Differentiated Instruction in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language in Sino-Foreign Cooperative Universities

Description

Differentiated Instruction (DI), which emphasizes that differences among learners are respected and valued in the classroom and is committed to maximizing the growth of each learner through continuous modification of instruction (Tomlinson, 2017; Mathew & Foster, 2009), has been widely acknowledged as an essential and effective approach to responding to the increasing diversity of learners in the classroom.
In the classroom of Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) in the Sino-foreign Cooperative Universities (SFCUs) in China, there is no doubt that teachers’ awareness and effective practices of DI are highly desirable. This is because the student population at these universities is highly diverse due to the transnational nature of education, and these universities often place a high value on equity, diversity, and inclusion. When facing a group of learners with different readiness, interests and learning profiles, the researchers, as frontline CSL practitioners, noticed that the traditional way of “teaching to the middle” or “one-size-fits-all” may no longer be adequate and appropriate. Furthermore, the researchers hope to engage and support each of our student to their best achievements in the journey of Chinese language learning.
To achieve this goal, it is necessary to have a deep and comprehensive understanding of DI, and thus the current study raised questions of how CSL teachers perceive and implement DI in the context of SFCUs. 12 teachers from three major SFCUs (4 teachers from each university) were invited as the research participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in exploring their perceptions, understanding and experience of DI, and also their Chinese classes (an average of three hours per teacher) were observed. In addition, documents such as lesson plans, student assignments, informal feedback from students, and feedback from the observed teachers’ colleagues were also collected as supplementary data. Initial analysis of teachers' perceptions and practices of DI was coded and categorized, and further findings are expected to provide insight, reflection, and support for CSL teachers' understanding and implementation of DI in similar classrooms.

Period	21 Feb 2025
Event title	2025 LCC Conference: Think Globally, Act Locally: How We Engage Language and Culture
Event type	Conference
Location	Kunshan, Suzhou, ChinaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	Regional