With its 8th edition of the International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education being held March 2-5, 2022 in Salt Lake City Utah we sit down with Robert (Bob) Davis, CEO Mandarin Matrix to talk about learning a world language, improving proficiency and the resources available to schools.

Tell us about yourself and Mandarin Matrix?

Ninmen hao! My name is Robert Davis and I am the Global CEO of Mandarin Matrix.

Mandarin Matrix is a customizable, online learning platform designed to support learners of Mandarin as a world language from kindergarten through to middle school. The Mandarin Matrix Online Classroom and supporting print materials offer a complete learning solution with an integrated range of learning tools designed to be user-friendly and easily accessible. Students follow individual learning journeys toward developing a rich knowledge of the language and improving proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Through the Mandarin Matrix Online Classroom, students can access thousands of books, games, activities and assessments safely and quickly, anytime and anywhere.

What kind of resources does Mandarin Matrix provide and how does it improve proficiency?

We find that Teachers have a limited amount of time to improve Chinese literacy while also teaching content.  Our DLI Proficiency Builders feature everyday tales, reflecting real-life settings of school, family and community, providing core curriculum and teaching resources such as writing worksheets and guides. Our content focuses on contemporary topics which are relevant and engaging to learners. Our curriculum and content is designed by master in service teachers and can be mapped to any K12 curriculum and localized for cultural sensitivity and navigation.

The 2022 conference theme “Embracing Languages and Cultures for A Better World” represents its mission and key tenets: diversity of languages, collaboration and inclusivity, and equity.  How does that theme apply to you?

I love this theme and feel it is very timely. So often we think of a language in the context of one place from where it originates from. But the reality is much more nuanced than that, and what we are teaching are world languages. Language learners should be able to use languages in a variety of environments and communities, not just on a trip abroad. And as a second language learner myself, I know how powerful language is in bridging gaps, building new communities and connecting beyond my own heritage.

What kind of resources will Mandarin Matrix be showcasing at the event?

We have been working very hard over the last year or so to collect teacher and student input, and to modify and improve our products so they are optimal for use. We will be focusing on our digital platform and showing guests our 2.0 content which includes new Math and Science DLI materials as well as an entirely new Middle-Early College product called Chinese Connections. We cannot wait for everyone to check them out! And of course, we are always happy to provide free trials to teachers who want to dig in a little deeper and explore our materials with their students.

To learn more about Mandarin Matrix’s language immersion program and avail a two-week free trial please contact sales@mandarinmatrix.com.

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Mandarin Matrix is an award-winning online education solution specifically designed for children learning Mandarin as a foreign language. Our aim is to increase Chinese fluency and literacy across the world by delivering exceptional learning resources that are not only fun and interactive, but engaging and highly-effective, too. 

We are delighted to reveal that our Online Classroom has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Primary – Digital Learning Product – Language & Literacy’ category for the BETT Awards 2022, the most prestigious and contested awards in the EdTech calendar.

The BETT Awards

The Bett Awards, organised in association with Besa, is the pinnacle of recognition within the EdTech space. Described by organisers as “a celebration of the inspiring creativity and innovation that can be found throughout technology for education.  The awards form an integral part of Bett each year, the world’s leading showcase of education technology solutions.” The winners are seen to have excelled in genuinely innovative ICT provision and support for educators with a clear focus on transforming education.

The winners will be revealed at the ceremony on 19 January at the Brewery in London. 

You can check out all the finalists across the different award categories here.

About Mandarin Matrix

Mandarin Matrix is a highly customisable Chinese proficiency building platform that leverages AI technology to help students from around the world learn Mandarin in a fun and interactive way. Teachers can assign thousands of books, games, activities, and assessments anytime and anywhere through the Online Classroom which allows students to deepen engagement and build their skills in Mandarin communication and literacy. Whether you’re in class, online or hybrid, Mandarin Matrix has the tools and resources to make teaching and learning Chinese more efficient and effective. 

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How Do We Tackle Learning Loss Caused by the Pandemic?

A Case Study at Tarwater Elementary School, Chandler School District, Arizona

The challenge
Due to the pandemic,  students were given the choice of attending in-person school or attending online school during the 2020-2021 school year. When the DLI students chose to attend the Chandler Online Academy (COA), their instructional time for learning Mandarin was down to 30 minutes per day, while their peers at in-person school had half-days in Chinese language arts in addition to content areas.  How to make up for the learning gap in Mandarin for the online group of students became a challenging task .

The goal
The goal was to maintain the online students’ Mandarin proficiency at their current level to try and keep up with their peers when they were eventually reunited in school.

