chinese food the use fresh bamboo, hotbed chives, garlic bolts, and wax which is difficult to obtain (541). The use of the ingredient in and the cost of the ingredient is very important to keep a restaurant survive. So in order to keep the restaurant functioning the food has to be made to favor American

    Read More

  • The Use of Critical Literacy in the Classroom

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Chinese EFL literacy classrooms, students have many chances to read texts which are not related to their own social lives. How to understand and evaluate such texts? Jones (1990) suggests a diagram for us to follow. In the diagram, the writer’s context leads to his ways of writing, and his writing process results in the text. On the reader’s part, the reader’s context leads to his ways of reading, and this reading process also aims at the text. In order to fully understand the text, both writers and readers need to consider about each others’ context. If...

    Read More

  • Reflection On Collaboration And Communication Action Plan

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    In taking the assessment she can learn about the attitudes she may have in order to begin to value the culture of others, understand John’s strengths and weaknesses and help him maximize his potential, while creating a nurturing environment for all her students regardless of culture (Obiakor, 2007). She can also start making changes to curriculum and classroom activities so that they are geared toward inclusion of every student in her class. For example, she can include literature from various cultures for the students to read and create activities that help them explore not only their own culture, but the culture of the authors and other in the class. She can incorporate poems and poetry, skits and role plays, in classroom activities. She can have community representatives from other cultures visit her class to address various subjects related to information studied in their literature. She can also have students share with each other aspects of their culture by assigning classroom presentations and work as

    Read More

  • Pros and Cons of Using L1 in the Classroom

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the twentieth century, the avoidance of the using L1 in classrooms dominated teachers’ minds; as well it was implemented in many policies and guidelines of language teaching (Cook, 2001). Thornbury (2010) listed a set of arguments against using L1 in L2 classrooms mainly for that the translation of L2 into another language will play negative effects on students’ learning process. He pointed out that the use of L1 will result learners to have a cognitive dependence on their mother tongue at the expense of developing independence TL learning. Although the two language systems are not equivalent in many aspects, students may have an awareness of the notion of equivalence of the two languages if translation serves to convey meanings. Some argue that the use of translation to convey the meaning of the TL is more efficient and more memorable. However, Thornbury (2010) sees the opposite. He stated that the simple and direct way of translation will make L2 knowledge less memorable since the process lacks mental efforts in working out meanings.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Reading In Foreign Language

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    For Foreign language learners, reading is a crucial skill that can improve their language especially with literary works, which have different intentions, styles, and special use of techniques and devices. The process of reading can occur easily if the text carries the same culture values ,customs or beliefs of the reader. In contrast, the reader may encounter some difficulties in comprehending this kind of text when the writer has a different culture “this lack of common cultural schema between writers and readers is likely to cause varying degrees of misunderstandings or misperceptions in cross-cultural communication” (Carrell & Eisterhold, 1983; Boxer, 2002). For this reason students have to get engaged more in those cultures. Thus, schemata

    Read More

  • Social Psychology Reflection Paper

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Culture is a powerful influence plays a big role in our interactions. Culture may also impact parenting style and a developing child. Having a strong sense of their own cultural history and the traditions associated with it helps children build a positive cultural identity for themselves. This also supports children’s sense of belonging and, by extension, their mental health and wellbeing. This class is crucial in understanding and working well parents, staff, and children. An effective educator understands how students’ cultures affect their perceptions, self-esteem, values, classroom behavior, and learning. As director, I need to use that understanding to help my students and staff feel welcomed, affirmed, respected, and valued. One way that I can do this is by using multicultural literature, especially children’s literature, to honor students’ culture and foster cross-cultural understanding. If cultural differences are not understood by teachers and management, it can lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings on both sides. It will be my job to do all I can to overcome both language and cultural differences to ensure a positive learning environment for

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Critical Literacy

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whilst critical literacy skills are absolutely necessary in a holistic approach to learning in the 21st Century (MCEETYA, 2008), and considering the current global shift in seemingly focusing on the betterment of the immediate society rather than a global society, it would seem more prudent to encourage students into critically assessing the text presented to them. However, as this shift also suggests, a rapid progression for a more united, global society, and by extension a more intense modification of literacy education, and the education establishment itself, may require much more time, discretion and subtlety than a drastic shift of the traditional model (Bolstad et al., 2012). A more socially and politically charged approach to literacy learning may also deter from the practical skills and mere enjoyment of students learning literacy. The whole language model allows for students to choose subjects and ideas that interest them (Rose, 2016), without purposefully pushing the agenda of critical thinking. As it is a set of beliefs rather than a set method of teaching, there is also no specific way to apply the whole language model to a classroom debated (Seely Flint et al., 2014), thus critical analysis of text may still be touched on. For example, a lesson may entail reading an illustrated storybook, and students may be asked to write or say what they had gleaned from the story and how the images helped with the narration of the story. The lesson allows for an analysis of the story and a deeper reflection of the author’s intention without eliminating an appreciation of the story. As understanding language is central to the learning and development of students (ACARA, n.d.), the ability to enjoy learning literacy so as to engage and entice students’ interest in English is paramount in a 21st

    Read More

More about Exploring Chinese Dining Culture through Language Learning

Open Document