Cross Cultural Communication with Mandarin
In today’s globally connected and multicultural business world, learning how to cooperate with people from different cultural backgrounds while having a global perspective has become an essential skill for individuals wanting to succeed professionally or academically in the 21st century.
Additionally, learning a 2nd or 3rd language before adulthood is generally understood to promote native pronunciation of the target language due to human brain development. Therefore, CTIS will feature a Mandarin Chinese language class that will introduce the fundamental aspects of Mandarin for elementary students with subsequent courses being provided for students that wish to continue their Mandarin language study to become an effective communicators in Asia utilizing English, Japanese, and Mandarin.
The initial Mandarin classes will introduce students to Chinese culture and basic Mandarin pronunciation (pinyin) via videos, storybooks, and cultural-specific class activities such as festivals. As students progress, they will learn the similarities and differences between Chinese and Japanese written characters with spoken communication being the overarching learning goal.