Teacher Profile: Zhang Qiong, Hengyang RTVU: Creating a Wonderful Life Through Teaching

The power of a teacher derives from a noble morality, loyalty to teaching as a career, and unselfish affection for his or her students. Zhang Qiong started her teaching career at Hengyang Radio and Television University (Hengyang RTVU) after graduating from college in 2003. Over the past 15 years, she has been deeply involved in both her teaching and in teaching reform and management. Highly motivated, her goals are to apply teaching theory to her practical work and to constantly improve her political literacy.

She is enthusiastic in her devotion to education, and rigorous in her approach to teaching.

Zhang Qiong has taught a variety of courses: Chinese Language and Culture, Pre-School Education, Primary-School Education and Secretarial Science, as well as courses such as Modern Chinese, Ancient Literature, Contemporary Chinese Literature, Reading and Writing, and Huxiang Culture. On the practical side, she has established connections with enterprises to guide student fieldwork activities. Because of this, Zhang Qiong is regarded as an excellent “dual teaching” core teacher.

Zhang Qiong is highly conscientious in her lesson planning, keeps strong control of the pace of a class, and is good at stimulating student interest. In her classes she focuses on interaction, following the student-centred teaching approach, and makes constant adjustments to her teaching to achieve the best possible results.

In addition, Zhang Qiong attaches great importance to professional development. She prepares carefully for each class, constantly brings in new materials, and motivates the students to be both active in class and rigorous in their attitude to learning. She has had great results, and gained the recognition of both colleagues and students.

In her view, it is important to focus on innovation and reform in teaching.

Zhang Qiong makes use of all the teaching resources available in her at the OUC, and keeps students engaged through methods such as group discussion, case studies, videos and role-play, doing her best to boost the creative thinking of her students and keep classes energetic and efficient.

In addition to her teaching achievements, Zhang Qiong is actively involved in research and other teaching-related activities. She has presided over a key project at Hunan RTVU; participated in a key provincial-level IT project for Hunan Province called “Famous Teacher Lectures”, and three municipal projects; has had ten papers on teaching reform published in key national journals; made two patent application, one for a Chinese-character combination device, the other for a reading machine; has been a co-applicant on three other applications; and has been responsible for compiling a practical-writing textbook and a book on modern Chinese, while participating in compiling four Chinese-teaching textbooks. She also won first prize at the first session of the Hengyang RTVU micro-lecture contest; has been named a “Top Ten Exemplary Teacher”and “Advanced Educator”, been given an award for organisation and guidance during the“My OUC Learning Story”speech contest, and gained several top municipal-level professional assessments.

Her goal is to serve students with heart and promote their healthy growth.As class councilor, Zhang Qiong offers her students more than just teaching guidance, but also help with their planning and overall growth. For example, she learned a girl in the 2012 class was solitary,depressed and indifferent to her studies because of the hard life she lived with her grandmother after the loss of her parents. Ms. Zhang began paying more attention to this girl, helping her access support from the university, and giving her encouragement and assistance with her studies. Her warmth and affection changed the girl considerably; she became studious, and passed the teacher-qualification examination that led her to finding a good job in Guangzhou. There is no shortage of such examples. Zhang Qiong believes that a good educator needs not only learning and skills, but also affection and love.

She works to continually improve herself.

Zhang Qiong has been participating in all kinds of ongoing teacher-training at both the provincial and municipal levels. Among other qualifications, she has been named an Intel instructor in Hunan province and an interviewer of prospective primary and secondary-school teachers in Hengyang city. She also writes essays in her spare time, and has published about 50 of them on the websites of the university, the municipal education bureau, and the provincial RTVU.

Throughout her teaching career, particularly as an OUC teacher, Zhang Qiong has been deeply aware of the importance of ongoing learning as a way of keeping up with changing teaching models and new reforms. She has a lasting affection for her profession, and this is what has enabled her to live a wonderful life as a teacher.