PRECONFERENCE SESSIONS
8:45– 1:30
School Visits SOLD OUT (Advance registration required)
Chicago Public Schools will host conference attendees at selected schools throughout the district. Participants have the opportunity to visit elementary and secondary classes in the largest Chinese program in the U.S. Selected schools reflect different socioeconomic backgrounds and various student proficiency levels throughout grades K-12. These programs have a proven track record of high-quality instruction and student achievement.
Route A
Lindblom Math and Science Academy
Route B
McCormick Elementary School and Curie High School
Route C
Jackson Language Academy and
Whitney Young College Preparatory High School
Route D
Bell Elementary School and
Northside College Preparatory High School
Route E
Alcott Elementary School and
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
2:00 – 5:00
Early Language Learning Workshop SOLD OUT (Advance registration required)
Asking the Right Questions: Crafting a Plan for an Elementary School Chinese Program
Location: Indiana/Iowa, 6th Floor
Many questions confront administrators, teachers, or others who are responsible for
developing or proposing a Chinese program for elementary school children. In this
workshop, participants will focus on the right questions and crucial decisions, and will
develop strategies to guide them, as they plan Chinese programs for their local school and
community. Participants will create a framework and identify resources to help them plan
an effective and stable Chinese language program.
Workshop Leaders: Carol Ann Dahlberg, Marcia Rosenbusch
2:00 – 5:00
Exhibit Hall Open
Location: Grand Ballroom Salon III, 7th Floor
3:00 – 4:15
Preconference Session: Orientation Meeting for 2009 New Guest Teacher Host Institutions
Open only to institutions participating in the 2009 Chinese Guest Teacher Program. Continuing Education Credits are not available for this session.
Location: Michigan/Michigan State, 6th Floor
The College Board, in collaboration with Hanban and the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages, will host an orientation meeting for administrators from schools and districts hosting new guest teachers in the 2009-10 school year. The meeting will cover important topics such as: preparing for the teacher’s arrival, living arrangements, program requirements, instructional materials, and more. Participants will review the steps involved in setting up a positive working relationship with a guest teacher and ensuring the teacher’s success with students.
Speakers: Michaela Kabat, Danielle Ouimet, and Ryan Wertz
5:00
Preconference Session: Network Meeting with Current Guest Teacher Host Institutions
Open only to institutions participating in the Chinese Guest Teacher Program in the 2008-09 and/or 2009-10 school years. Continuing Education Credits are not available for this session.
Location: MIchIgan/MIchIgan State, 6th Floor
This meeting will provide an opportunity for educators from schools and districts hosting guest teachers to meet with one another. Institutions currently hosting teachers and those that will begin hosting in the 2009-10 school year are all invited to participate. Schools and districts that are hosting Chinese guest teachers in the 2008-09 school year will share their experiences, success stories, and lessons learned. Don’t miss this excellent opportunity to network with administrators from across the country and to learn about important tips for working with Chinese guest teachers to build a successful Chinese program.
Speakers: Michaela Kabat, Danielle Ouimet, and Ryan Wertz
CONFERENCE BEGINS
5:30 – 8:30
Opening Plenary
Location: Grand Ballroom Salons I and II, 7th Floor
Gaston Caperton, President, The College Board | BIO
Richard M. Daley, Mayor, City of Chicago | BIO
Robert A. Davis, Manager, World Language and International Studies, Chicago Public Schools | BIO
Vishakha N. Desai, President, Asia Society | BIO
Guest of Honor:
Xu Lin, Director General, Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters | BIO
Performances:
Xiang Gao, Concert Violinist | BIO
Student Dance Performance
Join us for the official opening event of the conference, which will set forth the vision and goals of this second annual meeting. Vishakha Desai and Gaston Caperton will open the conference. Officials from Chicago will welcome the audience to the, home of the largest K-12 Chinese language program in the United States. This evening’s guest of honor, Madam Xu Lin, will speak about Hanban and Confucius Institute initiatives that support the efforts of U.S. schools and educational institutions in teaching Chinese language and culture to American students. Participants will have the opportunity to preview a DVD on creating high-quality Chinese language programs.
