From 16-20 March 2019, the first session of Professional Competence Training for International Chinese Teaching Instructors from the Open University of China (OUC) in 2019 was held at the OUC Convention Centre. It was attended by 32 teachers from the OUC headquarters and 15 branches nationwide.
The purpose of the training was to cultivate and improve the international cooperation abilities and qualities of teachers in the OUC system, build a professional teaching team for the preparatory work of developing the International Chinese Language Education undergraduate major, and create opportunities for the facilitation of professional collaboration between the teachers at the OUC headquarters and its branches. Through the training event, this year, the OUC will also select Chinese language instructors to be sent to teach at the Confucius Institute of Michigan State University(CI-MSU) in the United States with government sponsorship.
Yang Xiaotang, OUC vice president, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Yang Xiaotang introduced the overall work plan for the internationalised school running of the OUC, the establishment of the world's first online Confucius Institute, and the construction of overseas learning centres in countries along the route of the Belt and Road Initiative, the development process for the International Chinese Language Education undergraduate major, and the further improvement of the development direction of the OUC’s teaching system. It is hoped that through study and in-depth exchanges, a team of teachers with excellent morality and professional abilities will be created.
Group photo of the OUC 1911 class of professional competence training for international Chinese teaching instructors
The five-day training consisted of four parts: courses related to International Chinese Language Education, a written examination, interviews, and trial teaching. Professors Yang Defeng and Zhang Ying from Peking University, Professors Jiang Liping and Cheng Juan and associate professors Zhang Hui and Liang Yanmin from Beijing Language and Culture University, and Professor Liang Yu from the Higher Education Publishing House all shared their knowledge and experience of edge-cutting Chinese language teaching in terms of Chinese language knowledge (pronunciation, vocabulary, Chinese characters, and grammar), teaching skills, cultural education and intercultural communicative competencies, international Chinese language teaching design, classroom organisation and management, the general situation of international Chinese language teaching, and the professional accomplishments of teachers. The participating teachers all said that they benefited a lot from the training.
In order to assess the training results and select Chinese language teachers to be sent to the United States, written examinations, interviews, and lectures were arranged at the end of the course. The participants were unanimous in their opinion that the five-day study was intense and enriching, and the selection exam really tested their knowledge and level from different perspectives. Teachers from different professional backgrounds took this opportunity to learn and communicate with each other and forged deep friendships. What is really impressive is that "There is no limit to study and the OUC is like a family for all teachers.”
By Cui Jiaxing, OUC