Plenary Sessions

At the 2021 National Chinese Language Conference, we are thrilled to feature 3 INSPIRING & THOUGHT-PROVOKING PLENARIES. You would be inspired by a carefully curated lineup of leading experts and pioneers in Chinese language education. You will also hear stories of success, struggle and best practices from Chinese language programs and traditional and non-traditional classrooms.

Opening Remarks by The Honorable Kevin Rudd

Plenary One—Innovating the Traditional Classroom: Lessons learned from Online Instruction 

Thursday, April 15 from 6:00-7:00 PM ET

In March 2020, across the United States and around the world, teachers made the abrupt shift from the traditional classroom to online and hybrid instruction. Throughout the pandemic, it has been teachers that have led the way- innovating new ways of learning, engaging students in online and hybrid formats, and helping their students achieve despite external challenges. These innovations will last and become part of our standard practice moving forward. This panel will discuss how teachers have led the innovation of Chinese language education in online and hybrid learning and what tools will be integrated into the traditional classroom. How will new innovations impact the field? 

Moderator 

• Pamela Delfosse, World Language and International Education Consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Speakers 

• Mary Ann Durso, Mandarin Chinese Teacher & Technology Coordinator at Mitchell Elementary School
• Jihua Song, Professor, School of Artificial Intelligence at Beijing Normal University; Director, Language and Literacy Resources Research Center at BNU
• Ping Wu, Chinese Teacher at Columbus School for Girls
• Yixiu (Karen) Zhou, Founder of @Chilling Chinese

Plenary Two—Moving Beyond Novice Level Chinese 

Friday, April 16 from 6:00-7:00 PM ET 

Chinese language programs often do well in attracting novice Chinese learners, but after one or two years, students need to feel success and growth in order to continue in the program. Are they getting beyond the Novice level? How do we move beyond the basics and spark both the interest and confidence needed for students to enter the intermediate and advanced range? How do we use authentic resources, discussion and intentional skill building to achieve this aim? 

Moderator 

• Ying Jin, Teacher of Chinese at Cupertino High & Homestead High; ACTFL Board of Directors; Past President of CLASS; ACTFL 2018 National Language Teacher of the Year

Speakers 

• Matt Coss, Adjunct Faculty Instructor at The George Washington University; Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Specialist at National Foreign Language Center (University of Maryland)
• Lise Olsen-Dufour, Chinese Teacher at Grandview High School; Co-chair of AP Chinese Development Committee
• Vicky Wang, Chinese Language Teacher at The St. Paul's Schools; VP of CLASS; Co-Founder of Courageous Dialogues with Chinese Educators
• Hongming Zhang, Professor of Chinese Linguistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison; President, International Association of Chinese Linguistics

Plenary Three—Equity in Chinese Language Education 

Saturday, April 17 from 11:00 AM-12:00 PM ET 

In March 2020, COVID-19 severely interrupted and disrupted entire education systems around the globe. As school systems addressed the pandemic, vast inequity issues were discovered- students without access to the Internet, laptops, or even the basic resources needed to engage in online learning. This panel will look at the root causes of equity issues in education, how it impacts the Chinese language education field, and what Chinese teachers and school leaders can do to address it. 

Moderator

• Tony Jackson, Vice President, Education; Director, Center for Global Education at Asia Society

Speakers 

• Eddie Conger, Superintendent, International Leadership of Texas
• Sue Park, Head of School, Yu Ming Charter School
• Bonnie Wang, Chinese Teacher at Durham Academy; Co-founder of Courageous Dialogues with Chinese Educators
• Xiaorong Zhou, SCSU Research Scholar; Turquoise International Education Director

Check back here later for more exciting updates about the Plenaries at NCLC 2021. Meanwhile, if you'd like to refresh your memory from the last year's plenary sessions, don't forget to catch up on the recap with recorded videos and materials in the below links.

Recap of NCLC 2020 Plenary One—Innovation During a Time of Change: Teaching Strategies and Instruction

Read more about this plenary and its speakers

Recap of NCLC 2020 Plenary Two—Authentic Materials in Traditional and Virtual Chinese Language Instruction

Read more about this plenary and its speakers