How did we tackle the learning gap?
Tarwater Elementary School utilized effective online Mandarin learning resources to build an extended Mandarin literacy program by:

• Adopting Mandarin Matrix DLI Proficiency Builder as our core curriculum.  The spiral up proficiency readers from Foundation ( Novice Low) to Intermediate 3 (Intermediate Mid) levels align to ACTFL and Common Core standards which provided the framework for our students.

• Choosing essential language concepts and skills based on the MMX Curriculum Map and Teacher Guides.

• Utilizing the MMX Student Online Platform to individualize students’ reading tasks. Students were assigned to read different levels of books based on their proficiency.

• Using the online exercises and worksheets provided by MMX to build a routine for students to follow. Each day, we tackled a learning area and celebrated students’ successes on Fun Fridays when we used interactive games to review and have fun

• Collaborating with parents to secure their full support to use reading logs to record the books their kids read every day.

The result:
By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, Third to Sixth grade DLI students had the option to take the STAMP test to assess their Mandarin proficiency.  In the 1st quarter of 2021-2022, the Tarwater Elementary DLI program also did a key vocabulary test based on the MMX Proficiency Builder series. Per the data from both the STAMP test and the school-wide pre-test, the students who chose to attend online school met or exceeded the program goal.

The conclusion:
Tarwater students did not experience learning loss, and in many cases accelerated their learning with the support of Mandarin Matrix Online Platform despite having a fraction of the learning time that their in-class peers experienced.

You may also be interested in: Mandarin Matrix’s CEO Robert Davis Guests on the ‘Wisdom & Productivity’ Podcast

The post Don’t Remediate, Accelerate Learning with Mandarin Matrix appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.

Dr. Efrain Martinez is the principal at Northwood Middle School in Woodstock, Illinois, and the man behind the US-based podcast ‘Wisdom & Productivity’. Having worked in the education industry for over 20 years, he started this podcast with the goal to seek wisdom and deliberate over productivity as a means of better serving his community. 

Last month’s guest was our very own Robert Davis. As the Global CEO of Mandarin Matrix and former leader behind the Chinese Language and Culture Initiative at The College Board, Robert has played instrumental roles in the design and implementation of ground-breaking, internationally focused K-12 education initiatives in the US and abroad. His long career in education was initially sparked by an interest in Chinese, and to this day he remains extremely passionate about providing equitable access to academic opportunities. 

Here’s what Robert had to say.

Today I have the distinguished honor of interviewing Robert Davis, Global Chief Executive Officer of Mandarin Matrix. Robert, for the listeners of this show, can you walk us through your interesting professional trajectory up to this point?

My life and career has been very unorthodox. I am a lifelong educator, and while I don’t recommend this path I will tell you that I have never to this day taken a course in education. I had been a student and I have worked in institutes of education but I’m not formally trained in it. This is a very Chicago thing in some ways, learning on the streets and learning through growing up. I grew up in a family where my father was a journalist at the Chicago Tribune, and he covered Chicago politics his entire career, so I grew up with a background of understanding city politics and the way things happen in Chicago. I went to Northern Illinois University to major in Art History focusing on China. It was there where everything really changed. I had some great teachers who encouraged me to learn Chinese, which I did, and I graduated and found myself in 1997 in Xi’an China. 

I became a teacher at the Xi’an International Studies University. It was probably the single most transformative experience of my life, moving to China in the ’90s. I did not know a single person there, I barely spoke the language, and it really just changed me in so many wonderful and positive ways.

In 1999, I came back to the US and wanted to teach Chinese so I approached the Chicago Public Schools and I said “My Chinese is good enough to do level 1 or level 2 Chinese.” However at that time the Chicago Public Schools did not teach Chinese, so I was really confused because I had just come back from China where things were just like blossoming and blooming and there was this renaissance happening. So I looked into my Chicago playbook and I called the superintendent Paul Vallas, and I requested to meet with him and he agreed. I said “Paul, this is crazy, I don’t understand. I just came back from China, it’s like the future. Why aren’t we teaching Chinese? If you’re not doing it now you will be doing it later.” He said you’re hired and gave me six months to get this thing started. 

We started with just three schools and that Chinese program, called the Chinese World Language Program, proved to be the largest Chinese program in the United States in any school district. This was in part due to the great help of Richard M. Daley. When you work in language and culture you went to all the community events. I attended an Asian heritage event and I saw the then-mayor of Chicago Richard M. Daley. I approached him and said I just wanted to say “hi, I know you knew my father.” And he said “your father was great, he was very kind to me, and he took the time to talk to me.” The conversation eventually led him to ask me what my job was so I said I work for you in the Chicago Public schools and I run your Chinese program. Then he replied “you gotta be kidding me! I keep asking people who does this, do you have a card?” So I gave him my card and the next day I got a call from city hall saying the mayor wants you to come in to talk. I walked to city hall scared as can be sat in the mayor’s office. He told me his brother Bill Daley, was the secretary of commerce, “My brother Billy keeps saying that China is the future, we really need to connect to China, what do you think we should do?” I answered “Mayor, I think we/you should go to China,” and he said to set it up. 

