Confucius classrooms a success for Chinese children

Exec Director, Tsutsui, said learning about China gives children an advantage.

“Parents realize now that to prepare their students for the future, Chinese is a really great thing to have and it sets them apart, it gives them a little leg up that they need,” he said.

Children learn about Chinese culture, the Mandarin language and Chinese songs

Learning about Chinese culture
Redditch advertiser
31st Janaury 2008

Alistair Morgan, Jack Higgins, Sky Palmer, Caitlin Cox, Charlie Blake and Lauren Coldwell with Bryonie Williams, Paul Lok and Councillor Betty Passingham.
CHILDREN at Matchborough First School have been dancing with dragons at an after-school club in time for Chinese New Year.

With funding from the Redditch Arts Council, the Redditch Chinese Association has been working with the children making a lions head, learning Mandarin and singing Chinese songs.

Bryonie Williams, foundations stage co-ordinator at the school, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for the children to participate in and experience the Chinese culture, giving them insights and understanding in our multi-cultural community."

To mark the new year, a street party will be held by the Redditch Chinese Association on Sunday, February 17 in the town that will involve Chinese food, music and dance.

..it is just as likely to be Scottish children taking part in the Chinese classes...

City youngsters learn the future's language

The undulating, rhythmic sound of children's voices belting out unfamiliar words and a distinctly oriental tune resonates through the classrooms and down the corridors of an otherwise deserted secondary school.

It is Saturday, and most of the rooms at Drummond Community High School are closed for the weekend. But nearly 200 students – mostly Chinese, but a surprising number of them native Scots – are there to learn one of the trickiest yet most widely spoken languages in the world.

For while the Edinburgh Chinese School has traditionally been a seat of learning for the children of Chinese families in the city, now it is just as likely to be Scottish children taking part in the classes, getting to grips with the complex tones and structure of Mandarin and Cantonese.

"In the past five years there has been a rising number of Scottish people coming to the school," confirms Edinburgh Chinese School headteacher, Kathy Miller.

"Most of them are simply interested in China and its culture. However, there are also many who want to study the languages for business purposes, and there are a number of parents who are very keen for their children to learn the language, because they are aware that China's future is blooming."

The years three and four pupils at St Paul's Primary School in South Manchester will be the first children ....

Primary is first to put Chinese on curriculum

A primary school in Manchester has become one of the first in the UK to teach Chinese as part of its curriculum with help from teachers supplied by the Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester.
The years three and four pupils at St Paul's Primary School in South Manchester will be the first children in the north west to learn Mandarin during school time - even though only one of the pupils is of Chinese descent.

The Children - from Withington - will be celebrating Chinese New Year with a special performance at the school assembly this Friday (8 Feb) partly delivered in Chinese.

They have been in e-mail contact with youngsters at a primary school in Beijing to help them perfect their language skills and hope to gain an internationally recognised language qualification next year.

And in recognition of their success, the Office of Chinese Language Council International has just awarded the school the status of 'Confucius Classroom', which will enable it to act as resource for other schools in the area - with the help of University of Manchester staff.

The Mayor wants children to learn Mandarin so they can develop business links with China.

I'll help London Mayor to solve China crisis

A PRIMARY head is set to help the Mayor of London out of a China crisis.

Don Berry of St Paul’s in Withington is to advise Ken Livingstone on how to take Chinese into the capital’s classrooms.

The Mayor wants to see pupils given the opportunity to learn Mandarin so they can develop business links with one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

But faced with the headache of how to get the project off the ground he is being put in touch with Mr Berry, whose school has been hailed as a model for teaching Chinese to young pupils.

Education minister Ed Balls has promised to set up the meeting between the pair after a chance meeting with Mr Berry at a Labour Party fundraiser in Didsbury this week.

It came just days after the London Mayor had revealed his plans to the minister over a dinner at the Shepherd’s restaurant on Marsham Street, Westminster.

Mr Balls told the Reporter: "Ken said he wanted children in London to learn Chinese because today’s pupils are tomorrow’s business leaders and he thinks it is vital to improve links with China. He told me that he thinks it’s important for the growth of London’s economy to forge closer ties with China.

A book of traditional Chinese stories has been created by pupils and parents at Edinburgh's Chinese Community School.

Chinese school brings in new year with book on culture
Marking the beginning of the Year of the Rat, the book is designed to encourage children to learn more about Chinese culture and promote family values.

The text is in Mandarin and Pinyin, which helps teach Mandarin pronunciation, as well as English.

Mark Tang, chairman of the Edinburgh Chinese Community School, which is based in Liberton, said: "We are delighted to be able to develop and distribute this book to our pupils in our language classes.

"We hope that it will help young children to learn more about Chinese culture and virtues with its collection of short stories and illustrations and, ultimately, help them to develop their Mandarin language studies."

The book was created with planning and printing help from Telford College, and funding from City Literacy and Numeracy Edinburgh.

Mr Brown and the Chinese premier Wen Jiabo agreed to increase trade between the two countries by 50% by 2010.

Mr Brown said the relationship between the two countries was "absolutely crucial" to the success of the global economy as a whole.

"It's true we are able to sell to China not just financial and business services and environmental technologies, but also a whole range of British brands that are now becoming very popular among the rising number of Chinese consumers."

He added: "We said we want Britain to be the number one destination of choice for Chinese business as it invests in the rest of the world."

Primary schools in England will receive about £340 extra each next year to support compulsory languages teaching.

Lord Dearing said: 'I invite all head teachers to see this announcement as an opportunity."

He said primary schools should press ahead with languages with the confidence that increased funding was secure for a further three years.

"By continuing to invest in more long term solutions, such as better trained teachers and more innovative resources, we will generate enthusiasm and confidence for studying languages in secondary school and beyond - far more effective than simple compulsion."

Mr Knight (schools minister) said the answer was to make children enthusiastic about languages at a younger age.

But Mandarin Chinese is set to become the second most popular foreign language learned in UK schools.

It is already studied by more children than German or Russian. Only French and Spanish are more popular. If the rate of growth continues it will overtake Spanish in three years. Gareth from Wales, says 'I am learning Chinese, and find it fun.' Another student, Thomas from London, says 'Just telling people that I learn Mandarin turns heads. Even a basic insight gives you an edge.'

Multiple Learning Outcomes, Child Powered, Designing a Linguistic Play Unit

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