After a formal sit-down dinner, Xiang Gao, a world-famous violinist, will give a performance of Western and Chinese music. The Stradivari Society of Chicago and Bein and Fushi Violin Inc. will provide a prestigious Stradivari violin for Gao to play in honor of the occasion.
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7:00-7:00 p.m.
Registration Open, 7th Floor Registration Office
7:15 – 8:30
Continental Breakfast Served in the Exhibit Hall
7:30
Exhibition Hall Open (closed during plenary sessions) | LINK
Location: Grand Ballroom Salon III, 7th Floor
8:45 – 9:45
Plenary: How to Interpret the "China Story” and What to Do With It?
Location: Grand Ballroom Salons I and II, 7th Floor
Marshall Bouton, President, Chicago Council on Global Affairs | BIO
Evan Osnos, Beijing Bureau Chief, the New Yorker Magazine | BIO
Vivien Stewart, Vice President, Education, Asia Society (moderator) | BIO
The world has undergone tremendous change in recent decades. U.S.-China relations are critical to world peace, prosperity and the health of the planet. Dr. Marshall Bouton, a distinguished policy adviser and former diplomat, will analyze China’s emergence onto the world stage and its implications for the United States. Evan Osnos, a Pulitzer prize-winning international journalist, who has been living and working in China and Asia, will offer his perspectives on the same topic. Both speakers will suggest how the general public and educators on both sides of the Pacific can engage in the rigorous dialogues necessary for developing productive and responsible global citizens.
9:50–12:15
Exhibition Hall Open
Location: Grand Ballroom Salon III, 7th Floor
10:00 – 12:15
120-Minute Breakout Sessions
(P5) Immersion Forum: Dialogue and Connections
Location: Addison, 4th Floor
The rewards of Mandarin immersion education far exceed the challenges. Participants will review techniques for finding and keeping good teachers, developing a content-based curriculum, encouraging Chinese literacy, and creating a strong community of supportive stakeholders. After the presentation, participants will work in small groups to discuss and connect on these issues as well as share resource lists and examples of materials.
Speakers: Betsy Lueth, Mimi Met, Kathleen Wang
(T6) Confronting the World Language Teacher Shortage: An Agenda for Change
Location: Clark, 4th Floor
The goal of expanding our national capacity in world languages, including Chinese, is jeopardized by a projected lack of qualified K-12 teachers. This session will promote a rigorous national discussion of the next steps required to meet the demand for Chinese language teachers. Participants will review a White Paper, co-sponsored by the National Foreign Language Center, Asia Society, and the Council of Chief State School Officers, that addresses this issue. Participants will examine national survey data dealing with various aspects of world language teacher preparation, understand obstacles to adequate teacher supply, and learn about innovative strategies to overcome them. In addition, participants will identify strategies and actions they can take to increase the supply of qualified teachers nationally and locally.
Speakers: Michael Everson, Catherine Ingold, Vivien Stewart, Shuhan Wang
10:00 – 11:00
60-Minute Breakout Sessions
(A2) The AP Chinese Language and Culture Course and Exam
Location: Armitage, 4th Floor
Participants will learn how the AP® Chinese Language and Culture course prepares students to demonstrate Chinese proficiency across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive and presentational) and the five goal areas (communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and communities) as outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. Participants will review the results and statistical analysis of previous exam administrations. They will also discuss and develop standards-based teaching practices for AP classrooms and professional development opportunities for teachers.
Speakers: Jianhua Bai, Keith Cothrun, Henry Ruan
(C1) Look First to the Standards: The Natural Starting Point for a Great Curriculum and Program!
Location: Indiana/Iowa, 6th Floor
In this session, participants will review “best practices” in curriculum design and assess linguistically and culturally rich curricula that are grounded in the National Standards. With the highlighted curricula as examples, participants will derive strategies for ways to implement the standards in both K-12 programs and in STARTALK immersion language camps. Participants will also engage in a demonstration of how teachers can remain in the target language from Day 1.
Speakers: Lucy Lee, Marcia Rosenbusch, Priscilla Russel, Rosanne Zeppieri
(F3) Writing and Winning a Grant: Examples and How-To’s
Location: Michigan/Michigan State, 6th Floor
In this session, participants will review the basic principles of grant writing and developing a proposal — from concepts and framing a program to drafting the proposal and developing a budget. Participants will learn to design an effective proposal for a foreign language program, including a realistic approach to identifying goals and outcomes. They will also discuss innovative ways of highlighting characteristics of successful foreign language programs in the proposal.
