On January 11, 2020, USTB-DMU Confucius Institute (CI) held the New Year’s first Chinese teaching workshop.Tang Xiuping and Zhu Yinghua, volunteer teachers of the CI, shared their experience and ideas on classroom management and teaching methods, which inspired a heated discussion among their colleagues.
Pic 1 - USTB-DMU Confucius Institute at the teaching workshop
Tangpresented a list of problems that she has experienced in class and made a detailed study of them from the perspectives of “definition”, “types”, “causes” and “measures". She also shared some practical teaching activities that have facilitated her classroom management, such as “craps”, “ring toss”, etc.
Pic 2 - Tang Xiuping presenting
Zhu focused more on reflections of her own teaching experiencein the last semesterimplementing the formula of “5Cs”: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. Sheadvocated, for example, using π as a tool in number teaching, which helps with the interdisciplinary“Connection” between Chinese and mathematics. Another example is the use of the successive strokes of the character“正”to designate tallies in votes, scores, points, etc. which bridgesthe gap between “Cultures”.
Pic 3 - Zhu Yinghua presenting
Yang Yingjun, director of the CI concluded the workshop with compliments, adding that the workshop on both theory and practice would greatly benefit everybody. He hopes to see more such seminars to achieve excellence in Chinese teaching in Leicester and beyond.
(Draft: YU Yi; Revision: YANG Yingjun)
