In mid-November, the 2018 “Confucius Institute Headquarters Training Program for British Chinese Language Teachers” was held in London and Manchester.
The training sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters and organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters UK Representative Office aimed to meet the ever growing demand for Chinese language learning in the UK since the implementation of the MEP (Mandarin Excellence Programme). It was also aimed at further enhancing the professionalism and vocational skills of local Chinese teachers in the UK, and building a learning platform on which local Chinese teachers can share resources and experience and interact with each other, thus promoting the vigorous development of Chinese language teaching in the UK.
The 2018 “Confucius Institute Headquarters Training Program for British Chinese Language Teachers” held in London
The training was well received by local Chinese teachers, attracting far more applicants than the original quota. One hundred and thirty-five local Chinese teachers from major primary and secondary schools as well as universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland participated in the training held in London and Manchester.
Counselor Xia Jianhui, training instructors and the head of the Confucius Institute Headquarters UK Representative Office
Xia Jianhui, Counselor of the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, attended the training and delivered a speech, hoping that the teachers would cherish the opportunity and continuously hone their Chinese language teaching and cross-cultural communication skills. He said the Chinese Embassy in the UK and the Confucius Institute Headquarters would continue to support professional training and development of local Chinese language teachers.
Prof. Ding Anqi from East China Normal University giving a lecture
Trainees acknowledged the effectiveness of the thematic lectures, including the lecture on “Chinese Phonetics Pedagogy Designed for Native English Speakers” given by Prof. Ding Anqi, Deputy Director of the International College of Chinese Studies of East China Normal University, and the lectures on “Discovery and Utilization of Cultural Teaching Resources and on Design of Cultural Teaching in Chinese Language Teaching” given by Prof. Li Min from the School of Chinese Language and Literature of Beijing Foreign Studies University. Through the lectures, instructors introduced solid professional knowledge and practical classroom teaching skills for trainees.
The training progressed in a lively atmosphere full of interactions between instructors and trainees and even brief breaks brought in exchange of knowledge.
Chinese teachers listening to the lectures
At the same time, this year’s training involved both Chinese and British experts. In addition to experts from China, Dr. Song Lianyi, Director of the Chinese Department of the School of Oriental and African Studies of University of London and also a senior local Chinese teaching expert in the UK, Dr. Chen Lili from the School of East Asian Studies of University of Sheffield, and Dr. Yang Jun, the only Chinese consultant of the Primary and Secondary Educational Reform Committee of the Department for Education in the UK were also invited and shared some down-to-earth stories and experiences which echoed those of the trainees. Besides, the Confucius Institute Headquarters UK Representative Office and the Chinese Proficiency Test UK Committee also provided an informative special promotion of the Chinese textbooks and Chinese exams for the trainees. (cited from Confucius Institute Headquarters, source: Confucius Institute Headquarters UK Representative Office)
