Universal Chinese School proprietary Mandarin Chinese classes use curriculum and teaching methodology that was designed and refined to address the unique challenges Canadian students face learning Mandarin Chinese. Our school guides it’s students through a systematic curriculum that constantly reinforces each lesson learned and builds upon that foundation. Our teachers take a Chinese topic matter and teach it using a Western methodology in addition to some of traditional Chinese approach.
The terms curriculum and syllabus are sometimes used interchangeably, sometimes differentiated, and sometimes misused and misunderstood. A curriculum concerns with making general statements about language learning, learning purpose, and experience, and the relationship between teachers and learners. In contrast, a syllabus is more localized and is based on the accounts and records of what actually happens at the classroom level as teachers and students apply a curriculum to their situation.
Another misconception is that text books and courses (curricular program) are confused. To that end, let us discuss our views on these issues.
环球中文学校专有的汉语普通话课程使用经过精心设计和完善的课程和教学方法，以解决加拿大学生在学习汉语时所面临的独特挑战。 我校通过系统的课程指导学生，该课程会不断巩固每堂课并以此为基础。除了一些传统的中文教学方法外，我们的老师还会处理中文话题并使用西方方法进行教学。
课程和教学大纲有时可互换使用，有时有区别，有时被误用和误解。课程是涉及对语言学习、学习目的和经验以及教师与学习者之间关系的一般性陈述。相反，教学大纲更加本地化，并且基于教师和学生将课程应用于其情况时在课堂一级实际发生的情况和记录。
另一个误区是教材和课程混为一谈。为此，我们讨论一下对这个问题的看法。
Curricular Programs
课程计划
A viable curriculum is one that guarantees that the curriculum being taught is the curriculum being assessed. Essential content is the knowledge and skills that students need to know, understand, and are able to do in order to succeed in school.
The term curriculum is viewed in two different ways: the macro and the micro. The macro curriculum refers to curricular programs while the micro curriculum refers to subjects.
The selection of subject matter for micro curriculum employs the key criteria which govern the instruction.
一个可行的课程是保证所教授的是可评估的。 基本内容是学生需要知道，理解并能够在学校里成功地获得所需的知识和技能。
课程这个术语有两种不同的方式来看：宏观和微观。 宏观的课程是指课程计划，而微观的课程是指课程内容和体材。如何选择课程内容和体材：
选择正确的教材是挺重要的，然而如何选择补充材料也同样的重要。设计和完善的课程和与时俱进的教学方法就是保证环球中文学校可以立足于独特的加拿大和北美地区汉语普及事业的前沿。
Self-sufficiency –
To help learners attain maximum self-sufficiency in the most economical manner is the main guiding principle of subject matter or content selection. Although the economy of learning implies less teaching effort and less use of educational resources, students gain more results. They can cope up with the learning outcomes effectively. This criterion means that students should be given a chance to experiment, observe, and do field study. This system allows them to learn independently. 自足 – 这个标准意味着学生应该允许他们独立学习。
Significance –
The subject matter is significant. To select and organize for the development of learning activities, skills, processes, and attitude are the key. It also develops the three domains of learning namely the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills and considers the cultural aspects of the learners. Particularly, if students come from different cultural backgrounds, the subject matter must be culture-sensitive. 课程内容或体材的重要性 – 特别是，如果学生来自不同的文化背景，那么内容必须具有文化敏感性。
Validity –
Validity refers to the authenticity of the subject matter the teachers selected. Make sure that the topics are not obsolete. The school need to check regularly the subject matter or contents of the curriculum, and replace it if necessary. 有效性 – 是指教师选择的课程内容的真实性。 确保课程内容或体材不会过时。 学校需要定期检查课程的内容或体材，并在必要时更换。
Interest –
It is true to the learner-centred curriculum. Students learn best if the subject matter is meaningful to them. It becomes meaningful if they are interested in it. However, if the curriculum is subject-centred, teachers have no choice but to finish the pacing schedule religiously and only teach what is in the book. This approach explains why many fail in the subject. 兴趣 – 如果课程内容对学生有意义，他们将学得最好。 他们的兴趣，才会变成有意义的。
Utility –
Another criterion is the usefulness of the content. Students think that the subject are not important to them. They view it useless. As a result, they do not study. 效用 – 另一个标准是课程内容的有用性。
Learnability –
The subject matter or content must be within the schema of the learners. It should be within their experiences. Teachers should apply theories in the psychology of learning to know how subjects are presented, sequenced, and organized to maximize the learning capacity of the students. 可学性 – 课程的内容必须在学生的经历之内。 教师应该运用学习心理学中的理论来了解科目的安排组织等，以最大限度地提高学生的学习能力。
Feasibility –
Feasibility means full implementation of the subject matter. It should consider the real situation of the school, the families, and the society in general. Students must learn within the allowable time and the use of resources available. Do not give them a topic that is impossible to finish. 可行性 – 应该考虑学校，家庭和整个社会的真实情况。学生必须在允许的时间和可用资源的使用范围内学习。
In conclusion, the school administration and teachers are either directly or indirectly involved in the selection of subject-matter.
