By Jerry Tian
Cardigan Mountain School, New Hampshire
The FIFA World Cup—the ultimate stage for soccer teams around the globe—takes place every four years, and is for some Chinese fans the only reason they'll turn on their televisions. Most fans are either diehard fans like my brother, who won't miss any matches of their favorite teams; or they are "fake" fans who simply want to see those handsome, muscular, and exotic-looking soccer stars; and, of course, there are gamblers who wish to steal a fortune.
In any case, it seems no one is willing to miss the best soccer tournament ever created, the "war between countries during peacetime." But why were so many Chinese fans in the bleachers, accompanied by many Chinese advertisements on the boards around the field, when the Chinese team wasn’t even on the field? Fans could simply turn on the TV and enjoy the matches from a better angle, right? Here’s my take. »
Photo credit: China Daily/VCG
TEQ: Toward Instructional Excellence
The Impact of the Internet—Catherine Zhong's High School Chinese Class
In this new addition to our library of TEQ videos, Catherine Zhong—Chinese language teacher at Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School in New York—helps her 11th and 12th-grade students discuss the impact of the internet and express opinions on students' use of it.
With more and more schools interested in establishing or expanding Chinese language and immersion programs, the need for identifying, recruiting, and supporting Chinese language teachers is increasing. One of the useful sources for Chinese language teachers is Chinese language teachers from abroad. The issues are complex, and the paths are complicated, but the rewards can be enormous with regard to having an international Chinese language teacher in your school and community. For this reason, CELIN invited Stacy Lyon, Director of the Utah Chinese Dual Language Immersion Program, to develop a Brief on this topic: Recruiting and Supporting International Chinese Language Teachers in U.S. K–12 Programs.
With the number of Chinese language programs increasing significantly across the United States, teachers are needed! A 2017 survey by the American Councils for International Education reports that approximately 1,144 high schools and school districts offer Chinese classes to over 46,727 students; CELIN reports that there were more than 330 Chinese dual language immersion programs in U.S. public and private K–8 schools in 2017, up from 61 programs in 2011. Lyon describes important factors to consider when deciding whether to hire international teachers, processes that new and existing programs can follow, and ways that these teachers can be supported so that they, and everyone in the program, are successful. The Appendices provide a valuable list of organizations that connect schools with Chinese international teachers, types of visas that can be obtained, and guiding questions that new and existing programs can use to guide their process of recruiting, hiring, and supporting international teachers.
These CELIN Briefs have also been published recently:
Key Features of Effective Chinese Language Programs: A CELIN Checklist
Learning Chinese in the Digital Age
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for Elementary Chinese and Immersion Programs
Parents as Partners in Their Children’s Chinese Immersion Education: Making Decisions and Providing Support
The Global Ambassadors Language Academy (GALA) is an independent public charter school in Cleveland, Ohio. Opened in 2016, GALA is a Mandarin and Spanish immersion school, which serves students in grades K–8, and it is the only Mandarin immersion school in Ohio. GALA expects to grow to more than 500 students by 2023. Read about its amazing journey.
Find Chinese Language Programs for Students and Teachers
CELIN continues to collect information about Chinese programs for students and for prospective teachers. It only takes a few minutes to provide information about programs you are involved with or know about.
The politics between the United States and China have always been complicated. In a recent EdWeek blog post, Doug Young—an award-winning teacher, coach, and consultant—shares how the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for State Social Studies Standards, can provide an inquiry framework to help students deepen their understanding of this complex and critical relationship.
News and Opportunities from the Field
NCLC 2019: Please save the date for next year's National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC), which will be hosted in San Diego, California May 9–11, 2019. We look forward to having you join us! NCLC provides a high-profile platform for sharing new ideas and best practices in the fields of Chinese language teaching and learning, Chinese arts and culture, and U.S.–China educational exchange.
2018 Chinese Bridge Delegation: The College Board is pleased to announce this weeklong program in China to help educators start or strengthen their institution's Chinese programs and partnerships. K–12 district administrators, school leaders, and other education decision-makers will participate in school visits, cultural activities, and interactive workshops. Application Deadline: August 27, 2018.
Teacher Training Opportunity: The Center for International Foreign Language Teacher Education (CIFLTE) at Teachers College, Columbia University provides state-of-the-art training in foreign language pedagogy. In collaboration with Columbia University's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Weatherhead East Asian Institute, the Center is still accepting applications for the TCSOL one-year teacher training program in New York City. Deadline for those who do not need visa sponsorship: August 31, 2018.
Teaching for Global Competence: The Center for Global Education’s series of self-paced, online courses on teaching for global competence are open for the summer quarter! Get started on your summer PD and learn about tools that can be easily applied in your learning environment, and activities and best practices for use in the classroom and in out-of-school time. Try the introduction to global competence course for free!
Franklin R. Buchanan Prize: The Association for Asian Studies invites submissions for the Franklin R. Buchanan Prize, awarded annually to recognize an outstanding curriculum publication on Asia designed for any educational level, elementary through university. Deadline: November 1, 2018.
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