From that point, I started working a strange career where I was at Chicago Public Schools but I was also working with Mayor Daley. We went to China together eight times, he was a big supporter of the work, speaking publicly about it on multiple occasions. What was interesting about this was that the community that we were working with was not what we would think a Chinese program would start with. The Chicago Public schools had and continue to have these really diverse populations of students who all are coming into the school as multilingual and multicultural students learning another language, so they are really global citizens. I know I’ve tangented a little bit but it’s important to insist because that’s what changed my perspective on how you can do things. Be creative, be excited, take risks and chances and then people respond to that and you can get things done. I did that job for over a decade and then when the mayor retired I decided to look around and do different things. At that time I was approached by the president of the College Board, former president Governor Gaston Caperton who invited me to come to the College Board to run their partnership with China, the largest US-China education partnership. I had the great honor and pleasure of working there for a decade, built an amazing team whom I consider family and friends and still talk with all the time.

Now I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to be the global CEO of Mandarin Matrix, which is a product and organization that I was very familiar with beforehand. I’m very fond of it. We really focus on dual language immersion which I believe is very strong. I’m just getting started here, getting to know people, in the middle of the pandemic. My office is in Hong Kong. I’ve never been there. I’m working from home but I can’t wait to get on a plane and go see them and spend some real human time with them as soon as I can. I also can’t wait to get back into a classroom and see what’s going on structurally to learn about how the students and teachers are using the product and what they like and dislike about it. A really fun ride and I’m just excited about what comes next. 

Do you remember when you first started learning if it was an immediate attraction and love for Mandarin? Or initially were you hesitant while learning it?

It was my second to last semester of college when I showed up to Chinese 101. I was the only non-Chinese person in the class. All these kids were from China and they were in there because they needed to get a language credit. My teacher was professor XiaoXiao Chuan, who is on my list of mentors as well. So I had this ideal situation when you think about it from a learning perspective – a dedicated teacher and a whole classroom of native speakers who were just there willing to help me. I liked it because I thought it was exciting. I had studied Spanish beforehand and I liked that as well but there was something about Chinese that just clicked for me. What always has been hard for me about romance languages is verb conjugation and all that kind of stuff. Chinese has other complicated stuff but it was exciting and it was connected to what I was studying academically – Chinese art history. I think when you have that connection and you see it coming to life it’s just a much better environment for you to dig in and really get into it.

Robert, who do you learn from?

Hopefully everybody, right? I think it’s a decision, you have to be open to it. Daily I learn from my children, from my colleagues, my wife, from my mentors I still keep in touch with. 

In terms of my actual field that I mentioned, I learned so much from Armando Almendarez (Deputy Chief Education Officer of the Chicago Public Schools). He was a smart leader who took good care of his people. Part of that was insisting that people have a life. I remember him walking into the office at 5pm and saying work is over. Not because he didn’t want to stay but because he wanted us to be balanced. He also thought that we should get our work done during our work hours, focusing on doing it better. There was this kind of gentle but direct approach with this. Whenever he had the opportunity for any office member to go to a concert or anything cultural he’d give it to us. He wanted us to enjoy living in a multicultural city and celebrate it, celebrating each other’s cultures. While I was there, he sent me to Mexico for a trip and it was just amazing just to see it. It was just a really different time and I think that he just took the time to be a great leader. So I learned from him now still, even though I don’t even interact with him because I look back, and in a way I think of my father. I look back at lessons I learned from my father and they mean something different as you get older and go through your life and your career.

Additionally my colleagues – I’m so impressed and love working with them and at all my jobs there have always been a few that made me think differently about things, see that I should be less rigid and that there was multiple ways to get things done. I really do try to pay attention and now that I’m a leader I try to give my team and my colleagues a space to be successful and to fit in. I think there’s such lessons in both of those aspects.

Lastly, I would say, if you work in education, like us, I think one of the greatest ways to learn is spending time with students and teachers and that’s where I really kind of get it.  You can have the greatest plans and brands whatever it is, and if it’s not working it’s not working. Teachers and students will tell you why, very directly and they will be right. So I found that if you really want to understand if you are a success, it’s not to look at your colleagues, it’s actually going to that classroom and see how it’s going. And if it’s not working there it’s not working period. What I miss most about being in the district was the possibility of going into schools quite often, even with the College Board I traveled quite a bit. With Covid it’s a little bit more difficult because they want to limit the amount of people in the building and rightfully so. However, I’m really looking forward to getting back and just being in that atmosphere but also just paying attention to see if the programs that I am overseeing now and the products are working or not. 

