K-12 Chinese Language Teaching, Issue 5

and developed over the time, in what ways Chinese people still value tradition while living a
modern life style, and how different ethnic groups’ cultures have been assimilated and preserved
throughout the history. In the process of comparing students’ own cultures and Chinese culture,
teachers can also lead students to investigate how Chinese culture, American culture, and
Chinese American culture have been interacting with and influencing one another within the
local, national, and global contexts. Teachers can further facilitate students’ in-depth group or
whole class discussion and reflection on power, culture, and privilege that has an interplay in
anti-Asian racism. As the dialogues on power and racism might not feel comfortable, success
will depend upon teachers’ meticulous curriculum design and a mutual trusting relationship
between teachers and students in a safe and supportive learning environment.
Furthermore, teachers can integrate students’ own different cultural background into the
curriculum to make Chinese learning more relevant and meaningful to students. ACTFL (2019)
calls for diversity and inclusion in world language learning and equitable opportunities for all
learners to develop language and cultural competence. The Chinese classroom can be built as an
inclusive and positive learning environment that acknowledges and validates both the target
Chinese culture and students’ own cultures. Using students’ own cultural knowledge and
experience as the learning resources (Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 2009), teachers can help
students to find connections in Chinese learning, which in turn enhances their interests and
motivation to continue their learning in Chinese. For example, a variety of topics in thematic
units such as family, education, food, music, sports, holidays, social life etc. can be utilized to
add in students’ home cultures, expand their knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity,
and promote their racial/ethnic and cultural pride. Additionally, teachers can guide students to
think from other different cultural groups’ perspectives with an awareness of their own cultural
perspectives to facilitate their intercultural communication. By diversifying Chinese curricula,
teachers can construct knowledge and experience of all cultures and identities that students
represent with a deep sense of interdependent community.
Limitations
This article proposes resistance to stereotyping, cross-cultural awareness, and curriculum
diversification to be incorporated in the Chinese classroom for social justice education.
Grounded in scholars’ work in the field, this article has detailed the related teaching strategies