Module 6 - How Do I Love Thee Assignment

Teaching topic:


Chinese Language Teaching.

Model of teaching topic:

Chinese grammar—the word order in a multiple-modifier attributive

Explanation:

The word order in a multiple-modifier attributive is different in Chinese than it is in English. In Chinese grammar, the central word is the key, any words that are modifying or limiting the central word should be placed in front of the key word, and a structural particle 的 should be employed when the attributive modifier is a pronoun, such as 我的 (my/mine). This idea is inspired by the process of building a construction. “Creative people think dimensionally when they change the scale of things, when they take two-dimensional information (blueprints, etc.) and construct them in three dimensions; or vice-versa, when they plot things that occur in three dimensions into two dimensions. This can be either (or both) a scientific or an artistic aspect of thinking. We call this zooming in and out of a topic or idea”. In this Chinese grammar lesson, the students first are encouraged to look at the phrase by zooming into each of the six different layers of the grammar construct. In this Zoom-in process, they need to understand what each word means and the function of each word in order to have a better rational understanding of the logic of organizing the multiple-modifier attributive phrase.

The second picture demonstrates the extension that is from one central word to numerous different phrases that are made of different words, and this process is a Zoom-out process. In Sparks of Genius, Robert and Root-Bernstein state that “to design and engineer these shapes one must be able to perceive how a flat thing can be transformed into one with body. The ability to relate 2-D blueprints, plans, or maps to 3-D reality is a critical part of the job (p. 213).” For the module of teaching Chinese grammar: the word order in a multiple-modifier attributive, the students first master the knowledge of each word’s meaning and function from the 2-D flat form, the 3-D view can assist them to observe Chinese language as a whole and thus explore more rational understanding from the dimensional thinking. Their transition process from a 2-D flat chart to a 3 dimensional observation can also be beneficial to prevent the students from being “form-blind (p. 218)” in order to guide them to be creative “linguistic” thinkers.

Xin Wang