ACT-Houston
Houston 832-200-0552
Dallas 214-267-2222Austin 1-877-286-0024
Alternative Certification for Teachers
Bilingual Generalist- Mandarin Chinese (Grades 4-8)
Obtaining an alternative certification as a bilingual education Mandarin Chinese/English teacher for fourth graders through upper middle school students will require general education courses and foundational skills in bilingual education. As a generalist, the lessons plans will revolve around actual academic topics and conversational skills in Mandarin Chinese. Younger students typically adapt more readily to a new language in contrast to older students or adults who may have a more difficult time discerning the difference in word sounds.
What is Needed for Bilingual Alternative Teaching Certification
To be eligible for an alternative certification as a bilingual Mandarin Chinese educator for early upper elementary students through the high school levels, the teaching candidate will need to demonstrate the successful completion of coursework in general education topics such as English literature, science, history, social studies, mathematics and electives such as educational psychology, speech communication and linguistics.
The majority of certification programs will require an internship or student teaching opportunity in order to provide hands on experience as well as valuable exposure to the classroom setting for future educators. The ability to work side by side with an experienced teacher will help to develop skills that simply cannot be obtained from traditional coursework.
Teaching as a Bilingual Generalist in Mandarin Chinese
Coursework will be necessary in education strategies and teaching methods as well as technical skills for accurate English language versus utilizing conversational English. As a bilingual generalist teaching skills in both English and Mandarin Chinese, it is important to ensure the right level of cognitive development for students. Teaching younger grades will have a focus more towards vocabulary and general education foundations. Teaching the upper grades is more likely to have lesson plans focused on actual reading and conversational language skills as well as cultural discussions.