Abstract
The recent increase of global interest in all aspects of Chinese culture, language, economy and society has led to a growing demand for the instruction of the Chinese language/Mandarin. Mandarin is believed to be one of the most critical foreign languages to the advancement of national security and global competitiveness. Jamaica and China have had a longstanding diplomatic relationship for over 40 years. This relationship has led to the signing of bilateral agreements, the establishment of Chinese companies and businesses, and a nationwide awareness of the Chinese culture. This China-Jamaica relationship has sparked the need for locals to learn the Chinese language in an official setting to bridge the communication gap between the two peoples and to make themselves more marketable both locally and internationally. The two countries have worked together to establish Mandarin courses at the University of the West Indies (UWI) through the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, until the advent of the Confucius Institute whose aim has been to promote the Chinese language and culture in Jamaica. Despite their relentless effort to provide Mandarin courses at the university, the institute and at other institutions nationwide, there have been challenges in the areas of resourcing teachers and maintaining students’ interest, as well as issues in the classroom which result from the cultural differences between teachers and students. While these challenges were evident, the university and the Confucius Institute have been working towards overcoming these challenges and have been persevering in ensuring that there is always an outlet for the dissemination of the Chinese language and culture. Keywords: Chinese Language, Mandarin, Culture, the University of the West Indies, Caribbean, Confucius Institute, Chinese Teachers, Students, China, Jamaica DOI : 10.7176/JLLL/61-08 Publication date :October 31 st 2019
Highlights
Teaching Mandarin at the University of the West Indies and the Confucius Institute, Jamaica With China being one of the country’s main imports partner and one that has signed several bilateral agreements with Jamaica, there has arisen a need for Jamaicans to learn Mandarin in order to bridge the communication gap, and this has led to Mandarin being taught privately and in later the classroom setting
It is clear that there is an increasing need for Jamaicans to start learning Mandarin due to China’s rapidly growing economy and the strong bilateral relationship that exists between Jamaica and China
Even though the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the Confucius Institute work assiduously to provide Mandarin classes and create an environment to experience the Chinese culture first-hand, there have been challenges that have affected the flow of their programme but were not serious enough to stifle their efforts to continue working towards their goal of exposing as many Jamaicans as possible to the Chinese language and culture
Summary
Teachers expect students to do as they are instructed without much room for questioning their objectives. Teachers are not equipped with classroom management skills to deal with especially the bigger classes in a western culture This is, in part, due to the teachers’ own expectations that students will be punctual, do assignments as instructed and not be disruptive in class. When they realize that it was their duty to ensure that classroom rules are established at the beginning of the semester with constant reminders throughout, it becomes a challenge to regain control of the class, especially if the teachers were already being lenient in the beginning
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