Conference Presentations: NCLC 2019
Conference presentations at the 2019 National Chinese Language Conference, in San Diego, California, included a full-day CELIN Educator Forum and seven presentations that brought together teachers, school founders and administrators, teacher developers, policy makers, and researchers to share information and strategies for increasing collaborations in the field and the quality of Chinese language programs.
CELIN Sessions
Experts in Chinese language education presented sessions on the following topics.
Expanding the Space and Practice for Chinese Literacy Through Immersion
Presenters: Shuhan Wang, Chan Lu, Michele Aoki
Many Chinese dual language and immersion programs report that developing students’ biliteracy, especially Chinese literacy, is challenging. This session described essential principles to follow when developing a Chinese literacy program, a longitudinal study of Chinese literacy development and content-area learning in a K–5 immersion program, and ways that programs can implement practices needed for developing young learners’ Chinese literacy and biliteracy and for improving professional development in this arena.
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The Unique Challenges (and Joys!) of Early Childhood Mandarin Immersion
Presenters: Robin Harvey, Gail Foster, Sharon Huang, Jing Wu, Allen Zhong
While Mandarin immersion education has become an established field with a growing body of research, early childhood Mandarin immersion is a growing field still in need of discussion, exploration, and research. This session described early childhood Mandarin immersion opportunities in a small preschool programs and in a private and a public school program, starting with children age 2.
View or download "The Unique Challenges (and Joys!) of Early Childhood Mandarin Immersion"
View or download "Morningside PlayCare Immersion"
View or download "HudsonWay Immersion School"
View or download "Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School"
Instructional Strategies You Can Use in Your Elementary School Classroom
Presenters: Meiching Chang, Betsy Hart, Joy Kreeft Peyton
Presenters described specific instructional strategies for engaging children in learning Chinese, based on the six STARTALK principles of effective instruction. They shared information and resources that teachers need for effective curriculum planning, instruction, and assessment of students' learning, including videos of teachers describing and implementing their practice.
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View or download the corresponding CELIN Brief
Creating an Integrated Language Immersion School Culture
Presenters: Jeff Bissell, Sue Berg, Cindy Chiang, Luyi Lien
In dual language immersion schools, teachers and program administrators often work in isolation, with a focus on the language that they teach. Drawing on the experiences of established Chinese-English dual language immersion schools, presenters described how the Chinese and English strands are integrated, so that the school has one cohesive program and the Chinese and English teachers are recognized, valued, and developed and have a place in all aspects of the program.
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View or download the corresponding CELIN Brief
Making Secondary School Mandarin Immersion Programs Work
Presenters: Jeff Erickson, Michael Bacon, Shuhan Wang
Effectively engaging adolescents and nurturing their academic, cognitive, and social development throughout middle and high school can be a challenge. Many Chinese immersion programs are struggling to retain students, keep them focused on school, and continue to develop high levels of language proficiency, cultural knowledge, and ability to grapple with more abstract and rigorous content in Chinese and English. District leaders from two different school districts described their efforts to build a grade 6–12 Mandarin immersion program and the outcomes of those efforts, in terms of student engagement and language proficiency.
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View or download the corresponding CELIN Brief
Fostering Leadership Development in the Chinese Teaching Field
Presenters: Robin E. Harvey, Duarte Silva, Yuezhou Jin, Joy Kreeft Peyton
As Chinese language programs are established and sustained, the need for program leaders who are familiar with Chinese language and culture has become urgent. How do teacher preparation programs, Chinese language programs, and other stakeholders collaborate to produce leaders who possess the necessary academic background, pedagogical content knowledge, and professional credentials and experiences to sustain strong Chinese language programs? Presenters described a conceptual framework for teacher development and characteristics of effective teacher leaders in Chinese world language and immersion programs, and a teacher described her own path to becoming a leader.
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View or download the corresponding CELIN Brief
Strategies and Resources: Recruiting and Supporting International Chinese Language Teachers
Presenters: Stacy Lyon, Shuhan Wang
Over the past decade, the availability of international Chinese language teachers has been invaluable to meet the high demands for Chinese language teachers for different program types and educational settings. However, the recruitment and support of international Chinese language teachers are affected in many ways, as U.S.-China relationships have been undergoing dynamic changes. Presenters shared a valuable guide that outlines specific support structures that must be in place, describes factors that a new or existing program must consider, and provides clear guidance on how to engage in the recruiting process, including the application of visa or other work documents.
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View or download the corresponding CELIN Brief
CELIN Educator Forum
At the 2019 National Chinese Language Conference, in San Diego, California, CELIN held an all-day CELIN Educator Forum, the day before the official opening of the NCLC, called Deep Learning on Selected Topics in Chinese Dual Language/Immersion Education.
Teachers, school founders and administrators, teacher developers, policy makers, and researchers came together to share information and strategies for increasing collaborations in the field and the quality of Chinese language programs. Panels and in-depth discussions were held on 6 key topics.
