Innovations af Teaching Chinese Composition in Schools in Mainland China

Abstract

The author advocates the use of two new writing teaching methods — ‘Method of Teaching on Topics’ and ‘Method of Live Demonstration in Teaching’ — and offers concrete examples of lesson plans with games that can relieve students’ anxiety on doing composition in class. These methods stress the incorporation of real-life scenarios as ‘topics’, which are to be distinguished from the conventional ‘titles’ used, and the effectiveness of learning through role-playing. Students would then be equipped to adapt to the changing society through practical writing tasks. The author also addresses the problem of lack of stimuli in provoking the students to write, and sentimental thinking (attachment to the writing subjects) in writing as an often-neglected mechanism was introduced into the games. The author then concludes the essay by stating the ‘Standards of Chinese Teaching’ upheld by the PRC Ministry of Education.