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Pupils Learn The Language Of The 21st Century
25/10/07
Bath is at the forefront of efforts to help put the workforce of tomorrow ahead of the game.Schools are being given lessons in how to speak Mandarin and write Chinese characters to help them prepare for a future forecast to see China emerge as a dominant global power.
The Welcome to China learning project has been produced by the Museum Of East Asian Art, in Bennett Street, and will run throughout the 2007/08 academic year.
It provides an introduction to Chinese history, culture and language by offering free assemblies and resource packs to schools in Bath and north east Somerset.
The project was officially launched at the end of September, when schools were invited to visit the museum, book an assembly and collect their free pack.
Tom Boden, education officer at the museum, created two resources packs for primary and secondary schools.
“I think it’s important to teach about China in schools because students learning today will need to know about China when they are working in 10 or 20 years time,” he said. “It is forecast to be the biggest global economy by about 2040. It is such a difficult culture to understand that I think that the sooner people start learning about it the better.”
The packs were piloted in May by three schools, including Widcombe Infant School and Broadlands in Keynsham, in preparation for the official launch last month.
They include suggestions as to how teaching about China can be used to deliver a broad range of curriculum areas, and background information to support teachers using the pack.
There are also suggested lesson plans and activities with resources that can be photocopied including making Chinese masks, money packets and firecrackers hung up as decorations during Chinese New Year.
All students taking part are invited to enter a competition challenging them to produce a work of art inspired by China.
The artwork will be judged by a panel of experts in July and the work of winners and runners-up in each category will be exhibited in the museum next September.
The Welcome to China project, which has been sponsored by Roper Rhodes, has been developed in association with CHINA NOW, the UK’s largest festival of Chinese culture.
The event will be launched in February to coincide with the start of the Chinese New Year and will run until the end of July and the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
More than 800 events will be taking place across the country as part of a festival showcasing the best aspects of modern Chinese society and culture, and offering an insight into its history.
The resources currently being offered to schools in B &NES; will be made available nationally to download from the CHINA NOW website.
Simon Heale, chief executive of CHINA NOW, said: “The 21st century will be China’s and it is essential that the current generation of schoolchildren is knowledgeable about that exciting, fast-moving and interesting part of the world.”
The Welcome to China learning project has been produced by the Museum Of East Asian Art, in Bennett Street, and will run throughout the 2007/08 academic year.
It provides an introduction to Chinese history, culture and language by offering free assemblies and resource packs to schools in Bath and north east Somerset.
The project was officially launched at the end of September, when schools were invited to visit the museum, book an assembly and collect their free pack.
Tom Boden, education officer at the museum, created two resources packs for primary and secondary schools.
“I think it’s important to teach about China in schools because students learning today will need to know about China when they are working in 10 or 20 years time,” he said. “It is forecast to be the biggest global economy by about 2040. It is such a difficult culture to understand that I think that the sooner people start learning about it the better.”
The packs were piloted in May by three schools, including Widcombe Infant School and Broadlands in Keynsham, in preparation for the official launch last month.
They include suggestions as to how teaching about China can be used to deliver a broad range of curriculum areas, and background information to support teachers using the pack.
There are also suggested lesson plans and activities with resources that can be photocopied including making Chinese masks, money packets and firecrackers hung up as decorations during Chinese New Year.
All students taking part are invited to enter a competition challenging them to produce a work of art inspired by China.
The artwork will be judged by a panel of experts in July and the work of winners and runners-up in each category will be exhibited in the museum next September.
The Welcome to China project, which has been sponsored by Roper Rhodes, has been developed in association with CHINA NOW, the UK’s largest festival of Chinese culture.
The event will be launched in February to coincide with the start of the Chinese New Year and will run until the end of July and the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
More than 800 events will be taking place across the country as part of a festival showcasing the best aspects of modern Chinese society and culture, and offering an insight into its history.
The resources currently being offered to schools in B &NES; will be made available nationally to download from the CHINA NOW website.
Simon Heale, chief executive of CHINA NOW, said: “The 21st century will be China’s and it is essential that the current generation of schoolchildren is knowledgeable about that exciting, fast-moving and interesting part of the world.”