Speakers: Betsy Hart, Ann Tollefson
(O6) What’s Global Beyond World Languages? Creating a Global Context for Teaching and Learning Chinese
Location: Lincolnshire I/II, 6th Floor
Chinese, or any world language, can flourish if the right environment for global learning is cultivated in a school. In this session, participants will examine the components of an internationally focused school model and see examples of the model in practice. They will also analyze a sample Graduate Profile and list of global competencies. They will be able to use these tools to develop a plan for a more global perspective in their own school community.
Speakers: Tony Jackson, Shari Albright
(P2) Middle Schools: Program Models and Essential Qualities
Location: Purdue/Wisconsin, 6th Floor
The presenters will discuss key components to developing a successful foreign language program in middle school. Presenters will share examples of what constitutes a successful middle school Chinese program that adheres to a standards-based curriculum. Participants will develop strategies for implementing engaging hands-on learning activities and performance-based assessments activities within a backward design model.
Speakers: Rita Oleksak, Mei-Ju Hwang
(T5) Teacher Standards and Evaluation
Location: Northwestern/Ohio State, 6th Floor
In this session participants will review Hanban’s Standards for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages and its theoretical framework through an introduction of the in-progress guidebook, and will discuss its implications for assessment and teacher certification. Moreover, participants will compare these with the ACTFL/NCATE Standards for Teacher Preparation Programs and assess how today's teachers are being prepared for the K-12 classroom. Participants will examine what teachers of Chinese specifically need to know and do in order to prepare adequately to meet current instructional goals.
Speakers: Marty Abbott, Jun Liu
(X1) Choosing Instructional Materials: Challenge and Opportunity
Location: Belmont, 4th Floor
The biggest challenge for teachers of the Chinese language may be the selection of appropriate instructional materials. Using the national foreign language standards for Chinese, participants will examine the many factors that teachers and administrators need to consider when selecting textbooks and other support materials. Participants will identify selection criteria, examine material review checklists, and create usable resource lists for their classrooms in discussion.
Speakers: Carol Ann Dahlberg, Jane Lu
11:15 – 12:15
60-Minute Breakout Sessions
(A4) LinguaFolio: Can-Do Learning and Student Self-Assessment
Location: Armitage, 4th Floor
In this session, participants will learn how to use tools for documenting and improving student performance in foreign language classrooms. In particular, they will gain knowledge of LinguaFolio, a portfolio assessment instrument that integrates formal assessment data with student-generated evidence and self-assessments. Participants will also learn how to use “can-do” statements to describe what learners are able to do, and practice embedding such statements in learning goals, instructional activities and formative assessments.
Speakers: Janna Chiang, Jacque Van Houten
(C4) Teaching Culture Across the Curriculum
Location: Indiana/Iowa, 6th Floor
Chinese language programs cannot exist in a vacuum. Participants, particularly principals, department chairs, and other school administrators, will evaluate approaches to enriching all aspects of the school curriculum. Participants will also examine nationally available opportunities for teachers at funded professional development programs, both summer and academic year programs. Participants will develop model curriculum enhancements that support knowledge and interest in Chinese culture and language throughout the school community.
Speakers: Wanli Hu, Roberta Martin, Taylor Monroe, Anne Prescott
(C6) Building Communication Skills Through Content-Based Instruction
Location: Purdue/Wisconsin, 6th Floor
Participants will develop strategies for content-based instruction as derived from two immersion models, the Yinghua Academy, a K-5 Chinese school, and Sen Lin Hu, a summer language and culture immersion program for youth between the ages of 7 and 18. Through an examination of classroom examples in slides and video clips, participants will identify practical models of learning outcomes that reflect content knowledge and communication skills that can increase the amount of Chinese that their own students actively use throughout the day.
Speakers: Donna Clementi, Luyi Lien
(F5) Foreign Language Skills in the 21st Century: What’s Next?
