Chinese Language Educators Convene for 8th Annual Teachers Institute

NEW YORK, March 22, 2018—The Center for Global Education’s China Learning Initiatives team hosted 60 K–12 teachers at the eighth annual Asia Society Chinese Language Teachers Institute on March 1–3, 2018, at Asia Society's New York headquarters. The teachers heralded from 41 schools and districts across 21 states and the District of Columbia.

The Teachers Institute is an annual professional development series that provides targeted and systematic training in methodologies to Chinese language teachers. By organizing workshops led by master teachers, visits to model programs, as well as providing opportunities for best practice sharing and networking, the Institute helps attendees improve their Chinese language teaching effectiveness. As one attendee reflected, "As a former history teacher in China, it's not hard for me to find connection between the language and culture. But this year's workshop reinforces the importance of finding the appropriate depth, pace, and most importantly, the relevance with the learners."

This year's theme was "Go Real: Creating Authentic Learning Experiences for K–12 Chinese Language Learners." This Institute started with an opening dinner on Thursday, March 1, at Asia Society, followed by a full day of lectures, presentations, and site visits, and it concluded on Saturday, March 3. This year's Teachers Institute brought 9 presenters from 5 states, whose teaching grades range from primary schools to higher education. Attendees left the institute re-energized and eager to take lessons learned back to their classroom. One teacher commented that they were able to immediately implement concepts from the institute, and another asserted their commitment to "ensure each and every thing I do in the classroom has a real purpose" and "design and execute activities that the students can relate to real-life experiences."

For more information about the Asia Society Chinese Language Teachers Institute, please contact Cleopatra Wise: cwise@asiasociety.org.