NCLC Online

Session Description: This presentation discusses the important role of a Chinese language teacher as a cultural ambassador and proposes an integrated approach to teaching and learning of Chinese culture in American classrooms. This new approach will focus on what to teach and how to teach culture by integrating: (1) cultural practices, products, and perspectives, (2) traditional and modern Chinese culture, (3) high and pop culture, and (4) Chinese culture and American/world cultures. The presenters will also share case studies of teachers using the IMAGE model in developing ICC.

Specifically, the presentation will demonstrate a range of innovative teaching and learning activities that utilize authentic materials and visuals in teaching culture, which includes news stories, photos, art, and videos. Sample thematic units of teaching Chinese culture in two NYC schools will also be presented.  Participants will get hands-on experience through participation in the demo activities.

Session Description: This session will provide instructional strategies and design principles for online Chinese courses based on a flipped model. Such courses consist of 4-day asynchronous tasks and a 1-day synchronous lab session and are designed to actively engage students by incorporating various technology tools. Through demonstration, this session highlights how to use VoiceThread and Padlet to create asynchronous tasks, as well as Zoom to deliver interactive synchronous lab sessions.

Followed by the demonstration, participants will be divided into small groups to explore and design their own flipped model Chinese courses. Moreover, participants will learn how to effectively integrate online teaching tools, develop and organize timelines for courses from novice to advanced levels, and apply practical strategies to motivate students' participation in the learning process.

Session Description: The role of the highly effective language teacher is to plan, deliver, and adjust highly engaging experiences in which all learners can meet daily goals, and develop linguistic and cultural competence. However, for teachers to become facilitators of learning, they must shift the focus of their lesson planning and lesson delivery from a "teacher-centered" practice to a "student-centered" practice. This session will identify the key features of a learner-centered classroom and empower participants to center the focus of their own instruction on their learners. Presenters will share and demonstrate a variety of freely available resources as well as examples from real Chinese language classrooms, which will enable all participants to put learners first in their mindset, their planning, and their instruction. Participants will engage with teacher resources and discuss specific ways to implement each one to their various instructional contexts--curriculum planning, lesson planning, lesson delivery, and assessment.

Session Description: Technology has redefined education in K-16 classroom and shifted the methodology in teaching. The skill sets that students will need to prepare for college and career are no longer limited to content areas and language proficiency but also the essential skills for the 21st century which include collaboration, communication, leadership, and critical thinking. The four educators from diverse backgrounds and different instructional settings will share their innovative literacy instructional strategies that foster both literacy and 21st-century skills.  A famous Chinese saying tells us that the sophistication of writing can only be achieved through large quantities of reading.  Increased literacy and stronger 21st-century skills also help K-16 students to deepen their understanding of the written texts. This will make “learn to read and read to learn”/ “learn to write and write to learn” in different Chinese program models for different age groups of learners no longer a dream but a reality.

Session Description: Assessment plays very important roles in Chinese language education. Using assessment properly will effectively impact on the quality of language education. The presentation will summarize the history of MN Chinese immersion school assessment practice. Their field experiences provide a valuable guide for other programs including immersion as well as FlEX.

The presentation will discuss how to choose a proper assessment package and how to use the test results to report to the public regarding the program progress, academic achievement, as well as the quality of instruction, are essential for the Chinese language program at any level. Guidelines for the teachers and administrators will be provided based on the assessment principles, as well as the long time experiences in MN immersion schools. Meanwhile, Assessments programs and tools available in the market will also be discussed and compared for the benefit of achieving education standards.