Location: Belmont, 4th Floor
How important will foreign language skills and cultural knowledge be as we move further away from the events of 9/11? In light of advances in high-level language learning, participants will assess the potential of the new National Language Service Corps, new federal programs, and trends in industry and social services. Participants will review key research findings in advanced proficiency programs and develop strategies around this information to take back to their schools, students and colleagues.
Speakers: Richard Brecht, Bill Rivers
(G3) Strengthening Chinese Language Learning Through Educational Exchange
Location: Lincolnshire I/II, 6th Floor
Through a review of various educational exchange methods and a cost-benefit analysis, participants will examine the value of educational exchanges to language learning. Participants will evaluate exchange models for their own schools, and develop the skills to design an exchange to benefit the school community.
Participants will also assess the impact of constructive activism on the school, the community and the state.
Speakers: Charlotte Mason, Shijun Naour
(K1) Strengthening K-16 Articulation through Assessment and Placement
Location: Michigan/Michigan State, 6th Floor
Presenters will address issues of articulation across levels through effective assessment and placement. They will examine how AP credits and credit flexibility plans are used in language instruction and learning. Participants will analyze specific examples of how Chinese and other world language performance is assessed for effective placement in various instructional contexts. Session participants will depart with knowledge and resources to strengthen K-16 articulation in their own programs through effective assessment and placement.
Speakers: Jianhua Bai, Paula Patrick, Deborah W. Robinson
(P4) Chinese Language Learning Online: Yes, it can work!
Location: Northwestern/Ohio State, 6th Floor
In this session, participants will step inside a virtual classroom and a massive multiplayer game in order to experience two different approaches to online Chinese language instruction. Based on practical and proven models, participants will develop strategies to take advantage of what technology offers instead of attempting to recreate the same learning experiences from the traditional classroom. Participants will also identify free online resources for Chinese language instruction.
Speakers: Bobby Hobgood, Chun Lai, Yong Zhao
12:30 – 2:15
Luncheon Plenary: Developing Students’ Global Competence and Building Partnerships
Location: Grand Ballroom Salons I and II, 7th Floor
Jon Huntsman Jr., Governor, State of Utah | BIO
Liu Chuansheng, Chairperson, Beijing Normal University | BIO
Yu Lizhong, President, East China Normal University | BIO
Gaston Caperton, President, The College Board (moderator) | BIO
Why is it important for students to develop global competence? How do partnerships help institutions prepare students for this interconnected world? Governor Huntsman will share his experience as a Chinese language learner and talk about how his language ability has helped him as a person and in his career. He will describe his vision and initiatives for students in Utah to develop proficiency in Chinese and other critical languages. Presidents from two prominent Chinese universities, Madame Liu Chuansheng and Dr. Yu Lizhong, will talk about their efforts to produce globally competent graduates. They will share important initiatives that their universities have undertaken in recent years, and offer recommendations for partnerships with American K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.
2:30 – 6:30
Exhibition Hall Open
Location: Grand Ballroom Salon III, 7th Floor
2:30 – 3:30
Education Partnership Fair
Location: Prefunction Foyer, 7th Floor
At this special event, participants will have the opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from schools and universities in China and from U.S. education institutions. The fair will provide a rare chance for colleagues from the United States and China to meet face-to-face, exchange experiences and forge new connections. Attendees are encouraged to stroll through the area and network with fair representatives. Join us to learn about participating institutions and their programs, gather contacts and information, and explore opportunities for future collaboration and potential partnerships.
Continuing Education Units are not available for this event.
3:45 – 6:00
120-Minute Breakout Sessions
(C5) Sharing Curriculum Models
Location: Addison, 4th Floor
In this session, attendees will be introduced to innovative curriculum models for various learning settings and will learn strategies for identifying the key characteristics and benefits of each model. Participants will examine issues related to the curriculum development process and will be able to explain how backward design enhances this process by defining the key elements of the curriculum framework and the steps that lead to content-based language instruction aligned with the National Standards. In response to key questions posed by the presenters, attendees will identify innovative ways to improve the curricula for their own programs.
