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From the Asia Society Chinese Language Initiative newsletter. by Chris Livaccari I’ve visited many language programs across the country in recent years, and have—for better or for worse—instinctively divided them into two categories. The first are programs that leave me with the distinct impression that they are fundamentally classes that happen in a room in a…

This is really THE big Chinese language education conference in the US every year. If you’re a teacher or principal starting a program, it’s the one you should go to. I went last year and was blown away. Also amazing access to teaching materials in their exhibition hall. Really worth it. And if you want…

[What else should we add? Send suggestions!] Things your teachers and principals wish parents knew: Parents don’t set curriculum The school district, aided by teachers, principal and staff, set curriculum. Parents do not. If you feel the curriculum should be different, take it to the school district.   Don’t presume that if your child is…

By Elizabeth Weise This is a work-in-progress, based on experiences in San Francisco’s Mandarin immersion program and stories from other schools. I welcome stories, ideas and suggestions on other school experiences, so we can add to this document and make it more useful to everyone. Any school that has a Mandarin immersion program can probably…

Hello all, As folks who read this blog know, I’m in the process of writing a book—“A Parent’s Guide to Mandarin Immersion.” I’m about three-quarters done with it and have gotten to the point where I’d like feedback from parents. Right now much of the book is based on extensive academic reading (a little dry,…

[I’ve noticed that of all the things on this blog, two are the most popular–this essay and the list of Mandarin immersion schools. Both get clicked on several times a day. So it seemed time to do an update as the last was two years ago. I’m always eager to hear from parents about what…

There’s a techie in Boston, Lin Ai 林爱, who’s got a great web site devoted to Mac-based programs for learning Chinese called 中网 Zhongweb. Definitely worth checking out here. Welcome to 中网 Zhongweb  Add comments Welcome to the new version of the site. The old version is temporarily available at zhongweb.weebly.com. 中网 Zhongweb is a site for people learning…