Who are your biggest influences?

It’s going to be my parents, I’ve been so lucky to have such wonderful parents, my mother who is still alive and I see her all the time. They just made me who I am at such a foundational level. My wife, for sure, I just think she is much smarter than I am and is a better person, the best person I have ever met and she just does things with such grace and genuineness that I learn from watching her every day.

There was a professor in Uni, Dr. Richard Cooler, he was my art history professor that just took me under his wing. Seeing that I was interested and could do more, he gave me research projects at a very young age and then hired me as his research assistant and then he had me write a thesis as an undergraduate. Pushing me in ways that I wanted and he could see that. He was the person that told me to pick a major language and learn it and told me that Chinese is probably what I should learn. A lot more opportunities lie in China and literature, so I’m really glad that for that moment he said “I believe in you, you can do this.” It just changed the whole path of my life. XiaoXiao Chuan my Chinese teacher, he was the one who told me to move to China and introduced me to his university and got me my first job and led me to move there.

Richard M. Daley just adore the man, he scared me in a way that made me more productive, positive and real. He taught me things that he probably didn’t even know. When his wife would walk into the room his whole world would stop and it was all about her. We could be with the president of China and he would just stop and greet her. I learned something just from watching, that you can be at a high level position with all eyes on you but you can still be yourself at all times and that was a big takeaway for me.

At the College Board there was a wonderful man named Jim Montoya who immediately took me under his wing, just a fantastic educator. He’s been in admissions his whole life, he just had a really interesting path himself. He lived in Idaho. Latino, got himself into Stanford and worked really hard but always had time for everybody. I would call him when I was stressed out or nervous and we would talk for like half an hour, and then he’d say he should probably get back to bed and he’d be like in France and it’d be 3 am but he’d take the call. I appreciate him and still consider him a great friend.

The last thing I will say is China, this is a really broad one but, I’ve been to China 98 times. I’ve learned there for years. It’s just such a big part of me, it challenged me in ways I never knew but I also think the experience of being a foreigner, being an outsider being a minority is something that most white Americans don’t ever have a chance to have, or normally even welcome. It has influenced so much in my life and being able to be a little empathetic and patient and understand the challenges of moving. I have worked with guest teachers coming from China for two decades but just having that perspective really really helped. I’m so grateful to all these people and places and also hope I can do this for just one person alone and that would be such a joy.

Being successful must include staying on top of our productivity but these can mean so many different things for so many different people. How would you describe your productivity system?

That’s a good question, it’s pretty basic, I pray to the church of lists. I don’t always make good or smart lists. I would email a list of things I want to remember the next day, or jot it down, sometimes I even wake up in the middle of the night and write something down. I do think that I get a little scatterbrained without things written down and I feel successful when I can cross things off and I can prioritize. That’s very basic but it works for me. I think the other thing that I really and firmly believe is that I include stakeholders in every step of the way. If I’m doing things that will impact other people or making decisions that will impact others I very much like to include said people. I think that otherwise you’re guessing and that’s arrogant and I don’t want to be arrogant.

Also including stakeholders in decision making will lead them to become invested as well and they will contribute more. It could be anything from the community or staffing decisions. I have my team members interview other people because I want it to be a team. I want people to care about each other and feel comfortable to say no.

Giving yourself time to step away a little bit is also something very important. I play basketball. It’s a hoop I “put in for the kids” which I use every day. I find that since my schedule is strange since my office is in Hong Kong, I do a lot of night meetings, etc. I feel that it’s good for me otherwise I just sit in front of the computer every day. It’s also a space where I get a lot of clarity, understanding what I need to get done for the day and it’s really been great from me. 

Contrary to that, I think in general I give myself space to not be working, and I think that’s really important. Don’t alway be working, because that means you won’t get your best work done. Save your energy, be creative, have fun and be present with your other activities that you do and that will give you a great foundation and the energy for you to do your job well.

Finally, I struggle with this, but insist on it, we have to build in time for failure. If we’re building new processes or products or programs we need to understand that in that process we will fail along the way, we need to put time in that to not be behind but at the same time not be defeated. Nothing works perfectly the first time out, so knowing that will be the case can help us learn from those experiences and put time for that. Starting earlier and having longer process timelines and making sure that your team understands why. Clearly expressing that failure is not a deficit but it’s part of the path. If we all do that together we’re all gonna learn from the mistake and not do it again in the future. Those are the only things I have, I wish I had something more interesting but it’s worked for me so far. 