Speakers: Jane Lu, Marcia Rosenbusch, Wei-ling Wu
3:45 – 4:45
60-Minute Breakout Sessions
(A3) Student Learning Outcomes: How to Benchmark Student Progress
Location: Armitage, 4th Floor
In this session participants will acquire measurable benchmarks for documenting student progress on the language learning continuum. From both the Hanban Learning Standards and the ACTFL K-12 Performance Guidelines, participants will develop strategies on how to set up realistic student outcomes for their Chinese programs. Attendees will become familiar with both of these documents and learn how to build a curriculum around the descriptors of language performance. Handouts will be provided.
Speakers: Marty Abbott, Jun Liu
(F4) Language Education around the World
Location: Belmont, 4th Floor
To ensure quality and sustainable development of world language education, particularly less commonly taught languages such as Chinese, a national commitment of both priority and resources is required. Participants will learn how advocates in Australia, the United States and elsewhere, promote language policies that support the growth of Chinese and world languages education. They will also discuss how favorable policies translate into an expansion of language learning opportunities for students. Participants will strengthen their knowledge of language policy issues, and strategies for becoming better advocates for languages at a national level.
Speakers: Richard Brecht, Joseph Lo Bianco, Shuhan Wang
(G5) Chinese Schools Going Global
Location: Indiana/Iowa, 6th Floor
In this session, representatives from schools in China will share their experiences, interests and expectations in forming international collaborations. Confucius Classrooms, a new Hanban initiative, will also be introduced. Participants will learn the steps for cultivating successful school-based partnerships, as well as strategies to overcome the challenges involved. They will also have a rare opportunity to meet with counterparts from China to develop ideas of future projects on which U.S. and Chinese schools could work together.
Speakers: Chinese School Delegation Representatives, Jeff Wang (Moderator)
(K3) Producing Global Professionals: Flagship Connections
Location: Michigan/Michigan State, 6th Floor
The Language Flagship, an innovative partnership between the federal government, education and business, seeks to cultivate students into global professionals with outstanding skills in critical languages, such as Chinese. In this session participants will learn about the program’s objectives, curricula and assessment procedures. They will have an opportunity to trace how learners progress from novice to superior proficiency levels and ultimately become global professionals. By reviewing examples of how Flagship initiatives coordinate and articulate with K-12 programs, participants will develop strategies for enhancing their own Chinese programs with Flagship resources.
Speakers: Matthew Christensen, Jennifer Liu, Kun Shi
(K4) The Best of FLAP and How to Win a Grant
Location: Purdue/Wisconsin, 6th Floor
This session will provide technical assistance on how to write and win a Foreign Language Assistance Program grant. Presenters from two districts that have won FLAP grants will describe their specific projects and collaborations with higher education institutions, and a federal program specialist will provide an overview of the FLAP program and its selection criteria. Participants will learn the necessary components for writing a successful FLAP grant proposal, brainstorm responses to the selection criteria and develop a plan for establishing partnerships with other institutions.
Speakers: Mike Kelley, Rebecca Richey, Kathleen Wang
(T3) Supporting, Engaging and Supervising Chinese Guest Teachers
Location: Clark, 4th Floor
By reviewing experiences of successful visiting Chinese teacher programs nationwide, participants will learn about planning and preparation for bringing visiting teachers to start a Chinese program; building an ongoing support system that maximizes the visiting teacher’s strengths and expertise; supporting, supervising and evaluating the visiting teacher’s contributions (tips and lessons learned); and developing a transition plan for a sustainable program beyond the visiting teacher’s term. Participants will learn how to develop their own step-by-step guidelines for working with visiting Chinese teachers to achieve successful outcomes with the overall goals of the program.
Speakers: Margot Landman, Deborah W. Robinson, Duarte Silva
(T4) International Dialogue on Teacher Preparation
Location: Lincolnshire I/II, 6th Floor
In order to be successful teachers in U.S. classrooms, Chinese teachers must possess strong linguistic and cultural knowledge, as well as appropriate pedagogy and communication skills to engage students. In this session, participants will examine the experiences of U.S. and Chinese universities in using international collaborations to support teacher preparation goals and requirements. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss best practices for teacher preparation and develop ideas for future partnerships. Additionally, they will review the strategies and steps involved in establishing successful partnerships with institutions in China.
