星談中文師資培訓計畫的效能

The Efficacy of Teacher Development in a STARTALK Residential Program

此篇論文旨在研究美國維吉尼亞大學星談中文教師項目的有效性。維大自2008年開始至今，每年皆獲得美國政府國會經費，開設研究所中文教學法3至5學分的課程，招收全國15位中文教師，進行為期三周的密集強化訓練。培訓方式採用課堂與網上教學兩種模式，理論與課堂實踐並重，內容包括第二語言習得與中文教學法，諸如如何融入五大外語教學目標，設計以學生為中心的課程，選用文化豐富的真實語料，運用電腦科技輔助教學，進行表現式的評量方式等等。此課程採用各種不同的評量方式，針對每位教師的個別差異，進行追蹤輔導，從正確教學觀念的培養到教學行為的改變，皆兼顧團體及個別教師的需要。其評量方式包括項參加項目前後的自我評量檢測表，網上討論，網上意見調查，教學實習表現，每天自我評量與總評量，課堂參與作業的完成，網上專業教學檔案的建立。此篇論文研究方法質與量兩者並重，側重教師參與此課程計畫前後在教學觀念及課堂實踐應用方面的差異性。研究顯示，教師於培訓課程完成時，在教學理念課堂實踐方面都有顯著的成長與進步。

This paper investigates the efficacy of teacher development through a teacher residential program funded by the US federal STARTALK grant since 2008. It documents the professional development of fifteen Chinese language teachers in a three-week intensive training program. The program integrates a balance of theories and practice into the curriculum through a well-structured and supervised practicum. Upon the completion of the three- or five-credit graduate course, teachers are able to keep abreast of new developments in second language acquisition theories and practice in general, particularly in Chinese language acquisition and pedagogy. Through the program practicum, they also create standards-based curricula and materials, deliver effective instruction, and implement authentic performance-based assessment and instructional technology in a learner-centered, highly communicative and interactive environment. The program features both face-to-face instruction and online training. A variety of assessments are employed to keep track of the achievements of curricular and instructional goals and the participants' progress toward newly gained knowledge and skills. The data collected from the pre-program and post-program self-assessment checklists reveal that participants showed noticeable progress in required skills and knowledge needed for professional enhancement. The study concludes that by the end of the program, the teacher participants had experienced significant conceptual and behavioral change through teaching Chinese as a foreign language.