How to test Chinese as a foreign language graduate students

Myth 1: When registering for postgraduate entrance examination, I want to apply for Chinese as a foreign language.

In most schools, "teaching Chinese as a foreign language" is only a small direction under the master's degree in linguistics and applied linguistics. The first-level discipline is China Language and Literature, and the two disciplines are Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. Generally speaking, the research direction of linguistics and applied linguistics is closely related to the departments of the school, and each school is different. For example, the research directions of linguistics and applied linguistics in the Chinese Department of Peking University are theoretical linguistics, teaching Chinese as a foreign language and phonetics; Beijing language and culture university's linguistics and applied linguistics have ten directions, namely theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics and language application, second language acquisition research, language testing, teaching Chinese as a foreign language, language geography, language information processing, computational linguistics, corpus linguistics and computer-aided language learning.

However, linguistics and applied linguistics offered by general universities all include the direction of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, which is what everyone thinks is "teaching Chinese as a foreign language". However, it is generally only necessary to fill in linguistics and applied linguistics when applying for the exam, and the professional direction should generally be negotiated with the selected tutor after the admission results are announced.

Myth 2: I like Chinese, and my Chinese scores are good, so I want to take the postgraduate exam in the direction of teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

When choosing Chinese as a foreign language, many candidates only vaguely know that they like Chinese and English, and they also like to know China culture and deal with foreigners. With the gradual deepening of reform and opening up, they believe that learning Chinese should be an overall trend. As a result, many people solemnly filled in their postgraduate entrance examinations with anxiety, thus determining their life trajectory for three years or even a lifetime. However, we should know that the curriculum of linguistics and applied linguistics is essentially different from the Chinese class we learn in middle school. Chinese class focuses on cultivating students' reading appreciation and applied writing ability, while various courses of linguistics and applied linguistics focus on making students form a rational understanding of language.

Take the Chinese Department of Humanities College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology as an example. Postgraduates who want to learn Chinese as a foreign language must choose specialized courses, that is, modern western linguistic theory. Other courses are divided into the following categories: the first category is about language theory, such as semantics, grammar theory, contrastive linguistics, linguistic history and so on; The second category is about Chinese, such as rhetoric, philology and syntactic analysis of modern Chinese; The third category is about Chinese teaching, such as second language acquisition research, teaching Chinese as a foreign language theory and so on. In the course of studying these courses, we can deepen the undergraduate's understanding of the simple concept of China's ontology knowledge, and further think about the unsolved problems in academic circles. At this stage of postgraduate study, you will understand the thoughts of many linguists and have in-depth thinking and discussion with your classmates.

At the graduate stage, the way of class is no longer the teacher's lecture at the undergraduate stage. Instead, students need to answer a few questions. Instead, they need to discuss a topic in a team way and then tell it to everyone. The teacher will ask the students the core questions about this topic after the students have explained it, and then everyone will discuss it together. In the process of discussion, I don't just pay attention to memorizing some theories like an undergraduate, but think critically about some problems.

In addition to attending classes, each teacher will also hold academic salons with his graduate students and doctoral students. This academic salon mainly focuses on two aspects. The first category is to read classic academic books collectively, and then talk about their views on these books at academic salons. Generally, the designated reading books are Modern Chinese 800 Words, Grammar Lecture, Fifteen Lectures on Chinese, Chinese Studies and so on. The theme of another salon is about the recent study of graduate students. For example, master students and doctoral students talk about the upcoming thesis, graduate students majoring in Chinese as a foreign language talk about their teaching feelings, and graduating students talk about their feelings about finding a job. In this academic salon, students can learn some information about employment and scientific research in advance to prepare for their future plans.

Myth 3: My English is very good and I am eager to have more opportunities to communicate with foreigners, so I want to choose a graduate student in the direction of teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

First of all, it should be pointed out that English level is not the most important factor in choosing a graduate student in the direction of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Many students think that if their English level is good, they can communicate freely with their classmates in class, so that they can communicate better. However, on the one hand, if we want to engage in the practice of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in the future, teachers of Chinese as a foreign language need to speak Chinese as much as possible in class, so that students can get rid of English as a medium and improve their Chinese level faster. On the other hand, in addition to Chinese classes divided by countries, TCFL units are more "United Nations classes" based on Chinese proficiency. In such classes, students' mother tongues are diverse, not all students are good at English, and even some students don't understand English. In this case, English can't play a good role in communication. If we always rely on a foreign language as an intermediary as a teaching method in such a class, teachers must master multiple languages at the same time, which is not in line with the reality of teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

Myth # 4: I want to be a graduate student in the direction of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, as long as my undergraduate major is social science.

Among the graduate students who apply for teaching Chinese as a foreign language, we can find not only students majoring in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, Chinese language, literature and philosophy, but also some students majoring in foreign languages, news, advertising, and even financial management, international economy and trade. Before you apply for the exam, you need to fully understand what the content of learning Chinese as a foreign language is and what the connection is with the undergraduate course, so as to make a better decision.

For the cross-professional examination and research, if the undergraduate major belongs to Chinese or is related to language, it is not difficult to take the cross-professional examination, but if it is not related to both, the difficulty and risk are still relatively large. Because at the undergraduate stage, many students majoring in Chinese as a foreign language have taken professional courses, including modern Chinese, introduction to linguistics, introduction to teaching Chinese as a foreign language, ancient Chinese, cross-cultural communication, Chinese characters and culture, and some literature and general education courses. Generally speaking, most of these courses are about language and culture. If the courses studied in the undergraduate stage have nothing to do with these, it will require extremely sufficient preparation time.

