Confucian Teaching Meeting American Pedagogy: A Phenomenological Study of Teaching Chinese in American Chinese Schools

• In Event: Confucianism, Taoism, and Education: Wisdom and New Insights in Education

Abstract

Teaching Chinese in America indicates the possibility of Confucian teaching meeting American pedagogy. To explore the possibility, I conduct a phenomenological study on the lived experiences of Chinese teachers in American Chinese Schools. Seven Chinese teachers engage with me in a series of open-ended conversations. Our conversations illuminate the experience of Confucian teaching meeting American pedagogies around three main themes. First, the teachers tell of being shocked by the differences between Chinese Confucian and American pedagogies. Second, they speak of the struggles and challenges. Finally, in following the metaphor of Chinese knotwork, they reflect on splitting and splicing the knots through changing and adjusting their way of Confucian teaching as they strive to become good teachers in America.

Author

• Xuan Weng, University of Maryland - College Park