Speakers: Yong Ho, Frank Tang, Yongyi Wu
(X4) Let's Not Reinvent the Wheel: A Presentation of Free Online Materials for Chinese Language Educators
Location: Northwestern/Ohio State, 6th Floor
Participants will learn about ready-to–use, online language-learning materials that they can easily integrate into their classes, including LangNET, Read Chinese, MERLOT, and the Asia Society's online materials. Participants will also join in discussion to develop strategies for incorporating these high-quality resources into the classroom without spending hours in modifying them.
Speakers: Laura Franklin, Catherine Ingold, Grace Norman
5:00 – 6:00
60-Minute Breakout Sessions
(C3) Observing Chinese Classrooms: What Does Quality Chinese Instruction Look Like?
Location: Purdue/Wisconsin, 6th Floor
Session attendees will review observable evidence of highly effective Chinese instruction in elementary school immersion classrooms as well as in FLES and secondary school programs. Guidelines for observing these three distinct program types will be distributed and discussed so that teacher participants will be able to self-assess their practices and administrators will be able to provide enhanced support to the teachers with whom they work, thus improving the quality of instruction in their Chinese language and culture program.
Speakers: Betsey Lueth, Mimi Met, Jacque Van Houten
(F2) Policy 101: How to Get It Done – The Minnesota and Utah Experience
Location: Lincolnshire I/II, 6th Floor
Partnering state government with K-12 schools and higher education institutions takes vision and fortitude. In this session, presenters will share their firsthand experiences as advocates and partners to schools in helping them expand Chinese language and culture education, as well as insights gained into the policymaking process. Participants will review the experiences of two states to understand different paths toward building successful K-12 Chinese language programs statewide. They will assess the benefits and challenges of various approaches to policymaking and develop strategies to mobilize their own communities.
Speakers: Joan Brzezinski, Gregg Roberts
(G4) States Going Global: How to Expand World Languages in Your State
Location: Armitage, 4th Floor
For Chinese to become a commonly taught language in your state, Chinese language advocates need to promote action on a number of key education issues. Using examples of what states are doing to expand world language teaching, participants in this session will discuss necessary innovations in teacher certification, elementary school language programs, engagement of heritage communities, and use of technology to reach underserved communities. Participants will also review strategies to bring K-12 and higher education together to build capacity and proficiency, which will enable them to improve K-16 articulation for their own programs.
Speakers: Vivien Stewart, Jacque Van Houten, Deborah Robinson
(K2) STARTALK Student Programs
Location: Michigan/Michigan State, 6th Floor
Participants will assess STARTALK and the innovative programming that it has fostered. Participants will evaluate how sequential summer programs like STARTALK can complement or lead to language programs during the academic year, as well as the opportunities these programs offer for partnerships with local colleges and universities. Participants will also develop strategies for tailoring a standards-based curriculum to these summer experiences and incorporating technology into instruction for both students and teachers.
Speakers: Robert Davis, Betsy Hart, Rita Oleksak, Priscilla Russel
(O2) Making Connections with Heritage Language Communities
Location: Belmont, 4th Floor
For many years, Chinese community-based “Saturday schools” have provided language instruction for Chinese-American children and others interested in learning Chinese. Participants will discuss a number of perspectives on best practices for expanding Chinese language programs through effective collaboration with Chinese heritage organizations, public schools, and higher education. Participants will also learn about the work of two large Chinese community organizations, review relevant recommendations of the Maryland Task Force on Heritage Language Preservation, and identify resources available through various organizations.
Speakers: Catherine Ingold, Nianfa Tang, Peter Yeh
(R1) The Challenge of First and Second-Language Literacy Development in Chinese
Location: Indiana/Iowa, 6th Floor
Teaching learners of different ages and backgrounds how to read and write Chinese in the K-16 environment is a foremost challenge. In this presentation, Dr. Jerome Packard will discuss first-language (L1) literacy, based on research conducted on Chinese children learning to read and write in elementary schools in China. Dr. Michael Everson will then talk about the challenges of learning to read Chinese as a second language (L2), and will present L2 research results, and implications for literacy acquisition and instruction. Participants will discuss how these results can be applied to different classroom environments and how it impacts their own students.