Myth # 5: If I am admitted to a graduate school in the direction of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, I will have the opportunity to teach Chinese at Confucius Institutes in various countries that appear in the news during my graduate studies.

In recent years, there have been many news reports about the activities of Confucius Institutes in various countries, and various "Chinese style" activities have emerged one after another. Many media have also reported the shortage of teachers for teaching Chinese as a foreign language, but it doesn't mean that as long as they are graduate students majoring in Chinese as a foreign language, they can definitely go to the Confucius Institute in the country they want to teach Chinese during their graduate studies.

There are generally two ways to teach Chinese abroad: one is to apply for the positions of volunteers and public teachers through Hanban. We know that the education situation in different countries is different, so the number of volunteers and national public teachers is also different. If a country is vast and sparsely populated, and the number of schools is small, then there are fewer people in need, especially in countries with small populations such as Australia and Europe, so the competitive pressure to apply for these countries is relatively high. Moreover, national public teachers generally have three to four years' working time, which requires high work experience, so they have to choose to drop out of school when applying for graduate students, and each school has requirements on the conditions and time for graduate students to drop out of school, so it is not suitable for graduate students to apply.

At the same time, if you really want to be an international Chinese teacher volunteer, you need not only a solid foundation of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, Chinese talent and good communication skills, but also a volunteer spirit. Because we choose to engage in international volunteer service of Chinese teaching, it is of great significance to ourselves, our motherland and the world. Moreover, the definition of "volunteer" is not aimed at profit, money or reputation, but refers to a person who can take the initiative to assume social responsibilities, does not care about remuneration, dedicates his time and spirit, and does not need any material return. To be an international volunteer Chinese teacher, we must have the spirit and enthusiasm of not being afraid of difficulties and being willing to contribute to the international promotion of Chinese that we love.

Second, through various cooperation projects of the school. Different schools are located in different regions, and the scope of cooperation projects is different. Generally speaking, there are many colleges and universities in Yunnan, Guangxi and Southeast Asia, and the situation of each school is different. Postgraduates majoring in Chinese as a foreign language can only choose a country for teaching practice or teaching according to the cooperation with foreign countries. If you want to be an overseas Chinese teacher in this way, you can choose schools with more overseas cooperation projects, such as Jinan University, which has a policy of "facing overseas, facing Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan".

However, with the gradual development of "Chinese fever", the cause of teaching Chinese as a foreign language will become more and more prosperous, and the demand for Chinese teachers overseas will gradually increase.

Myth 6: At present, there is a great demand for teachers of Chinese as a foreign language in China. It is easy to find a job as a Chinese teacher with high salary and welfare in China after finishing the graduate students majoring in Chinese as a foreign language.

According to the media's propaganda on "Chinese fever", people will think that China has a great demand for Chinese teachers, but they need to "reflect coldly" on the global "Chinese fever". In fact, the demand for Chinese teachers in China is not as great as everyone thinks, especially in some central areas. First of all, because there are few foreigners in the central region, there are fewer foreigners who need to learn Chinese. Secondly, the task of Chinese teaching is mostly concentrated in colleges and universities. If foreigners need to learn Chinese, they will generally choose colleges and universities first, while entering colleges and universities as formal teachers requires a higher academic level. Generally speaking, a graduate degree is not enough. Thirdly, many foreigners who come to China learn Chinese for various reasons, and the length of foreigners' stay in China is uncertain. Therefore, in addition to colleges and universities, TCFL colleges and universities have a relatively high mobility of students, and not every foreigner learning Chinese will find a teaching institution or a Chinese teacher. They often buy an accelerated Chinese textbook for self-study, which often leads to the employers of Chinese teachers unable to provide very stable job opportunities and relatively high income. For example, if you want to enter some international schools in Beijing, these schools may not be able to solve your Beijing hukou. Therefore, if you really want to teach Chinese as a foreign language, you need to change your employment concept.

Myth 7: After graduation, it is easy to find a job as a Chinese teacher abroad.

Compared with the demand of domestic teachers of Chinese as a foreign language, there are more people who need to learn Chinese overseas, which is a relatively large market. However, as a teacher in a country, it is generally necessary to obtain a nationally recognized teacher license. Even some developed countries have their own degree requirements, and our academic qualifications cannot be recognized. For example, in the United States, to become a teacher in China, you often need a teacher qualification certificate from this state and a master's degree in education from the United States. Especially in some states where universities are concentrated, the employment competition of teachers in China is still fierce, because there are quite a few students from China or China studying in the United States.

However, in contrast, some countries have higher demand for Chinese teachers and less competition in employment, such as Southeast Asian countries, which often have large populations and great demand for talents.

In short, if you are determined to teach Chinese as a foreign language overseas, you should not only have excellent teaching skills, but also collect the requirements of the state for Chinese teachers through various channels.

Myth 8 Linguistics and Applied Linguistics are academic masters. During my study, I should concentrate on the study of Chinese ontology and Chinese teaching, instead of spending time teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

The so-called "learning from teaching" is a positive solution. When studying for graduate students majoring in Chinese teaching, if "teaching while reading" can broaden their learning ideas, they will have unexpected gains. Because in the process of teaching students, you will find many Chinese grammar problems that are difficult to find as a China person. You can also exercise your teaching ability, find teaching methods suitable for all kinds of students and your own teaching style, and then summarize the practical problems that need to be solved urgently in Chinese teaching.