2022.01.04
Under the project “Speak in Chinese – Online Chinese learning for entry level with Taiwanese students” which is one of the cross-department/ year project-based learning (PBL) started on July 19, we made a video to introduce Yamaguchi attractions in Chinese with the cooperation of Taiwanese academic partner school. Prof. Manabu Hatamura of the Department of General Education was in charge.
What is project-based learning?
Project-based learning is a type of class of problem/ project-based learning (PBL), that is crossed the departments and years, and it started in 2019. Students in various specialized fields and with various knowledge/ skill levels make a team and they learn and solve problems together to obtain competencies (independence, diversity, co-operation), abilities to find problems and solve the problems as a business person. The class opened in the second term this year. There were about 40 different topics and 10 to 20 students made a team for each topic and tried to solve the problem. Drawing: simplified class flow |
 Chinese active learning in a classroom #1 |
 Chinese active learning in a classroom #2 |
 Chinese active learning in a classroom #3 |
 Chinese active learning in a classroom #4 |
14 students from the second to the fourth year participated in this project. They followed the class flow in the drawing above that showed a process step by step so that students who learned Chinese first time were able to participate in the project. Each of the students introduced the local history, culture, tourist spots, food, etc. that they were responsible for in Chinese.
 Online Chinese lesson with Taiwanese tutor #1 |
 Online Chinese lesson with Taiwanese tutor #2 |
 Online Chinese lesson with Taiwanese tutor #3 |
Taiwanese students from Taiwan National United University as well as Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages that we signed academic exchange agreements taught Chinese online to our students. 9 students from Taiwan National United University and 4 students from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages helped us as a tutor. The Taiwanese students supported us in various areas, not only in Chinese lessons but corrected Chinese letters and pronunciations when we were making the video.
 Video slide of “Introduction of Yamaguchi Attractions”: Shunan City |
 Video slide of “Introduction of Yamaguchi Attractions”: Shimonoseki City |
We asked the Taiwanese students to watch the video we made with their support, and that also made them attracted to Yamaguchi prefecture. We will continue to do online communication in addition to face-to-face communication even after COVID 19 settles.
Areas that project participated students were in charge
| Department/ Year | Name | Area in charge |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligent System Engineering/ 2-year | UEMURA Tsukino MORI Sayana |
Shunan City Yamaguchi City |
| Chemical and Biological Engineering/ 2-year | KAWAMOTO Sara SHIMIZU Momoka MATSUMOTO Sara MIZUKAMI Ayaka |
Kudamatsu City Kitakyushu City (Mojiko) Hagi City Yamaguchi City |
| Business Administration/ 2-year | UMRMOTO Momoka WATANABE Anju TAKASAGO Riko YOSHIOKA Nao |
Iwakuni City Mine City Yanai City Ube City |
| Chemical and Biological Engineering/ 3-year | TAKAGI Yui OKUDA Shion |
Shimonoseki City Hofu City |
| Business Administration/ 3-year | TAKENAGA Hina | Hagi City |
| Chemical and Biological Engineering/ 4-year | Sundui Oyunchimeg | Nagato City |
Students Comments
TAKASAGO Riko (2nd year of the Department of Business Administration)
I felt how important to have the ability to speak foreign languages the most in PBL this time. Taiwanese tutors taught me Chinese, but it was in English when we communicated. So I felt strongly the need to be able to speak English or Chinese as Japanese demand had been decreased in the globalized society when we talked to foreigners.
When I had online lessons, I could not understand what I needed to do and what the tutors asked. Also, I was frustrated because I could not tell what I wanted. But my tutor made an effort to make a communication with me every day, and she also facilitated me to understand during the lessons. So, I felt easier to learn foreign languages and closer to me. I would like to continue to learn Chinese and English.
Sundui Oyunchimeg (4th year of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering)
I chose Chinese for PBL at this time. Because I was very interested in foreign languages since I was small. I found it was interesting to express myself in foreign languages. There were 3 things I thought it was good that I chose Chinese.
Firstly, I communicated online with Taiwanese students after school, not just reading textbooks and practicing. It was good that I used something new which I learned in the morning when I had the online lesson with Taiwanese students after I returned to the dormitory. Secondly, I actively communicated by changing partners and learned Chinese with the members in the morning class. And lastly, it was good that I introduced a city of Yamaguchi prefecture in Chinese as I learned Chinese daily. We can learn about ourselves when we learn about different cultures. 3 weeks was such a short time, but I was very happy that I managed to obtain many things.
Chen Jinghua（1st year of the Department Applied Chinese, a Comprehensive Development Department, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages ）
我很開心擔任此次華語實習教師，宇部高專的學生們很用心及努力的在學習中文，在這短短的三週很開心能參與到他們的進步，漢語發音明顯進步了很多、文法也認識很多並能延伸應對問題，學習中文並不簡單，難的是克服自己心理的門檻勇敢說出，但他們做到了。
I am very happy that I did teaching for Chinese training. Ube Kosen students learned Chinese very hard. I am glad that I participated in helping them to learn. Their Chinese pronunciations improved a lot, and they learned many grammars as well as managed to handle problems It was not easy to learn Chinese. What is difficult is to overcome own mental wall and to speak with courage. And they made it.
Wang Youxin（4th year of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, National United University）
首先，很榮幸成為此次宇部高專線上華語課教學團隊的一份子，這是我第一次為華語零基礎的學生上課，因此這次的教學對我而言是一個全新的挑戰與訓練。在課程中，我會試著搭配手勢讓學生聽出聲調的差異；講述一個簡短的情境劇，讓學生更清楚某些句子或詞彙的使用時機；即時上網搜尋圖片輔助學生理解接觸到的生詞等等，期望能夠用簡單明瞭的方式讓日生對華語漸漸熟悉，並且不會對學習華語產生排斥感，甚至是能夠在學習華語時感到樂在其中。
在教學過程中不免因為語言不通，會有一時之間不知道如何進一步說明當下教學內容的狀況，這都考驗著我的教學能力，因此我期許自己繼續精進自己的教學能力，更甚是外語能力。
在這三週的教學期間，我和搭檔的日生所有相處及互動都讓我感到很自在，該生開朗又認真的學習態度讓我留下了美好的教學回憶，我覺得能夠成為該生的華語輔導員非常幸運，也謝謝宇部高專提供我所屬的學系這個可以與日生交流的寶貴機會。
Firstly, I am very proud that I was a member of the online Chinese class training team of Ube Kosen. It was a challenge for me because it was my first time to teach students who did not understand Chinese at all, and also it was training for myself. During the online class, I tried Ube Kosen students to understand differences in tones by using gestures, situations when to use sentences and words by watching short stories, words of pictures by searching the internet. The purpose was that Ube Kosen students got used to Chinese in a simple and easy way for them.
During the class, I did not know how to explain because of language barriers so that my teaching skills were tested too. So, I would like to improve my teaching skills and foreign languages skills more.
All the students I taught as the tutor were comfortable communicating and I remembered all of them were learning positively and seriously for the 3 weeks class.
Lastly, I hope the educational activity that National United University and Ube Kosen worked together would be a help to learn Chinese for Ube Kosen students as well as I wish all the Japanese students learn Chinese and enjoy it.