1 Introduction

This section introduces the application background of the “expression-driven” concept in international Chinese audio-visual-speaking courses, emphasizing its role in promoting learners' language proficiency development. It reviews early research and the impact of information technology on teaching in recent years, points out the expansion of current teaching in content and materials, and proposes that stimulating learners' desire to express and enhancing their language output ability are issues worthy of discussion. It also elaborates on the research purpose and content of this article, which is based on this concept for innovative teaching design and practice.

2 Theoretical Basis of Instructional Design

This section delves into the theoretical basis of instructional design for international Chinese audio-visual-speaking courses, focusing on analyzing the key roles and interrelationships of “input” and “output” in second language acquisition. It introduces Krashen's “Input Hypothesis” and Swain's “Output Hypothesis,” emphasizing the importance of balancing the two. It explains the different roles of input and output at various learning stages, as well as their connections with psychological factors such as learning motivation, anxiety, self-confidence, and social interaction. Finally, it elaborates on the “expression-driven” theory, highlighting the core position of output and the supportive role of input for output, and points out the positive impact of successful expression on learners' self-confidence and language skill enhancement.

3 Design and Practice of Intermediate Chinese Audio-Visual-Speaking Course

Centered on the “expression-driven” theory, this section elaborates on the design and practice of an intermediate Chinese audio-visual-speaking course. The course uses the fourth volume of “Huitong·Chinese Listening and Speaking” as the textbook, comprising 12 units, with one unit per week and four class hours per unit. Taking the “Studying in China” unit as an example, the target learners are international students studying in China at an intermediate level, who possess basic Chinese knowledge and are in the transitional stage from language input to output. The teaching objectives include mastering specific sentence patterns and vocabulary, being able to express ideas in paragraphs and think critically. The functional goal is to learn to express emotions such as “admiration” and “regret,” and the emotional goal is to enhance a sense of identification with Chinese culture.

The teaching process is designed into six major stages: theme introduction, expression-driven, interactive experience, real-life application, theme sublimation, and task assignment. In the theme introduction stage, three travel videos from a popular online travel blogger are selected as input materials. These videos are authentic and real-time, capable of sparking students' interest. In the expression-driven stage, the teacher plays the videos, introduces the target sentence patterns, and provides explanations and drills. Through exercises such as sentence formation, chain drills, and completing sentences based on pictures, students master the sentence structures and usage. In the interactive experience stage, a virtual communication context is created for students to interact with the video blogger, with the teacher assisting in organizing language and correcting errors. In the real-life application stage, students apply the learned language knowledge in real scenarios by video-calling the blogger, enhancing their listening and speaking abilities. In the theme sublimation stage, discussions on topics like “Is it good to travel with pets?” and the relationship between “reading ten thousand books” and “traveling ten thousand miles” stimulate students' thinking and cultivate diverse perspectives and oral communication skills. In the task assignment stage, students work in groups to create short videos promoting Chinese cities, improving their multisensory experience and expressive abilities.

Teaching evaluation combines formative and summative assessments. Formative assessment runs throughout the teaching process, with an evaluation scoring table designed from both the quality and quantity of verbal output, including seven dimensions such as accuracy, fluency, and appropriateness, and three dimensions such as number of speeches and sentences. Summative assessment tests students' language application ability and creative thinking through practical tasks. In terms of teaching evaluation, this teaching case was presented at the “Chinese Teaching Heroes Conference” activity and received positive feedback from experts, who considered the instructional design to utilize multimodal means, providing students with a strong sense of immersion, participation, and experience. Student feedback indicated that the short videos were engaging, the dialogue session with the video blogger was surprising and improved listening and speaking skills, and there were numerous and effective interactive opportunities in class.

4 SMART Framework Analysis of the Teaching Model

This section conducts an in-depth analysis of the teaching model for international Chinese audio-visual-speaking courses using the SMART framework. In terms of content presentation, it emphasizes the importance of multimodal material input, using short videos as teaching materials combined with the “Studying in China” theme, clarifying teaching objectives, and stimulating learners' desire to express. In environmental management, innovative designs such as the “Virtual International Chinese Living Room” and “Classroom Video Call with Blogger” provide authentic language use environments, enhancing learners' language confidence and communicative skills. In resource acquisition, the use of the Douyin platform to obtain short video resources caters to modern learners' information consumption habits while ensuring the accessibility and operability of resources for autonomous learning. For real-time interaction, sessions like “Dialogue with the Influencer” facilitate real-time communication between learners and teachers, peers, and external resources, improving language application ability and adapting to different speech speeds and accents. In testing and assessment, a multi-dimensional evaluation strategy is adopted, emphasizing real-time feedback and formative assessment. “Adjustable Output” sessions and “Formative Assessment Tables” are designed to monitor the learning process, while summative assessments and learning outcome presentations, such as creating short videos to promote Chinese cities, enhance learners' motivation and sense of achievement.

5 Conclusion

This chapter summarizes the outcomes of innovative design and practice in the intermediate Chinese audio-visual-speaking course based on the “expression-driven” theory. The course employs multimodal teaching materials, particularly Douyin short videos, and designs simulated social scenarios and interactive sessions, effectively enhancing learners' language application ability, cultural understanding, and communication confidence. Practice shows that learners have made significant improvements in Chinese output, communicative skills, creativity, and teamwork. This teaching model is operable and replicable, providing valuable references for international Chinese education. Future efforts will continue to optimize teaching methods to promote high-quality development.