Difference

The first D is the nature of learners of CLT.In other words，the learners of Chinese in Australian universities are different.Currently，the students who are learning Chinese are generally divided into two categories as CHBS and NCBS.As a matter of fact，within these two big cohorts，there are many different small groups with various cultural and linguistic backgrounds.Take CHBSas an example，there are students directly coming from China，Chinese migrants’children who were born in Australia，students who speak Chinese or a dialect from other countries other than China，etc.Even within the cohort of NCBS，there are at least two groups，namely students with English-speaking background and non English-speaking background.Therefore，it is very common to hear teaching tertiary Chinese as a first language，a second language or an additional or a foreign language at the same time.It is significantly important for lecturers to be aware of their taught students who are different in many aspects.

Similar to the major difference of cultural knowledge and linguistic skills，in general，students’attitudes and learning motivations are different.The attitudes towards Chinese language and culture by the students determines their commitment and efforts in learning.It is common that within the CHBScohort，students are only interested in literacy(reading and writing)and Chinese culture because their parents or themselves wish to maintain their cultural identity through being literate.They may not very keen in using Chinese for communication with other ethnic groups.On the other hand，within NCBS cohort，some students may hold positive or negative attitudes towards Chinese culture，but they care more about the functional value of Chinese language skills.If they can communicate with Chinese-speaking population，their employment opportunities would substantially increase.Hence，speaking and listening are their priority.They may not be interested in spending time in fulfiling the arduous tasks to write in Chinese characters.

Naturally，the attitudes and interests are associated with needs and motives.If NCBS’needs are the communicative skills in speaking and listening，then they will be less motivated in the CLT courses for reading and writing.It is also noticeable that this cohort has a disadvantage in comparison with CHBS.Unlike CHBS who have easy access to Chinese-speaking community，NCBS learn Chinese without being supported by a Chinese-speaking domain(Fishman，1972).NCBSin Australian universities are often unmotivated because they have fewer opportunities to test out and use what they have learnt in class.Therefore，creating opportunities for them to build up strong connections with local Chinese communities，can provide them with opportunities of joining regular cultural activities.This may not only make them use the language they learned to communicate with native speakers and intensify students’awareness and deeper understanding of Chinese culture but also inspire their motivation to learn the language.Orton(2016)warned that both Australian economic and strategic planners should be alarmed that Australia was fast approaching a situation which only Australians of Chinese ethnicity could speak Chinese.Therefore，it is time for a renewal of efforts to promote，protect and even privilege the learning of Chinese not only in Australian schools but also in Australian universities.However，she blamed NCBS were“lazy”to learn Chinese or the capacity to reach a high level of language proficiency rather than suggested how to more effectively encourage them to learn this language.

Nevertheless there is one important point missed in Orton’s statement，namely，NCBS and CHBS are different in learning style and preference of teaching which is not only a pedagogical but also a cultural issue.NCBSare very familiar with the learning-centred approach used by Australian teachers in secondary schools before they enter next level of study in universities.They prefer the interaction-based learning activities widely accepted in the secondary schools where learners’autonomy has been gradually built up.It is not surprising that when a lecturer(in particular with a Chinese cultural background)adopts a teacher-centred approach that is one-way direct instruction orientated，they may feel frustrated hence reject the teaching method used by the lecturer.This contradiction of learning style will result in poor achievement of learning outcome.With regards to CHBS，they may prefer to individual learning but believe that cooperative learning such as group discussion is less effective.If the lecturers overuse some strategies of group presentation or problem solving rather than direct instruction，they may be regarded as“lazy”or not“knowledgeable”.Their teaching competence are under questioning.At any time，lecturers must bear in mind the difference of learning styles.