“Culture” constitutes a fundamental component among the 5Cs outlined in the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, however exploring the integration of culture into language instruction within K-12 classrooms raises numerous inquiries.
To respond to the need, China Institute, in partnership with ECNU, launched The Teacher Certificate Program: Understanding Chinese Culture and Practice, which consists of two components: 1) monthly cultural seminars to help teachers gain a deeper understanding of foundational elements of Chinese culture, and 2) pedagogically workshops integrating cultural activities into K-12 classroom teaching. In past months for the first phase, cultural seminars covered topics on mythology, brush painting and music, and a cohort of enthusiastic Chinese language teachers joined the pedagogical workshop to develop cultural projects.
On November 18th, we invite you to participate in the inaugural session of the China Institute Learn, Share, and Lead Workshop series, designed to build a community of devoted K-12 teachers who are passionate about and actively engaged in the exploration of innovative approaches to effectively achieve learning goals encompassing both culture and language.
Five Chinese language teachers from our first cohort will showcase their cultural projects. These projects cover a range of captivating topics, from mythology to music, each carefully planned under expert guidance and thoughtfully implemented in their respective classrooms in New York, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts. Through the sharing of their experiments, valuable reflections, and personal learning journeys, we extend a warm invitation to all K-12 teachers of Chinese language and culture to join us in this dynamic program for an engaging and enriching discussion.
Come and join the conversations with our speakers to become an active part of this community.
New York State teachers attending this program are eligible to receive 1.5 hours of CTLE credits. China Institute is an approved Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) sponsor recognized by the New York State Education Department.
In partnership with New England Chinese Language Teachers Association (NECLTA) and Chinese Program at Tufts University, PDP certificate is available for NECLTA members.
This series is made possible through the support of the Center for Language Education, the ECNU Center, and generous supporters of China Institute.
Ms. Wenjin Bi is a dedicated teacher with 9 years teaching experience at the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and 8 years administration and teaching experience prior to it. She is currently serving as a General Education Chinese bilingual teacher at P.S.310 in Brooklyn, New York. Besides working with children, she also has an abundance of experience in people with various of backgrounds and ages in addition to culture education and curriculum designing.
Ms. Li holds a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree from the esteemed Tufts University Education Department. She is the first permanent Chinese language teacher at Brockton High School in Massachusetts., and she also serves as a K-12 board member of the New England Chinese Language Teacher Association and is a valuable board member of the American Society of Shufa Calligraphy Education. In her teaching practices, she seamlessly integrates Chinese calligraphy into her regular Chinese language classes, creating a rich and immersive learning experience for her students. She also teaches Pre-AP, MLP Chinese and calligraphy classes at weekend schools in Massachusetts.
Shwu-Fen Lin is a Mandarin teacher at Princeton High School, where she initiated the Mandarin program in 2006. She teaches Mandarin II through AP Mandarin. Lin Laoshi has previously served as head teacher in the local STARTALK summer program for several years. She is also a frequent speaker on best practices for Chinese teaching at the National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC), American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), and various workshops.
Dr. Wei–ling Wu (Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania), teacher of Chinese, consultant, and trainer of Chinese language teachers.
A master Chinese teacher, Dr. Wu taught in K–12 schools in the United States for twenty-five years. Over her long career as a teacher trainer, Dr. Wu has taught courses for teachers of Chinese at New York University, East China Normal University in Shanghai, and other colleges as an adjunct instructor. She has trained hundreds of Chinese language teachers through the Asia Society and the China Institute in the past decade. Dr. Wu has also served on various projects for Chinese language instruction and curriculum development, including those conducted by STARTALK and Chinese Language Schools.
Dr. Wu is the designer, coach, and script writer of the Asia Society’s TEQ video lesson series for teaching Chinese, which is accessible across the country and around the world.
Her endeavor as chief author since 1994 has resulted in a range of Chinese textbooks for K–12 students.
Ting Zhang has been a Chinese teacher for 12 years. Currently, she serves as a high school Chinese teacher on the West Coast. She holds two master's degrees in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She had launched a Chinese immersion program in her previous school. In addition to teaching, she also presented her work at ACTFL and NECLTA.
Yuan Zhao received her B.A. in French Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University and received her MA in Childhood and Early Childhood Education from Sarah Lawrence College. She is a high school Chinese and French teacher at Mamaroneck High School. Yuan worked as curriculum specialist at GLP Startalk 2019 and student program lead teacher at GLP StarTalk in 2018. She also worked as Teacher Program Practicum Facilitator at the University of Virginia’s Startalk program in 2016 and she served as assistant to the lead instructor in the teacher’s program at the University of Vermont’s Startalk program in 2014. Yuan Zhao received Teachers College’s Klingenstein Fellowship in 2012 and she was teaching fellow at the Asia Society where she worked under the leadership of Dr. Weiling-Wu and produced model lesson plans, and videos of her own classroom are published by Asia Society TEQ website. She looks forward to working with teachers to share her passion for Chinese teaching.