Thanks for answering and for this great conversation! I love asking that question because everybody has their productivity system and people like me can see people they admire and understand that’s how they do it. Is there anything you’d like to add for the listeners of the show?

I would, I just want to say I could do a few shout outs, let’s shout out to the language learners. You are magnificent and you are doing something really special that’s going to make a huge difference to you, your family, your community, and to the world. The teachers too! The teachers who are just the warriors out there. It’s really worth doing and there will be a moment where it will click and you will be a person of the world, you can go places and be whoever you want to be. The other thing is if you have the opportunity please travel, get out there, make yourself uncomfortable, eat the food, meet people, get on the street and you’re going to find that the world is really quite similar and people are excited to meet you and you’re excited to meet them.

Lastly, I’d just tell students that it’s a really hard time right now and you are going to be the most resilient and interesting generation that we have ever seen and I could not be more excited for your future. You’re going to get through this and we are too and you’re going to have skills that no one has had before because of it and you are going to be such a magnificent group of people. You already are but you are going to be more magnificent than we’ve ever seen before. Yes, today is hard, it’s been rough times and weird, but you got this and the future is going to be so special for all of you. I could not be more thrilled and I cheer you all on.

We hope you enjoyed this transcribed version of the Wisdom & Productivity podcast! If you’d like to listen to the audio in its entirety, you can find the full version here. Happy listening!

[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity]

More about Robert Davis

Robert Davis has greatly impacted the Chinese learning industry in the United States. He established the Chinese World Language Program in Chicago Public Schools in 1999. This grew to become the largest district-level Chinese program in the USA. He then served as Executive Director of the Chinese Language and Culture Initiative at the College Board for a decade. He is a values driven leader who helps organizations to fulfill their mission. Joining Mandarin Matrix in April 2021, he has been working with our team to constantly help and improve our products for the benefit of all our students learning Mandarin as a foreign language.

The post MMX CEO Robert Davis Guests on the ‘Wisdom & Productivity’ Podcast appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.

Aisling Quinn has worked with Mandarin Matrix from genesis to adolescence and is the Chief Operating Officer. As a mother with three children learning Mandarin, she focuses the development lens, demanding that traditional teaching methods be more interactive and compelling. Aisling has a BA in Consumer Science and she brings a scientific approach to both the product and human capital employed on three continents.

Hi Aisling, can you tell us a bit about Mandarin Matrix and this event?

We are delighted to be able to participate in this outstanding event hosted by the IOE CI (Institute of Education Confucius Institute). The CI’s contribution to the Mandarin teaching industry has been overwhelmingly positive, their work has had a real impact all across England for Mandarin learning students. We wanted to use this opportunity to showcase Mandarin Matrix materials in the exhibition. I am glad to be able to be present at this exhibition in order to showcase our materials and take part in this event!

What kind of resources does Mandarin Matrix provide?

I’m glad you asked that! Mandarin Matrix offers an Online Classroom that has a curriculum that is very easy to access. I’ve always valued interactive material and think that it is an important part of motivating students to learn. The Online Classroom option we provide is a great way to learn Chinese in a manageable way. It is so interactive and engaging and helps keep students’ attention. The new speech recognition and writing function have been a real boost and give students immediate feedback so they self correct these areas to improve their Chinese learning journey.

Learn more about how Mandarin Matrix’s Online Classroom can help your child here

This year’s conference theme is “Teaching Resilience,” how important is this theme for you at Mandarin Matrix?

The theme of “Teaching Resilience” is especially important to us here at Mandarin Matrix. Trying to ease the burden of teachers worldwide through providing teaching materials is one of our biggest goals. Helping teachers be able to spend less time preparing class activities in order to maximise time spent on more important tasks. Teachers can customise learning opportunities for students in order to maximise effectiveness, which I feel is a great way to personalise curriculum to fit students’ needs and skillset!

What resources will Mandarin Matrix be showcasing during the event?

We recently added a brand-new audio analysis feature, which provides our students with an interactive environment to better help them on their learning journey. This new audio analysis feature immediately analyses and gives feedback on the pronunciation of students. We think that this new feature is extremely helpful and can give students insight into which areas of their pronunciation need to be fine-tuned.

Another feature that we will be showcasing is the enhanced character writing feature. This also happens to be a new feature to our Online Classroom that will help students improve their writing of Chinese characters. Many students find learning a new form of writing difficult, this new program will give visual guidance and character stroke order information to students. Enabling them to improve both of these skills!

The 18th Annual Chinese Teaching Conference will take place on Saturday 11th September 2021 at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London.

Please click here to see the 2021 Conference Programme

The post 2021 Annual IOE CI Chinese Teaching Conference appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.