Text Books
课本
Textbooks, teaching books prepared in accordance with the requirements of curriculum standards. Textbooks are the core teaching material of a curriculum, but they should not be the only material.
教科书，按照课程标准的要求编写的教学用书。又称课本、教材。教科书是一个课程的核心教学材料，但不是唯一的素材。
The 《Chinese》 textbook was written in 1996 by Chinese Language School of Jinan University for overseas Chinese students of “Weekend Chinese Schools” in Europe and North America. There are 12 books in total. The purpose of this textbook is to enable students to learn, and obtain the basic ability to listen, speak, read and write in Mandarin Chinese and understand the general knowledge of the Chinese culture.
If you want to learn Chinese, a suitable Chinese textbook is, without a doubt, necessary. Different learners have various needs, and the best textbooks are the ones that are relevant and interesting to you. At UAA, we believe that with classroom setup combine and individual focusing is the most effective way of learning Chinese language.
《中文》教材是1996年由暨南大学华文学院为欧美地区周末制中文学校的华裔学生学习中文而编写的。其中课本共12册。本教材的教学目的是使学生经过全套《中文》教材的学习与训练，具备汉语普通话听、说、读、写的基本能力，了解中华文化常识。从教学对象的年龄小学生、生活环境和心理特点出发，《中文》安排教材的字、词、句、篇章等内容，由浅入深、循序渐进地设置家庭练习，以期教学相长、学以致用，培养学生的学习兴趣，启发学生积极思考，提高学生运用中文的能力。同时，本教材参考和借鉴了海外现有中文教材许多有益的经验，力求达到教与练、学与用的统一，并在内容与体例、图文编排、题型设计以及教学理念的体现等方面有所创新。
如果你想学习中文，毫无疑问，合适的中文教科书是必要的。 不同的学习者有各种各样的需求。最好的教科书是那些与你相关和有趣的教材。在环球中文学校，我们相信通过课堂和个人投入才是学习中文的最有效的方式。
如下是部份教材仅供参考。
Living Mandarin
Mandarin is the second largest language in the world, but many people consider mandarin to be one of the most difficult foreign languages to learn because Chinese characters and tones are difficult to learn.
In order to improve this conclusion, the Skymandarin Ltd. – Chinese Language Research Office especially put forward the concept of 100 basic Chinese characters in the textbook, with multimedia content such as easy and catchy songs, the purpose of which is to try to break the stereotype that Chinese is difficult to learn as a foreign language. There are 3,000 commonly used Chinese characters, but as long as you learn about 100 basic Chinese characters, Chinese characters are not difficult.
華語是全球第二大語言，但許多人認為華語是最難學的外語之一，因為漢字與聲調不好學。
藍天華語研究室為改善此一徵結，特別在教材中提出100基本漢字的觀念，搭配輕鬆琅琅上口的歌謠等多媒體內容，其目的就是在試圖打破華語是難學外語的刻板印象。常用漢字有3000字，但只要學會約100個基本漢字，漢字就不難了。
《生活華語》 (Living Mandarin) 教材分為幼兒初學系列(K1-3)與音標首冊，專供全球兒童以華語為第二語言學習者使用。各地區特殊文化將另編副教材搭配，或由教師彈性自編補充講義。因應第二語言學習環境需求，本教材結合音樂CD與看圖說故事，採用「以聽說為導向的混合教學法」，由「唱聽說」導出「讀寫作」，而非採用「以閱讀為導向的混合教學法」。
Learn Chinese with Me
“Learn Chinese with Me” is a series of Chinese teaching materials compiled specially for oversea middle school children aged approx. 15 to Adult. The entire series is composed of text books and workbooks.
The contents of the series are closely related to the students’ daily life and are arranged according to the rules of learning a second language and the psychological characteristics of teenagers/adult. There are also interactive and interesting exercises that are lively and interesting, which will surely encourage the student participation.
《跟我学汉语》是一套专为海外中学生编写的汉语教材，使用对象主要是以英语为母语的中学生或者年龄在15岁-30岁的青少年第二语言学习者。凝聚了从事并热爱汉语教学的教师们的大量心血。这套教材从框架的设计到语言材料的选取安排，都吸收了当前汉语作为第二语言习得研究、特别是对以英语为母语的汉语习得研究的最新成果。
《跟我学汉语》这套教材以零为起点，终点接近中级汉语水平。编写的主导思想是培养海外中学生学习汉语的兴趣。教材在内容的安排上力图自然、有趣，符合第二语言学习规律。教材语法点的出现顺序以表达功能的需要为基础，并用话题为线索来编排语言材料，从而带动交际能力的培养。《跟我学汉语》采用的话题得益于海外广大中学生的热情贡献，这套教材的话题即是从500多份调查材料中精心筛选出来的。