The event, organised by hihilulu, served as a platform for leaders in education to exchange ideas on the future of Chinese language education in the region
Dubai, June 22, 2023: Mandarin Soirée, an event organised by hihilulu in Dubai, brought together local educators and international experts in a collaborative effort to discuss the future of Chinese language education in the region.
The event, held at Anantara the Palm Resort, served as a platform for leaders in education to exchange ideas and share insights on teaching Chinese as a second language in a school environment.
The exchange highlighted the growing importance for Chinese language learning in the GCC. Many educators expressed their readiness to adopt Chinese language learning programmes such as the one offered by hihilulu, signaling a wider acceptance for Chinese in Dubai’s multi-cultural education system. Educators emphasised that innovative strategies and technologies are key for enhancing effectiveness in language learning.
“hihilulu’s contributions underscore its role as a leading force in Chinese language education enhancement through unique pedagogy and innovative means,” says Jennifer Huang, the Founder & CEO of hihilulu.
“hihilulu’s content platform, animated by age-appropriate cartoons and multimedia content, makes Chinese language learning playful and interactive yet highly effective,” she adds.
Prof. Joel Bellassen, Academic Advisor to hihilulu, Honorary Inspector General of National Education France, and President of European Association for Chinese Teaching, shared his renowned ‘Bellassen Approach’ on Chinese as second foreign language in education with the educators. A well-known sinologist, Prof Bellassen has promoted the ‘Dualism’ pedagogy of Chinese teaching internationally. hihilulu has designed its Chinese language acquisition pedagogy for children based on the Dualism approach.
Prof. Bellassen stressed on the distinctive nature of the Dualism methodology, which places equal emphasis on the fundamental aspects of the Chinese language, such as the origin of Chinese characters, semantic understanding and morphemes, as well as the development of communicative competence. This approach enables children to first acquire comprehension and oral expression skills in Chinese, and subsequently, effectively cultivate their reading and writing abilities. By integrating these components, the Dualism methodology provides a comprehensive framework for language acquisition and proficiency in Chinese.
Meanwhile Jennifer Huang showcased the Snowballing method, which involves transitioning from component to character family learning. The demonstration started with interactive digital contents on a tablet to introduce a component, then its character family and vocabulary, then blended with various printed materials for learning offline, such as worksheets and the hihilulu Immersive Flashcard. The flashcard is a paper product with QR code on the back of each card. By scanning the QR code, it guides users back to a 30-second video clip of this character on hihilulu online platform. “Blending our online content with offline materials indeed makes the learning experience of children interactive and fun,” adds Huang.
In addition to the enriching discussions and activities, Mandarin Soirée fostered community building within Dubai’s education sector, bringing together principals and heads of primary and elementary private schools in Dubai to understand the nuances of foreign language learning while offering a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals.
The event saw participations from renowned authorities and education leaders from ADEK, Sabari Indian School, Baby Arabia, Maple Bear Nursery, Step By Step Nursery, Humming Bird Nursery, Ora Nursery, Atticus Education, Fortes Group, British Orchard Nursery and Al Nahda School among others. It paved the path for future collaborations that will drive the growth of Chinese education in the region in line with hihilulu’s commitment to promote multilingualism and multiculturalism.
With the use of innovative digital technologies, hihilulu creates blended solutions in Chinese language learning for educational institutions and offers comprehensive training to teachers to equip them with its unique pedagogy.
For more information on hihilulu’s programmes, contact:
Amy, Sales and Marketing
Email: amy@hihilulu.com
Tel: +971585589986
Website: www.hihilulu.com
