The Sparring Method – Training Language for the world
Scott didn’t enjoy learning languages at school. It felt inorganic, repetitive, lacking in connection with real world. He had to learn French. Each year he would go to a holiday camp in France surrounded by other British people. Where was French? But then, he met a French person. A real one. Someone who he had to use French to communicate with. This was his first language sparring session.
Fast forward two years and the concept became more refined. After studying Chinese for two years, he went to Taiwan.
He arrived in the middle of summer.
Because of a flight issue with very little luggage. Specifically no towel. And a Scotsman in Taiwan in summer needs a towel. So the next day, the first lesson organically was: buying a towel.
Quick search for the word for towel👉 毛巾 and we are off.
With a goal. With other people. In real time.
When parents try to teach their children Chinese, often they use:
- Textbooks
- Vocabulary
- Chinese School
BUT Children are looking for tools they need to function in the real world and they are paying attention.
Life is the motivation for kids to develop language. With Chinese, in an English speaking environment, they will only learn this with purposeful practice.
Life is:
fast
unpredictable
outcome-focused
Instead of asking:
👉 “How do I teach more Chinese?”
Ask:
👉 “What situations do I want my child to handle?”
Because language is not the goal.
👉 Function is the goal
🥋 The Sparring Method
We don’t treat language as something to study. We treat it as something to use, under pressure, in real situations, to meet our objectives.
🔁 The Sparring Cycle
1. 🎯 Start with a real objective.
Not: ❌ “Let’s practise Chinese” But:
✅ “Lets get ready to go out”
✅ “Who wants to make cake”
✅ “Practicing bed time”
2. 🧱 Preparation
One important thing first: if you want to go to the shops, first practice going before you go. A lot of people make the mistake of trying to jump straight into the task the stakes are high without proper preparation. Think Fireman. Firemen practice how to put out a fire before there is a fire.
Have you practiced?
Common Example: I know a lot of parents who struggle to get their kids to leave somewhere.
Issue 1. Not teaching and training the motions of leaving i.e.
– finishing what you are doing
– helping to tidy up
– getting your shoes and jacket on
– saying goodbye
Issue 2. Trying to do so when the stakes are high i.e.
– child very involved in what they are doing
– don’t want to leave so ignores parents “we are leaving now”
– parent in a rush and doesn’t have any time
Issue 3. Under such circumstances trying to do the task in Chinese
– Child ignores instructions
– Parent tries in English as well
– Frustration/tears follow
So instead we practice the situation at home. When they are not in the middle of playing something fun:
Ok when I say 穿鞋！you have to run and get your shoes. Ready… 穿鞋
Now we can communicate to the kids to get there shoes and we know they can do it. Then we get good at it. Who can do it the fastest… Hide the shoes… etc.
And we can build on the competence. Get your jacket. How much can you put your jacket on without my help…
This isn’t just language training, it’s life training, but using Chinese for instruction is what we are going to use to develop competence.
3. 🥋 Spar (real execution)
Then you step into real life. Real people, real pace, real outcomes
If you are in an English speaking environment too you may have few opportunities to interact with other native Chinese speakers but you can lead your children to many places and instruct them in many things in Chinese in a real world setting:
Doing the shopping – you need to pay attention to where I am and what I want you to get
Using the lift/elevator – you can operate it but you have to follow my instructions and not press the yellow alarm button
Crossing the road – you need to hold hands, look both ways, listen etc.
4. 🔁 Repeat
This is also important as we want to get really proficient and fast at the tasks. We are looking to help raise competent, confident actors in the world so we want to think about:
- What can we do better next time
- What language can we reinforce
- How can we expand on what we have already
And then how can we get it faster, smoother, more automatic
As we want them to build their Chinese by:
needing it
using it
succeeding with it
Jake our 2 year old is a hard negotiator and he knows there are biscuits available after church. Our push back is that if he wants a biscuit he has to help to tidy up. We started with put the blocks in the box. Then put the cars in the case over there. Now he can tidy up the crèche fairly well provided he gets a penguin at the end…
Examples of the Sparring Method in Action:
☕ Ordering at Costa Coffee
At 3 years old, Ayla and Kimi stood in a queue and ordered their own babyccino.
Not repeating a script.
👉 Understanding the situation
👉 Responding in real time
🛒 Doing the breakfast shop
Kimi scanning items, bagging them, going through the process of buying.
Not as a lesson.
As a real task — with Chinese as the working language
🧺 Real responsibility (before age 2)
Jake putting washing into the machine.
Following instructions.
Completing the task.
All in Chinese.
What is important?
They are learning to: act, decide, solve, problems
👉 Chinese is the system they use to do it
THEREFORE Chinese becomes a useful system
Most parents are trying to raise:
👉 children who know Chinese
We are raising:
👉 children who can live through Chinese
🔚 Final thought
If you want your child to speak Chinese:
👉 Focus on situations
Fluency comes from using what you know.
And it is really good to be able to tell your kids what to do and they can action on it.