‘I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.’ Confucius A whole new set of experiences Shared with friends, family, teachers etc Discovery of a modern & ancient civilisation An opportunity to compare & contrast Focus on links between language & culture

To help you get the most from your journey You need to prepare & have a plan You need goals which you may share with others You need to keep track of these goals Keeping track should not be difficult or take up too much time: you must experience & enjoy! Your plan will be in the form of a Portfolio

What will your Language & Cultural Portfolio look like? It will be your own personal document which you will get in print or on-line You will write it up before you leave in school, once shortly after you arrive in Shanghai & at the end of your journey (three main turning-points) It will be in three parts: your PROFILE, your LEARNING BIOGRAPHY & the DOSSIER

What will I put in my Profile? Your name & information about what languages you have studied up until now & your progress You have studied Chinese: so give a summary of what you ‘can do’ in the language & what you will need to do when in China Also write about differences between Irish/Chinese culture which have struck you BEFORE you go to China Ask your teacher! Do this with your friends!

What will I put in my Learning Biography? Part 1- after a few days in China Your impressions of your first few days in China. What did you notice? What struck you most?What did you think was very/not different to what you expected? Write about some positive experiences in the first few days, and some less positive. What helped you most in solving any problems which may have arisen. Work with others to do this. What kind of language ‘can dos’ did you need/use most in the first few days? Using this experience, identify some new needs you expect to have.

What will I put in my Learning Biography? Part 2 – at the end of your journey Impressions as you finish the visit. Compare your opinions at the end with those of the first few days. How did your views evolve? You cannot cover everything you have seen: select some key aspects you wish to compare, highlight, contrast; make a selection Write a short reflection of what you feel you have ‘taken in’ in language & culture. What would you have done differently. Do this in a group/on your own/both ways.

What will I put in my Dossier? It should contain (lists of) texts you have collected & selected during your visit, i.e. photos, video clips, ideas on China & Chinese people etc. Select these because they helped you learn & are references for future use; or because you liked & want to keep & share them with friends or family. Include particularly text samples which show any changes in your approach to learning & discovering Chinese language & culture

Advice on starting out on your journey Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart Confucius