Plenary One
Virtual National Chinese Language Conference 2020
Innovation During a Time of Change: Teaching Strategies and Instruction
Wednesday, June 24, 10:00–11:30 a.m.
2020 has been a challenging year and the education community has had to quickly adjust to a new teaching and learning environment. In this timely discussion, NCLC Program Advisory Committee members will discuss how the Chinese language field has responded to this unprecedented challenge with a swift shift from traditional classroom instruction to online learning in a matter of weeks. Panelists will highlight successful strategies and innovation in remote Chinese language instruction and will share activities and resources for online instruction learning. This plenary will also reflect on the challenges of the current situation while also illuminating a path forward as the Chinese language education community moves forward as a community.
Speakers
- Lisa Harris, Specialist for World Languages and International Education, Virginia Department of Education; President, National Council of State Supervisors for Languages
- Betsy Hart, Lead Director, Director of Programs, National Foreign Language Center, University of Maryland
- Baocai Jia, Executive Director, Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS)
- Yi Xu, President, Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA)
Moderator
-
Shuhan Wang, President, ELE Consulting International; Director, Chinese Early Language and Immersion Network (CELIN) at Asia Society
About the Speakers
Lisa Harris
Specialist for World Languages and International Education, Virginia Department of Education
President, National Council of State Supervisors for Languages
Dr. Lisa A. Harris holds a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Languages from Norfolk State University, a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia, and a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Virginia Tech. Dr. Harris has been in the education field for 28 years, serving as a classroom teacher, middle school assistant principal, world languages coordinator, director for curriculum and instruction, and project manager for school improvement. In 2015, Dr. Harris was named State Supervisor of the Year by the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL).
Betsy Hart
Lead Director, Director of Programs, National Foreign Language Center, University of Maryland
Betsy Hart guides the work of the NFLC Executive Committee to provide leadership, strategic planning, and financial oversight for the center and its initiatives. She also oversees the STARTALK team on the implementation of the program’s objectives to ensure that they are conceptually on track and providing the best possible outcomes for its teachers and students. She is actively involved in STARTALK outreach activities and shares information on STARTALK programs and resources through national conference presentations and workshops. Betsy holds an undergraduate degree in Education from Marywood University, a master's degree in Business Administration from Boston University, and also completed a post‐graduate certificate program in Leadership and Management at the University of Maryland.
Baocai Jia
Executive Director, Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS)
Mr. Baocai Jia, MA and M.Ed., the Executive Director for the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS), is the 2017 recipient of the California Language Teachers Association (CLTA) SWLP Teacher Leader of the Year Award, and the 2019 recipient of CLTA Hal Wingard Lifetime Achievement Award. He currently teaches at Fremont Union High School District in California as an AP Chinese teacher and serves as the World Language Department Lead at Cupertino High School. His professional service includes the College Board's World Language Academic Advisory Committee, AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam Development Committee, and the SAT Chinese Subject Test Development Committee. Mr. Jia is on the California World Language Standards Advisory Committee, and has been serving on the California State World Language Project (CWLP) Advisory Board since 2013.
Yi Xu
President, Chinese Language Teachers Association, U.S.
Dr. Yi Xu, President of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, U.S (CLTA), holds a Ph.D. degree in Second Language Acquisition & Teaching from the University of Arizona. She is an Associate Professor of Chinese and is the Chinese Program coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been a board member for the Chinese Language Teachers Association-Western Pennsylvania Association since 2014, and has served on the Board of Directors for national CLTA since 2016. At her institution, she oversees Chinese language curriculum and practice, and facilitates the collaboration between the Chinese program and the Asian Studies Center at Pitt, a Department of Education’s Title VI National Resource Center. She is committed to promoting research-informed best practices, and is actively involved in organizing and hosting various professional development opportunities for K16 instructors both at regional and national levels. She is well-published, and her articles have appeared on major journals including Foreign Language Annals, Language Teaching Research, The Modern Language Journal, and Second Language Research.
About the Moderator
Shuhan Wang
President, ELE Consulting International
Director, Chinese Early Language and Immersion Network (CELIN) at Asia Society
Shuhan C. Wang, Ph.D. (王周淑涵) is the President of ELE Consulting International and Director of CELIN at the Asia Society (Chinese Early Language and Immersion Network). She is former Deputy Director of National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland and Executive Director for Chinese Language Initiatives at Asia Society. She is an advisor to the Ministry of Education in Singapore on the Mother Tongue and Chinese Curriculum Projects for the primary and secondary schools. She received her PhD in Educational Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania.