New Ways of Seeing: How Multilingualism Opens Our Eyes and Trains Our Minds for a Complex World

An Asia Society Publication

Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku, Japan

"Enter Chris Livaccari, with bold—indeed, revolutionary—ideas for both educational theory and practice. These essays practice what they preach about the emotional side of learning. They are fun and enjoyable to read. You'll breeze through them and end up wanting more." Milton Chen Senior Fellow, The George Lucas Educational Foundation Chairman, Panasonic Foundation Multilingualism is a key aspect of life for most people in the world—and has been throughout history—and is a rich source of engagement, playfulness, and joy. It's something that enriches one's life and should be celebrated for what it truly is: a core part of any person's education, cultural identity, and sense of self. In New Ways of Seeing, Chris Livaccari, an educator and former diplomat, makes an eloquent case for language learning as a means to enhance and deepen students' capacity for processing information and analyzing the shape of the world.

 

Several chapters of the book have been released in previous issues of our newsletter, Chinese Language Matters; you can link to these below.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Milton Chen
Preface
Language Appreciation
A Nation of Extremes, and a National Crisis
Seeing with “Other Eyes”
Recognizing Patterns
The DNA of Language
Toward a Paradigm Shift
Why Titles Matter
   Student as Linguist
   Student as Diplomat
The “Chinese Room”
Linguists and Diplomats Confronting Stereotypes
Mother Tongues
What Does It Mean to Be “Fluent” in a Language?
Getting Back to Patterns
Final Thoughts

New Ways of Seeing is available for sale on Amazon.com:

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About the Author

Chris LivaccariChristopher M. Livaccari is an educator, author, and former U.S. diplomat who held postings in Tokyo and Shanghai. He is currently Chinese program director and elementary school principal at International School of the Peninsula in Palo Alto, California, and senior advisor for China Learning Initiatives at Asia Society.

He is the co-author of Structures of Mandarin Chinese for Speakers of English and the Chinese for Tomorrow series. Chris is a lifelong learner of Classical and modern Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, among other languages.

Get a Sneak Peek at New Ways of Seeing

  • New Ways of Seeing: Foreword

    Foreword by Milton Chen, senior fellow at The George Lucas Educational Foundation, chairman of the Panasonic Foundation, and a frequent speaker on educational innovation.
  • Chris, pictured above with students, in his current role as Chinese program director and elementary school principal at International School of the Peninsula in Palo Alto, CA.

    New Ways of Seeing: Preface

    A new publication by Chris Livaccari that makes an eloquent case for language learning as a means to enhance and deepen students’ capacity for processing information and analyzing the shape of the world.
  • Mordolff/iStock

    New Ways of Seeing: Language Appreciation

    When encountering a new language for the first time, it’s important to grasp the unique patterns and contours of the language—to hear its music.
  • degust/Flickr

    New Ways of Seeing: Seeing with "Other Eyes"

    Those who speak (and think in) different languages also organize knowledge and understanding in different ways, and these different modes of organization help us to think more flexibly and to see issues from different perspectives.

Buy New Ways of Seeing

New Ways of Seeing is available for sale on Amazon.com:

Q&A with the Author

About New Ways of Seeing

New Ways of Seeing is a new publication by Chris Livaccari, senior advisor for China Learning Initiatives, that makes an eloquent case for language learning as a means to enhance and deepen students’ capacity for processing information and analyzing the shape of the world.