 

Looking to learn Mandarin online? Mandarin Matrix offers a fun and interactive learning experience which is essential in retaining information when working with a foreign language. Find out why Mandarin Matrix would be an excellent fit for your child below.

What is Mandarin Matrix?

Founded in 2013 in response to an increasing demand for Chinese language materials, Mandarin Matrix’s aim is to increase Chinese fluency and literacy across the world by delivering exceptional online learning resources that are not only fun and interactive, but engaging and highly-effective, too. 

The customized, cloud-based reading solution supports learners of Mandarin as a second language from kindergarten through secondary school and is used by over 75,000 students in Hong Kong, the USA, and the UK, and across 25 countries worldwide. 

Its curriculum and learning solutions are built on a pedagogically strong foundation, using the principle of spiraled learning as a fun and engaging way to support students in achieving linguistic excellence in the four key language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Why choose Mandarin Matrix?

• Strong pedagogical foundation that maximizes proficiency outcomes.
• Multiple curricula options to match your curriculum and external testing goals.
• Gamified approach that ensures an engaging and interactive learning experience.
• Differentiated instruction which allows for customized learning for each student based on skill and needs.
• Easy tracking and monitoring of student progression via our complimentary parents and teacher portal.
• Access to thousands of stimulating and relatable readers which are available both online and in print for take-home and in-class reading.
• Opportunity to gain a cultural understanding beyond just language.

Discover more on how Mandarin Matrix can help your child learn Mandarin online below.

Accelerate your learning with MMX’s award-winning Online Classroom

The Mandarin Matrix Online Classroom is an interface which supports students in achieving a thorough understanding in Chinese reading, writing, speaking and listening. Its products have been designed with one thing in mind: to ensure that learning Chinese is simple and easy for both students and teachers, both in the classroom and independently at home. 

Aspiring linguists can access over 1,750 original readers and 16,000 exercises via the Online Classroom from any place at any time – and that’s not all. Students will also be supported by over 10,000 offline resources, which includes teacher support materials such as ebooks, worksheets and flashcards in both simplified and traditional Chinese. There are also over 5,000 activities and games on offer, enabling students to practice their newfound skills in an interactive, fun and challenging way.

Audio analysis for more accurate Chinese pronunciation

The platform’s recently added audio analysis feature is a great tool for learners looking to improve on their speech accuracy. It works by instantly analysing speaking assignments and then providing them with real-time feedback on their pronunciation. Teachers too will rejoice over this new feature as they will be able to review student progress at a glance, shortening that oft-too-lengthy correction time.

Learn character stroke order in real-time

Using the character stroke order feature, students of Mandarin Matrix’s Online classroom can first review how a Chinese character should be written by watching the stroke order demonstration taking place on the left hand side of the screen, and then follow those very same steps side-by-side on the right. As with all the other features on offer, students will receive instant feedback following the exercise, allowing them to quickly learn from their mistakes in a more efficient and effective manner.

Over 1,750 curriculum-based books to choose from

Mandarin Matrix’s materials have been carefully planned and developed to ensure that just the right amount is introduced at just the right time. Many of the scenarios depicted in their range of books reflect real-life settings of family, school, and community. By placing and repeating new vocabulary in a context that young learners can relate to, students are more likely to engage in stimulating discussions, further accelerating their Mandarin language proficiency. 

Featuring a broad range of content that aligns with IB, PYP, MYP, iGCSE, GCSE, Common Core, FLES, FLEX, AP and YCT, we’re sure you’ll find the best match for your child’s curriculum and individual testing goals within Mandarin Matrix’s vast array of materials.

Fun Reads

For students keen to learn a wider range of Mandarin vocabulary but who wish to take a well-deserved break from curriculum-based books and workbooks, know that Mandarin Matrix offers a wide range of fun and engaging reading alternatives to suit all learners. For example, there’s the Pangu comic books, which is an excellent option for students who enjoy learning from picture-based reading. Then there’s also the Zhong Guo Ming Ren series. Designed for middle school children learning Chinese language and culture, this factual set of biographies delve into well-known figures from Chinese history. Written in simple text and with detailed Chinese, pinyin and English vocabulary lists to encourage children to use and practice Chinese, these learning materials use content common to curricula worldwide, including AP, IB and NCEA.

Browse through Mandarin Matrix’s full range of books here.

Hear what MMX customers have to say!

“This is a wonderful learning platform for children to read, practice and play with Chinese. It makes Chinese learning much easier and more fun. We love it!”

– Assistant Head of Chinese, Shanghai United International School, China

“I particularly like the high production value of these books – they look good and have been carefully thought out to provide progression from reading single words to whole books. Meanwhile, the high quality of the visual information not only assists children in decoding the text but gives an excellent springboard to talk about the Chinese culture.”

