ACTFL WPT test of written Mandarin?

[ex-Hongtongxian]

For teacher certification in the U.S., I need to take the ACTFL WPT and OPI. (I understand that this test may be replaced soon by a standard Mandarin Praxis test like the ones for Spanish and French, but apparently that has not happened yet.)

I'm curious about the WPT. Has anyone taken it? It's aggravating that ACTFL does not provide any sample questions at all to practice with. About how much did you write? Were the questions very specific with lots of bullet points, in effect demanding specific vocabulary?

[Meng Lelan]

Yes, I took it and I passed it. Those two tests you mentioned are required for certification in Texas to teach Mandarin Chinese K-12. You should be aware this will be a pen and paper test. All handwriting. No computer typing at all allowed. Do not bring any dictionaries of any kind. You will get a paper with maybe four or five prompts in English to which you have to answer in Chinese. Write either in simpl or trad characters, do not mix both. I think I wrote up like six or seven pages straight. They give you maybe 90 minutes, but I can't remember. You can try calling ACTFL for more information on the test. I cannot tell you exactly what questions they provide because I would get into trouble if I did, but you should do what I did - I spent about a month or so beforehand composing short essays and letters all in Chinese and by hand. Be sure you practice essays where you debate with yourself the pros and cons of some issue. ACTFL just loves that kind of prompt. What state in the US are you trying out for?

The weird thing is all the native Chinese (mostly young whippersnappers) I knew whined about this test being so hard but I thought it wasn't that bad, maybe because I'm middle aged and started Chinese at a time where there were no computer no electronics no nothing.

[WestTexas]

I didn't think it was physically possible for a person to write 6 pages of Chinese in 90 minutes. All handwritten seems harsh to me. Even many younger Chinese have to pull their cellphone out to look up how to write a character from time to time.

[Meng Lelan]

I had nothing but a pair of hands and a pencil when I started out over 20 years ago, so it didn't seem harsh to me, but I can see how others feel like it can be harsh. Also I'm a compulsive writer so that helps. Though I hate to read. Really. So I was glad the ACTFL wasn't a reading test!

[jbradfor]

Wow, to write that much by hand without a dictionary.... I'm really impressed, that is quite some goal to aim for.

Is it just me, however, or does that format of the ACTFL really have nothing to do with being able to teach Chinese? I don't mean to take anything away from what you accompished, but being able to write by hand seems to be such a different skill than being able to teach it. Take away the fact that it's really difficult to test teaching ability directly, but there still seems like there are other skills more related to teaching, such as good pronunciation, being able to understand it, being able to explain grammar.... somthing! I guess they assume that if you can write your other stills are good as well, but still.....

[icebear]

Is it just me, however, or does that format of the ACTFL really have nothing to do with being able to teach Chinese?

Presumably one needs a independent teaching certification, while this test ensures a Chinese level adequate to teach Chinese courses. This is the way it works in at least a few states where I have friends teaching lower level high school subjects - science and history, mostly - they obtained degrees in those areas, but then took an additional 1 year course which granted them a general teaching certificate. I think to teach higher level courses (AP courses I suppose) they have to obtain a masters degree in teaching related to their specific subject (which maybe is more along the lines of a qualification you're thinking of).

Also, another thought, its completely possible the 6 or 7 pages of written Chinese were responding to prompts concerning pedagogy... which makes the test sound even more foreboding!

Good luck to those out for that certificate!

[Meng Lelan]

Also, another thought, its completely possible the 6 or 7 pages of written Chinese were responding to prompts concerning pedagogy... which makes the test sound even more foreboding!

Again, I am not allowed to talk about what the prompts asked for, but the prompts are very general in nature not specialized. In other words you are not expected to expound on Marxist philosophy, petroleum engineering, education of the deafblind, cancer cures, etc unless you really want to do that to show off your writing skills.

icebear is correct in that the ACTFL exams simply test how proficient you are. As for pedagogy, that is where your educational background and teaching experience (such as student teaching) will come into consideration.

but being able to write by hand seems to be such a different skill than being able to teach it.

I absolutely agree with this statement. I may be able to handwrite but teaching it is much much harder, especially in this day and age. Going into my fifth year teaching at the Confucius Institute, I am finding that my college age students are not at all interested in learning how to write because they have so much technology to do that for them.

[ex-Hongtongxian]

I think this test is currently required for anyone pursuing Chinese teacher certification in quite a few states, whether they are completing an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate program for Chinese teacher certification or adding Chinese to an existing teacher certification in another subject. However, Praxis (ETS) is developing a Mandarin test that will probably replace the ACTFL OPI and WPT in many states.

http://www.ets.org/p...axis_reg_system "In 2012, language teachers can look forward to the Praxis Program's new licensure title, Chinese (Mandarin): World Language, which assesses reading, writing, speaking and listening, and requires candidates to be familiar with traditional and simplified characters as well as pinyin."

I have also noticed that college-level instructors today are devoting much less attention to teaching Chinese characters. For beginners, they may spend one class period going over the stroke order rules, then expect the students to figure out how to write each character themselves from then on! This is difficult for beginners, and students tend to write a lot of characters wrong unless they look up stroke order animations on MDBG or Yellowbridge, etc.

I was taught characters the medieval way: First grind your own ink with an ink stick on the ink stone, using the proper small amount of water. Then write each character over and over with a brush, positioning the bristles correctly at the beginning and end of each stroke to produce lines of the proper thickness. It was excruciatingly slow but I developed indelible muscle memory for quite a few characters. Electronic flashcards are very quick but you still have to write the characters by hand if you want your fingers to remember them for you.

[skylee]

I know absolutely nothing about teaching whether or not in the US. But like Meng Lelan said for people who learnt Chinese without computers handwriting was an essential skill. And I don't see anything too demanding about handwriting a few pages in 90 minutes, when those who take the exam intend to become teachers of the Chinese language.

[jacob622]

ex-Hongtongxian thanks buddy for your information!!!!!

[gialian]

Thank you for this helpful information!

I am actually planning on taking the WPT and OPI some time this semester (spring 2012) in Texas.

I was talking with my mentor teacher, and she suggested that I write in simplified, instead of traditional.

Do any of you guys have a suggestion as to which one would be better to write in for the WPT?

(I'm relatively comfortable... or should I saw relatively bad at... both, in terms of writing.)

[ex-Hongtongxian]

Writing simplified characters is faster, if nothing else. So you could write more characters within the allotted time.

In education, I like the concept of 识繁写简。

[Meng Lelan]

Do any of you guys have a suggestion as to which one would be better to write in for the WPT?

Pick one, don't mix the two.