The Historical Dimension of Chinese Language Pedagogy: On the Relationship between Chih-p’ing Chou’s Literary and Historical Studies, and His Chinese Language Pedagogy

Professor Chih-p’ing Chou is a pioneer on the many fronts of Chinese language pedagogy in the U.S. and internationally. Over the past four decades, his reforms and innovations have profoundly shaped the landscape of this field. Previous studies have already pinpointed his lasting impact, notably the “Middlebury Model” and the “Princeton-in-Beijing Model” of Chinese language teaching he initiated or continued to develop. This paper now approaches Chou’s ideas and practices in Chinese language pedagogy through a detailed analysis of his research on Chinese literature and intellectual history, a highly important dimension of his career as an eminent and inspiring teacher-scholar. The paper first presents a critical review of Chou’s studies on “language reforms” from the late Ming to the early 20th century, and argues that his unfailing researches on the historical formation of modern Chinese vernacular provides a much-needed historical dimension for today’s Chinese language pedagogy. In light of his literary and historical studies, this paper’s second part revisits Chou’s ideas and practices in Chinese language pedagogy. Through a close look at his curriculum design, textbook writing, and teaching methods used across different levels of Chinese language classes, this paper seeks to show how Chou’s language pedagogy reflects, and responds to those critical questions regarding the development of modern Chinese that have fascinated him throughout his sterling academic life.

Keywords

Chih-p’ing Chou, Chinese Language Pedagogy in the United States, Language Reforms in Modern China, The Middlebury Model of Chinese Language Pedagogy, Princeton-in-Beijing

source

International Journal of Chinese Language Education; Dec 2023; Issue No. 14; p.149-171

Language

Chinese