Dragons in Europe showcases latest resources for schools to teach Mandarin Chinese

Oct. 21, 2013 - PRLog -- With the new national curriculum 2014 top of the agenda at BETT this year, including the new mandatory requirement to teach a modern foreign language at key stage 2, first time exhibitors Dragons in Europe (http://www.dragonsineurope.com/index.php) will showcase (stand F98) why forward-thinking primary head teachers are choosing Mandarin Chinese in a bid to help their pupils compete in a global economy. Dragons in Europe will present its Primary School Chinese e-portal with its new online auto-marking homework (http://www.primaryschoolchinese.com/user_homework_demo.php) and reporting function and Kung Fu Kingdom®, an online games portal where pupils can earn points to move up the achievement ladder and ultimately master Mandarin at a primary level. Dragons in Europe will also feature its sample exam paper for auto-marking examinations for the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) (http://www.e2focus.com/iseb) in the UK.

Schools that purchase the three Primary School Chinese textbooks, endorsed by Cambridge University Press, will have free access to the ever popular Primary School Chinese+ e-portal, which houses over 200 flash games, sounds, support videos, teachers’ guides, schemes of work, teachers’ whiteboard slides, Chinese character originations and now, the new auto-marking homework feature.

The online auto-marking homework and reporting feature included in the Primary School Chinese+ e-portal saves valuable time for teachers enabling them to keep track of their students’ progress and avoid the tedious task of hand-marking individual papers. Teachers can also send comments through the e-portal which are saved in both teacher and student profiles. The data captured on the system can be downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet for bespoke presentations to head teachers.

Kung Fu Kingdom®, the games part of the e-portal, tests not only the pupils’ speaking, listening and reading ability but also their written Mandarin Chinese because the recognition and knowledge of Chinese characters is an important part of studying the language. Using Kung Fu Kingdom®, pupils can move up the achievement ladder and receive a different coloured belt – just like in Kung Fu – a fun element that extends Mandarin Chinese beyond the classroom by encouraging students to learn outside school hours.

RJ Mitchell Primary School, Havering recently added Mandarin to its curriculum. Commenting on this move, head teacher Barry Read said, “With China now one of the world’s most buoyant growing economies, buying up big businesses on a global scale, a large number of independent schools and a growing number of state primary schools such as mine are introducing Mandarin in a drive to equip the next generation of workers with the skills to compete in a global economy.  Statistically, almost 25% of the world’s population now speak Chinese which means that the ability to speak the language will be one of the most important business skills of the 21^st century.”

Dragon in Europe has written several mock exams for the Independent Schools Examinations Board (ISEB) (http://www.e2focus.com/iseb) and recently released a sample exam paper for the first online auto-marking examination in Mandarin Chinese. The online auto-marking examinations bring improved practicalities and large cost savings by removing the need for individual marking, storage, and couriers as well as reducing administration costs.

Further information can be obtained from Dragons in Europe, Earlsfield Business Centre, 9 Lydden Road, Earlsfield SW18 4LT www.dragonsineurope.com  T: 020 7228 8501