Study On The Impact Of A Learning Community To The Development Of CSL Student Teachers

In recent years, with the arrival of the learning society, the exploration of the nature of learning has changed from focusing on learners obtaining knowledge individually to the social construction of their knowledge in group study. Against the background a learning organization---learning community is bred. Some researches have shown that under optimum conditions of learning community, learners could enrich theoretical knowledge and improve practical ability so as to achieve personal professional development through interacting with other participants in the same community. In the field of teacher development, it is a new dimension that teachers raise their consciousness of professional development and improve their ability through participating a learning community.This dissertation concerns the development of Chinese as the Second Language (CSL) student teachers from the new perspective of learning community. In theory, the author studies learning community’s history, definition, characteristics, theoretical basis and research status at home and abroad. In practice, the author chose "Duo Wei" reading group from School of Chinese as a Second Language of Peking University as the case study. The methods of the study include observation, interviews and questionnaires. The result shows that the reading group has some positive impacts on student teachers’ academic ability, thinking ability, practical knowledge, co-operation consciousness and interpersonal relationship. So participating in a learning community is an effective way to improve the development of student teachers. According to the result of the study and the views of the members of "Duo Wei" reading group, the author made some suggestions for the future development of the reading group as follows, expanding the range of reading materials, limiting the people of group discuss, building an internet reading group and renewing the pattern of the reading group.The study of learning community also gives us some ideas about cultivating CSL student teachers in the future. Apart from focusing on student teachers’ academic knowledge and skills we should pay more attention to their thinking ability, co-operation consciousness, learning initiative and the interpersonal atmosphere they are in.