Nurturing Cross-cultural Awareness and Critical Thinking Through Advanced Literature Classes in Mandarin

By Fish Tung, Assistant Communications Officer 

In TAS Upper School's Honors Advanced Literature in Mandarin and IB Chinese Language and Literature courses, students are given the opportunity to delve deeper into the power of literature and discover its hidden gems. 

While literature is often thought of as a subject focused on analyzing the component and complexity of storytelling and language, the courses provide students with more than just literature skills. Through close reading and in-depth discussion, students learn to approach different concepts from multiple angles.  

The Upper School Mandarin educators who teach the classes, including Mrs. Sheu, Ms. Kuo, Ms. Cheng, Ms, Chuan, and Ms. Liu, are devoted to creating a Mandarin learning environment that allows students not only to learn about the language but also tap into the full potential of understanding the cultural context and heritage of Chinese literature.  

Each year, the Mandarin teaching team engages in collaborative planning to determine appropriate texts and instructional materials for various units, with the aim of delivering lessons that are relatable to the students.  

“We practice and value the concept of “Understanding by Design” in our Mandarin curriculum planning,” Ms. Cheng, our Upper School Mandarin teacher, said. “Ultimately, the things we teach and learn are all about understanding human nature. With students coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, our goal is to help students connect with the real-life issues through the lens of literature.” 

For instance, according to the curriculum plans of Honors Advanced Literature in Mandarin 3 & 4, and our IBSL & IBHL classes, the themes of the chapters included: Movies & Literature, Literature & Art, and Food & Literature. The students have watched many classic Chinese movies such as “A Pinwheel Without Wind (停車暫借問)”, “To Live (活著)”, "Taipei People (台北人)", and “The Sandwich Man (兒子的大玩偶)”. 

Ms. Cheng added that, “The courses also incorporate non-textual comparisons to further develop critical thinking skills and encourage students to think beyond the text. Their inputs are often quite impressive!” 

Ms. Liu, our Mandarin teacher for IB Chinese Language and Literature class, mentioned that the mission of our school’s education is to make the world a better place. For her, the core of achieving this mission is to cultivate empathy and cultural understanding, and to guide students to realize and social responsibility behind many issues.  

“By emphasizing the analysis of stories and characters, and learning about the social and historical background that influenced the works they are reading, students are trained to develop a critical eye to see things from different perspectives and understand the complexities of human relationships, emotions, and experiences,” Ms. Liu said.  

On the other hand, in Mrs. Sheu’s Honors Advanced Literature in Mandarin 1 class, there were four major topics that the class focused on throughout the year: Self-identity, Coexistence with nature, Life experience, and Family bonds.  

Given the opportunity to work with the visiting author-- Ahronglong Sakinu, his book Mountain Boars, Flying Squirrels and Sakinu was selected as one of the teaching materials at the beginning of last year. "We studied ten articles from the book. We want students to look into the feature of Indigenous literature, such as how the writer adopts the language, how the images and graphics show the spirit and characteristics of Indigenous cultures, and why his personified writing style touches us, and the interactions between Sakinu and his family, and the nature," Ms. Sheu said.  

Ms. Sheu also mentioned that "this is our first-time approaching Indigenous literature in class. And we are impressed by how much Sakinu's work inspired our students. The students said that they felt his writing was really different from other writers they knew before. It's not easy to understand the profound meaning or the value of the culture just through the language." 

Mrs. Sheu believes that literature study goes beyond its literal meaning, as it empowers students to think critically and independently. “With its unique ability to transport readers to different eras, cultures, and perspectives, literature serves as a powerful tool for fostering empathy and cultural understanding among students,” Mrs. Sheu said.