Our 21st Annual Chinese Teaching Conference ‘New Horizons: New Perspectives’ is coming up on 19th October 2024.
In this year’s programme you’ll find plenaries, speeches, performances as well as workshops covering a wide range of topics. In the run up to the conference, we are interviewing some of the workshop presenters to get a better idea of what can be expected at the conference. Rachel Tiefenbrun – a peripatetic Mandarin teacher and trainer, currently working in King’s Park Primary school in Glasgow and also Director of Primary Mandarin – will be delivering the workshop ‘Deep Learning (and Primary Mandarin) – an antidote to Duolingo!’. Deep learning has been cited to develop students’ abilities to think critically and solve complex problems, communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and learn independently.
Rachel has kindly answered some questions about her workshop below.
Can you tell us a bit about your workshop content?
Deep learning is considered to be one the “new pedagogies” so ties in well with the theme of this year’s conference: New Perspectives, New Horizons.
Come along to this workshop if you’re interested in learning more about the what, why and how of deep learning (in the human not machine sense of the word).
After a quick (and fun) diagnosis of your own current teaching approach, I’ll share a version of deep Mandarin learning that I’ve been developing over a number of years. You’ll get a chance to work with other teachers in your key stage to examine some of these materials in detail and adapt to make the materials go even deeper…
What made you choose this subject for this year’s conference?
There are lots of reasons to be interested in deep learning at the moment. As a more personalized, child centred approach, how effectively (and realistically) can it be used to help motivate disengaged language learners?
As more and more primary schools rely on commercial materials, including apps (that’s 79% of those schools surveyed in the 2024 British Council Languages) and if we assume that some of this material encourages surface learning (Duolingo!); could deep learning be an effective antidote that improves learning outcomes?
On a personal level, I was also drawn to this topic as the more I read about deep learning, the more it reminds me of the topic-based teaching approach I first adopted as a classroom primary teacher more than 25 years ago. I wanted to dig a bit deeper (pardon the pun) into the newness of deep learning and find out to what extent deep learning is an old pedagogy with a new name…
What style of workshop are you planning to deliver?
The style will encourage deep not surface learning in a fun and engaging way. Participants will get plenty of time to examine, discuss and adapt sample materials.
What will attendees take away from your workshop?
A better understanding of what deep learning is, a list of deep learning teacher and learner characteristics (useful for planning) and some deep learning lesson ideas to try out in your classes.
Many thanks Rachel!
We look forward to welcoming ticketholders to Rachel’s workshop on Saturday 19th October 2024 at the IOE. Book your conference tickets here.