蒙特梭利實際生活教學法導入漢字書寫教學—以西雅圖明遠中文學校為例

Abstract

本研究採用教學行動研究法，主要是研究探討研究者多年在西雅圖的明遠中文學校華語教學現場上，觀察到學生經過若干年學習後，通常會產生自主學習窒礙期，大部分學生在無法突破對漢字書寫的畏懼與課後自主學習漢字書寫的過程下，選擇放棄學習者眾多。因此，引發研究者想在華語教學現場導入蒙特梭利 (以下以蒙氏稱之) 實際生活教學法，應用教學教具於漢字書寫教學，研究應證蒙氏實際生活教學法是否能有效幫助及改善學生對漢字書寫的恐懼排斥與學習能力提升，為非華語為母語學生提供擺脫漢字書寫學習困境的可行性，協助學生發展自主學習漢字的能力以及書寫興趣。 因此，本研究借助研究者曾任教蒙特梭利幼教師經歷，大膽提出在班級中實施蒙氏實際生活教學法，將所設計的教具結合漢字書寫教學，導入蒙氏實際生活教學活動於漢字書寫的試驗教學，研究探討使用蒙氏實際生活教學法的教學策略於課程中能否確實改善學生漢字書寫能力。 研究以明遠中文學校初級四班實體課堂上教學現場，進行為期八週實際書寫教學活動的行動循環教學，透過對學習者在實際學習漢字書寫後，觀察學生學習能力是否有產生正向遷移變化，並施予書寫評量、學生課後問卷調查與自主書寫學習能力評估分析學習成果。在施與教學行動循環後，藉行動研究教學循環活動過程，研究者透過觀察紀錄與評量結果整理出教學實作時所呈現的問題點與矛盾點，加以反思並檢討教學方法與目標，取得改進教學建議，進行驗證蒙氏實際生活教學法是否因提供設計的教學教具，對於學生在漢字書寫能力與自主學習能提供最大的幫助。This study adopts action research applied in Seattle’s Mingyuan Chinese School to explore the effects of Montessori’s Practical Life Method on learning to write Chinese Characters through different learning aids. The purpose of this study is to discover if the Montessori Practical Life Method will be an effective method for --students to learn how to write Chinese Characters. The Montessori Practical Life Method focuses on having children learn skills through self-development, fos-tering a sense of independence and confidence and experience by being able to learn new skills through routine and practice. Writing Chinese Characters originates from using strokes and radicals to cre-ate characters with different meanings. The Mingyuan Chinese School have used traditional methods to teach such writing. Over the years, the student demographic has shifted, and the school now sees students from all over the world. With students from such diverse backgrounds, not everyone is familiar or accustomed to the tradi-tional method. The school seeks to adopt a new teaching approach in hopes to reach a wider audience and create a learning environment where students can learn with-out the constraints that traditional methods would impose. By teaching students how to identify and use these strokes and radicals through learning aids created from everyday items or activities, we hope it proves to be an effective learning method for children to not only to learn Chinese characters, but also love doing so. Thus, in this study the researchers used their experience in being a Montessori teacher to implement Montessori’s Practical Life Methods in class by combining Chinese character writing in daily life activities. To observe this, the researchers conducted a six-week Practical life method course and collected data through one-on-one paper evaluations, student post-class questionnaires, direct learning out-comes, parent interviews and researcher reflections. The researchers used this data to verify whether the Montessori’s Practical Life Method had an influence on the learner’s ability to write Chinese characters using the self-learning skills they have acquired during this six-week period. After several trials, a qualitative analysis and review were made. The researchers sorted out the problems and contradictions that appeared during the implementation of the teaching plan through observation rec-ords, reflected on them and discussed these issues with their peers, and obtained suggestions on how to improve their teaching method.