Student-Centered Learning
From 101 DeBartolo to the Chinese Countryside
Notre Dame students have long studied in China through an affiliated program, the Center for International Educational Exchange, in order to improve their command of Mandarin and learn alongside Chinese university students. Yet they still wanted a distinctly Notre Dame experience of the country.
“The Notre Dame student body is unique in their dedication to service and social justice,” says Jonathan Noble, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. “I wanted to create a course for them that would integrate service and experiential learning so that students could see the ‘real China.’”
He formed “To Serve an Ancient Village in China: Historical Preservation, Religious Life, and Teaching English,” a two-credit seminar funded by the Liu Family Endowment for Excellence in Asian Studies, the Office of International Studies, the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, and a course development grant from the Center for Social Concerns (CSC). Seven students, intrigued by CSC advertisements and announcements in their Chinese courses, signed up for the June 2006 trip to China.
During the preceding spring semester, the group attended several orientation sessions, which included information on teaching English and travel procedures. They also prepared intellectually, reading several books and writing reflection papers. They soon discovered that their pre-trip training could not thoroughly ready them for their arrival.
“The focus shifted from books to what occurred on the trip,” says Noble. “Suddenly, the classroom just expanded. We were always in class. I was the students’ teacher, friend, and mentor—not to mention tour guide—24/7!”
“He [Noble] showed us how to cross the line between ignorant tourist and courteous visitor,” says junior Jacquelyn Collins.
Upon their return to campus, the students began writing final reflection papers and have created a website in preparation for an upcoming presentation to the Notre Dame community. They continue to meet with Noble and, in late November, the group will organize a cultural event for a local high school.
“These students were open-minded,” says Noble, crediting the success of the trip to the participants, who adapted to the challenges of taking part in an unprecedented service program.
“When you begin a story with ‘when I was teaching English in China,’ somehow the uncomfortable and awkward aspects fade into amusement and nostalgia,” says Collins. “I remember experiencing things that I could not have learned from books, like hearing a third grade girl from a village call ‘Good-bye, teacher!’ as we left her school, and knowing that I had taught her to say that.”
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Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures: http://www.nd.edu/~eall/
Visit the student’s website at: http://chinaseminar.wikispaces.com/
This piece was contributed by Jane Marie Russell, an intern in the College of Arts and Letters Office of Web Communications and Support. Russell is a senior Political Science major with minors in Latin American Studies and Asian Studies.