– Chinese teacher, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

“Learning Chinese is a huge commitment for most non-native speakers. The task is even more daunting for children. Mandarin Matrix, as a powerful online course, significantly reduces the burden of repetitive drills and often adds pleasant flavor to the learning process.Our teachers particularly like the automatic reporting system. In many schools, Mandarin Matrix is an established component of home learning, and it is a valuable assistant to parents, particularly those who do not speak Chinese.”

– Teacher, English Schools Foundation, Hong Kong

“The cartoons are really funny and help me to learn. I can practice my calligraphy and improve my skills online.”

Student, Hong Kong

“The Mandarin Matrix stories gradually spiral forward…I feel this is very systematic. The stories have a very strong narrative and the students like them a lot.”

– Dual Language Immersion Teacher, Draper Elementary, United States

“Mandarin Matrix is a great online  learning tool for Mandarin study. It’s interactive, fun and challenging. My students enjoy listening to the stories, earning enough coins to play games…I highly appreciate it and recommend it as an overseas Mandarin teacher!”

– Mandarin teacher, Bandung Alliance International School, Indonesia

Wrapping up

With an annual fee of HK$772 (US$99) per student, the Online Classroom is an exceedingly affordable option for parents looking for Mandarin lessons online. Interested parties should note that school and district discounts are available upon request.

Contact us to get a free trial or to learn more via email at sales@mandarinmatrix.com 

The post Learn Mandarin Online with Mandarin Matrix appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.

Mandarin Matrix is officially offering free trials for Clever subscribers, allowing more users first-hand experience to enjoy our award-winning Chinese learning platform. Designed for Children learning Mandarin as a second language from kindergarten through middle school, Mandarin Matrix (MMX) is an excellent asset for your child’s Mandarin learning journey. The MMX Online Classroom provides 4 key language skills – reading, writing, speaking and listening – pushing your child to become an all round learner and linguist. 

This July,  Mandarin Matrix integrated Clever SSO (Single Sign-On), a classroom management portal with a secure method to log into the MMX Online Classroom (MMOC). “By accessing MMX using Clever, teachers and students will receive automatic access to the MMX Platform – with the single secure sign-on functionality, logging into the MMX Online Classroom is quick and easy.  Furthermore, with Clever, teachers will not have complex login issues and will be able to monitor an entire class with just one click ,” said Bob Davis, Global Chief Executive Officer, Mandarin Matrix.

This free trial is extremely beneficial for Clever users as they will be able to enjoy the exciting new features on the MMX Online Classroom. These new features include Audio Analysis, which enables students to test their pronunciation of Mandarin characters which will further improve their speech accuracy. This latest addition instantly and automatically analyzes speaking assignments and supplies students with real-time feedback. It helps to ensure that students don’t make the same mistakes with their pronunciation as the system shows which characters were correctly and incorrectly pronounced.

Learners will also benefit from our Character Stroke Order feature, which allows them to review how a character is written and then practice on their own using the stroke order rules. This repetition of character writing helps students to learn and memorize a large number of characters in a short period of time.

With additional features including the recent update to the Teacher’s Portal, which now includes exportable and printable report cards for their students, as well as the ability for teachers to see the live status of students’ progress. This free trial is the perfect opportunity to try out the platform without any long term commitment. Sign up today!

More about Clever

Clever gives everyone at a school and district secure single sign-on access to any online resource or application—all at no cost. Already used by more than 65% of U.S. K-12 schools, Clever was founded by educators and technologists passionate about improving education and is based in San Francisco, California. For more information visit clever.com or follow @Clever on Twitter.

The post Free Mandarin Matrix Trial for Clever Subscribers appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.

Highlights from the ESSER FAQs document (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary & Secondary Education)

A-3. How may an LEA use ESSER funds? 

An LEA may use ESSER funds for the broad range of activities listed in section 18003(d) of the CARES Act, section 313(d) of the CRRSA Act, and section 2001(e) of the ARP Act. Some of the ESSER funds (ESSER I, ESSER II, or ARP ESSER) may also be used to support school programs. We have consolidated below the three ESSER programs’ lists of allowable uses of funds.  The activities that are listed in section 18003(d) of the CARES Act, section 313(d) of the CRRSA Act, and section 2001(e) of the ARP Act that an LEA may support with ESSER funds are:  

13. Funds can also be used to purchase educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students served by the LEA. This can help regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and students with disabilities.

C-19. Can an LEA use ESSER and GEER funds to support distance learning, including the purchase of educational technology for student use?  

Yes. An LEA may use ESSER and GEER funds for activities that support distance education and promote long-term improvements in technology infrastructure and operations. These activities might include providing online learning to all students, including those with disabilities, English learners, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care. This includes helping with training educators in the effective implementation of online learning.

