Tag Archives: language

Writing to order.

By Simon Ensor, Clermont Ferrand France

Why should writing to order having anything to do with feelings?

We shall see.

What image shall I use to illustrate how I feel here?

How will that image change how I feel?

We shall see.

This one. I chose this one at this moment and inserted it here.
Simon_window

That was a surprise. (so now I am surprised)
Was it a surprise for you? Probably not. Continue reading Writing to order.

A Chinese-Australian’s Reflections on Language and Culture: a response to Bland Culture

By Tanya Lau, Sydney, Australia

I was inspired to reflect on my own experiences of language and culture by Ana Carolina Calil’s EdConteXts post Bland Culture. As an Australian-born Chinese, I found that much of her story of learning English as a Brazilian kid mirrored mine, of learning Chinese: “I remember being dragged to class because we HAD TO learn Cantonese”. I don’t recall being told it was “important for our future”; the reason we were given was more along the lines of “because YOU’RE Chinese” – whatever that meant.

Like Ana Carolina, we were taught a language without context; and adding to the alienation was a pedagogy based on learning by rote and repetition. A regular homework assignment from Chinese school was to copy sets of Chinese characters into rows of specially designed grid books using a traditional calligraphy quill and ink pot. It was fun…at first. But for a 7 year old, writing the same Chinese character into a 2x2cm square every week gets boring by about character no. 5, week 1 –turning what could have been an inspiring learning experience into a dreaded chore. The historical significance of calligraphy in Chinese culture was never explained – we were simply instructed to do. That Chinese school was on a Saturday didn’t help either: while our friends from school were playing, we were reciting or copying Chinese texts.

Chinese school photo

Chinese school, where my sister and I spent Saturdays learning Cantonese. Continue reading A Chinese-Australian’s Reflections on Language and Culture: a response to Bland Culture