Central Board of Secondary Education

In order to cater to the diverse needs of students in a globalised world,
CBSE offers 32 languages at the secondary and senior secondary level out of
which 12 are foreign languages. In view of China emerging as one of the major
global economies and Mandarin being spoken by a large population of the world,
the Board is set to launch Chinese in class VI from April 2011.

General Objectives of Learning Mandarin Chinese

• To enable the learner to communicate effectively
• To build proficiency in the skills of listening, reading, writing and
  speaking in Mandarin Chinese.
• To build greater confidence among learners to use Mandarin Chinese in
  oral and written forms.
• To build sensitivity and awareness regarding the culture and traditions
  of the Mandarin Chinese.
• To facilitate self learning to enable them to become independent.

At the end of middle school learners will be able to do the following:

Give a brief oral description of events / incidents of topical interest

• Retell the contents of authentic audio texts (weather reports, public
  announcements, advertisements, interviews, etc.)
• Participate in simple social conversation.
• Narrate the story depicted pictorially or in any other non-verbal mode.
• Respond in writing in simple ways.
• Read with proper rhythm and intonation

Methods and Techniques:

The methodology is based on a multi-skill, activity based, learner centered
approach. Care is taken to fulfill the functional (communicative), literary
(aesthetic) and cultural (sociological) needs of the learner. In such situation
the teacher will be the facilitator of learning, s(he) presents language items,
contrives situations which motivates the child to use Mandarin Chinese for the
purposes of communication and expression. Auraloral teaching and testing is an
integral feature of the teaching-learning process. The electronic and print
media could be used extensively. The evaluation procedure will be continuous.

A few suggested activities are:

• Role playing
• Simulating real-to-life situations
• Dramatizing and miming
• Problem solving and decision making
• Interpreting information given in tabular form and schedule
• Using newspaper clippings
• Borrowing situations from the world around the learners, from books and
  from other disciplines
• Using language games, riddles, puzzles and jokes
• Interpreting pictures / sketches / cartoons
• Debating and discussing
• Narrating and discussing stories, anecdotes, etc.
• Reciting poems
• Working in pairs and groups
• Using media inputs - computer, television, video cassettes, tapes,
  software packages.

Other Salient Features

1) The Curriculum and textbooks are being developed by eminent practicing
scholars in this field

2) The Board will be conducting the training programme for teachers to make them
understand the fundamentals of the pedagogy and contents shortly.

The Board would like to request schools desirous to introduce this language
in class VI from the academic session 2011-12 to send their option. Interested
schools may fill the attached annexure and mail it at
sadhanap.cbse(at)nic.in or send it by post not later than January 15,
2011 for further processing.

Courtesy: cbse.nic.in