CFL Education at the College Level

Abstract

This chapter offers a critical review of the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language (TCFL) to non-heritage students at the college level. Drawing upon recent research in the field, it examines the current state of curriculum and instruction, highlights important issues, and attempts to provide recommendations for future development. The discussion on curriculum emphasizes the central role of national standards in today’s curricular planning and urges CFL programs to match their curricular scope with content standards, and to ensure quality and accountability via benchmarking with proficiency standards. In addition to offering a description of the curricular scope and sequence as reflected in popular CFL textbooks, the chapter also describes major characteristics of the Chinese language and provides a critical examination and rethinking of some prevalent TCFL practices. Finally, some pedagogical innovations and resources are shared, with particular attention to the use of new technological tools.