Continuity of learning:

An LEA may use ESSER and GEER funds to purchase educational technology for students and educators including:

 •Purchasing of mobile technology devices such as tablets and laptops. 

•Providing off-campus WiFi access students and teachers through the purchase of devices/equipment, mobile hotspots, wireless service plans, or installation of Community Wi-Fi Hotspots, especially in underserved communities.

•Offering Teleconferencing applications or programs.

•Providing Software/online/virtual programs, screen capture/recording software, online/virtual cultural curriculum/programs, online/virtual tutoring curriculum/programs and learning management systems.

 •Giving technology accessories, such as headphones, speakers, laptop cameras; and  

•Assisting with technology devices – such as dedicated communication devices and applications for text-to-speech, graphic organizers or word prediction.   

Supporting distance learning requires the effective use of technology by educators. Funding may also be used to provide professional development support for educators – who can provide meaningful learning opportunities for students. These funds can also support personnel such as speech therapists, guidance counselors, and social workers.

The post ESSER FAQs appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.

The Event

The June 8 event featured a virtual tour of Haiwaii’s A.I. Station, followed by Expert and Youth Spotlight Sessions addressing the climate crisis and environmental movement worldwide.

Schools including CIS, CDNIS and Renaissance College co-led this event, promoting ‘Ocean Conservation’ and highlighting ‘Climate Change’. Parley by the Ocean’s most influential voices discussed ocean conservation and its critical role in support living organisms on Earth.

Ending Plastic Pollution:

The Parley team also gave the students a virtual tour of its newly finished AIR station in Hawaii and discussed how the company is actively working with global stakeholders to end plastic pollution. 

Kids also explored major threats against the oceans and learned more about Parley AIR’s recent innovations to protect our environment. The next event will be held on Saturday, June 26 from 10-11.30am, where students will convene again with Parley for Oceans and the Oceans Uprise Youth Panel. Similar discussions will be held on climate conservation.

Turning Plastic Waste into Product

Parley’s partnerships with companies such as Adidas were explored, as the sports company moves towards phasing out single-use plastics and microbeads by launching entire product lines and new collaborations to build a better future for our oceans and planet. Through the power of sport, community, education and activism, Parley hopes to turn the oceans cause into a truly global movement that transcends borders. This will help engage people of all ages and backgrounds to help protect and clean up our oceans before it’s too late. 

MMX, KIDsforSDGs and Parley AIR hopes to end the fast-growing threat of marine plastic pollution by educating students on environmental concerns.

Meanwhile, Mandarin Matrix strongly believes in equity in education and provides a world class education for students in Chinese language learning, whilst also supporting a wide range of SDGs goals. Promoting innovation, gender diversity and literacy for both boys and girl is top of the agenda for the company.

Resources Supporting Environmental Sustainability

To continually support sustainable development goals and education on climate change and life under water, Mandarin Matrix has published a wide range of Chinese learning texts focusing on environmental protection. These texts, along with publishing COPE Disaster Risk Reduction materials, teaches and empowers children to develop resilience and understand how to cope with natural disasters.

The COPE Series consists of beautifully illustrated not for profit story books, aimed to increase disaster resilience of children. The books cover natural hazards ranging from floods to earthquakes and wildfires to cyclones. It provides coping tools for children through imaginative and fun ways.

COPE was created in 2018 by the acclaimed author Martha Keswick, award-winning illustrator Mariko Jesse and global disaster risk reduction expert, Dr Timothy Sim.

To know more about COPE, please visit: www.cope-disaster-champions.com

MMX Resources on Environmental Sustainability

The Mandarin Matrix online platform offers a wide range of materials featuring book topics related to:

Protecting the Environment 保护环境

Recycling Competitions 废旧物品设计大赛

Natural Disasters 极端的天气 

Renewable Energy 可循环能源 

Beach Clean-Ups 沙滩大扫除

River Clean-Ups 河流清理 

For more information about our products, visit www.mandarinmatrix.org.

The post Mandarin Matrix Celebrates UN World Oceans Day 2021 appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.

Our experienced team will demonstrate the benefits of The Mandarin Matrix Online Classroom and will introduce its new features:

The new audio analysis feature instantly provides students with real-time feedback on their pronunciation and intonation.

The character writing feature highlights the characters that need more practice.

We make teachers’ lives easier with our fantastic teacher guides and 15-day lesson plans.

Sign up here to receive a Zoom link.

The webinar is free and will be conducted in Mandarin Chinese and English.

We look forward to seeing you all!

infommx@mandarinmatrix.com

The post Free Webinar! Improve your Students’ Proficiency with Mandarin Matrix appeared first on Mandarin Matrix.