An Inquiry On Question Of Classroom Language Used By Teachers Of Chinese As A Second Language At The Elementary Level

How classroom language is used at the initial stage of teaching Chinese as a second language (TCSL) plays an important role in the process of teaching and learning in class. Effective classroom language can guide students thinking, arouse students’ interest in learning, and help students learn and master new knowledge. Invalid classroom language can paralyze the entire class and make the teaching process harder, and as a result, students may not learn the target language well and be able to speak the language while impacting students’ enthusiasm in learning the language. However, it appears that many of our TCSL teachers have not yet realized the importance of classroom language, and some teachers often put impromptu questions to clueless students and pose a serious obstacle to their learning. Students do not know the meaning and importance of classroom language, blindly thinking that they just did not understand the words of the teacher, because the teacher spoke too fast. Sometimes some teachers think that the class is dull and that students are not enthusiastic, and blame the students for the problem. For example, students did not do the preview enough, or students lacked interest in learning. Therefore, the proper use of classroom language is vital for the effectiveness of teaching and learning in TCSL classes.By sitting in the classes, I took notes and had a collection of these notes. Then the instances of effective and invalid classroom language uses were observed, compared, analyzed. I also interviewed teachers and students in these classes I observed. I have finally come up with six suggestions that I think all TCLS teachers should observe. This article is intended to explain to TCSL teachers, especially those at the beginning level that the use of classroom language must follow certain standards, as it cannot be impromptu speech. TCSL teachers should realize that the language they use in the classroom has an important impact on their students’ language learning process and result. Therefore, they should teach in accordance with the basic SLA principles and understand and utilize basic speech strategies in order to be more effective to enable students to acquire and master the Chinese language knowledge and the ability to use the language.