One of our summer camp's projects proves that when learning is relatable and inviting, the learners dive right in.
On the first day of this summer camp, we started getting to know the learners through various activities and making interpersonal connections. The campers have had little to no exposure to Chinese language, but they were intimidated by speaking. We used Comprehensible Inputs to immerse the students in forming sentences with the vocabulary they have learned. With this method, the learners repeatedly applied the familiar vocabulary to craft fundamental sentences to acquire an understanding of the complex structures of Chinese grammar. It took some time for the students to warm up, but when they realized their ability to speak, the project began to develop with help from the engaged and confident learners.
In the next few days of the camp, we continue to brainstorm, create and openly share feedbacks to each other's project. By the end of the week, they wrote a short story to describe the animals of their dioramas, they helped each other to complete the diorama and celebrate each other's work!
We are not just learning the Chinese language, we are building a learning community.