Speakers: Michael Everson, Jerry Packard
(T2) Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn: Recruitment, Retention and Professional Develoent for Chinese Language Teachers
Location: Northwestern/Ohio, 6th Floor
Explore ways to recruit and support Chinese language teachers with appropriate, relevant professional development programs. Participants will evaluate several tools for recruiting and engaging Chinese language teachers for American schools. They will also identify the key stages in the "life-cycle" of a career teacher and analyze contrasting models of teacher support as they are used both overseas and in the United States. Participants will evaluate case studies of mentoring practices, as well as an effective, regional model for providing professional teacher development. Finally, they will develop strategies to apply and adapt these practices in their own local settings.
Speakers: Frank Lixing Tang, Duarte Silva, Wanli Hu
(X2) Using Film and Multimedia in the Classroom
Location: Clark, 4th Floor
Participants will examine and assess how three very different applications of technology can be incorporated into the foreign language classroom to improve instruction and student learning. The first addresses the needs of non-specialist teachers who would like to introduce their students to China's language and culture. The second focuses on a new suite of highly motivational and interactive multimedia material for use in Chinese language classrooms. And the third is a documentary about an American learner in Beijing and his exploration of Chinese society through humor.
Speakers: Cyndy Ning, Yong Zhao
6:00
Exhibition Hall closes for the evening
6:15 – 7:30 optional evening program
Film Screening: My Beijing Birthday
Location: Clark, 4th Floor
My Beijing Birthday is a 52-minute documentary that takes a heartfelt and humorous look at the rapidly changing lives of a group of young Beijingers through the eyes of an American, Howie Snyder. The story shows the group as 8-year-olds in 1996 studying Chinese stand-up comedy, xiangsheng, with Howie and their teacher Mrs. Ma. We visit the group again in 2008 as they reflect on their lives and their new dreams for the future. In My Beijing Birthday, Howie breaks through language and cultural barriers to show us how these children — and Beijingers in general — are a lot like his fellow, native New Yorkers: rough on the outside, but tender on the inside. This film can help students better understand modern-day life in China as well as show them that it is possible for a non-Chinese person to become proficient in the language. The audience will have the opportunity to meet and chat with Howie Snyder in person.
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7:00 –12:00
Registration Open
Location: 7th Floor, Foyer
7:15 – 8:30
Continental Breakfast Served in the Exhibit Hall
7:15 – 9:45
Exhibition Hall Open | LINK
Location: Grand Ballroom Salon III, 7th Floor
8:45 – 11:00
120-Minute Breakout Sessions
(O3) Confucius Institutes as Resources
Location: Addison, 4th floor
In this session participants will review the latest developments of Confucius Institutes around the globe and their overall strategic plan. Participants will also examine the major functions and accomplishments of affiliated universities, schools, and communities. Participants will assess progress and make recommendations for future collaborations, initiatives and projects. Through this international dialogue, participants will identify resources available to their own Chinese language programs and develop plans to integrate resources to enrich and strengthen their existing programs.
Speakers: Robert Davis, Xu Lin, Jun Liu, Stewart Wachowicz, Yong Zhao
8:45 – 9:45
60-Minute Breakout Sessions
(A1) Creating Performance Assessment Tasks
Location: Armitage, 4th Floor
How do I design from the Standards with performance as the goal? What does performance assessment for transfer look like? This workshop guides participants through a model protocol, aligning backward design specifically with the National Standards (5Cs). Teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators will learn how to design performance assessments with the communicative modes.This workshop is hands-on and interactive with presentation, examples, and discussion. Participants will leave with tools to continue thematic unit and performance assessment design work in their schools.
Speaker: Jennifer Eddy
(C2) Issues in Chinese Language Instruction
Location: Purdue/Wisconsin, 6th Floor
Through a discussion of issues in language instruction, participants will learn characteristics of well-crafted lesson and unit plans and analyze samples of both. They will also develop practical strategies to address challenges in Chinese language instruction, such as how to teach oral language fluency, how to teach reading in characters, and how to make learning more enjoyable for students.
Speakers: Donna Clementi, Wei-ling Wu
(G2) Summer Study in China Programs: Two Different Roadmaps for Success
Location: Lincolnshire I/II, 6th Floor
In this session participants will learn how two very different but highly successful study-in-China programs can provide enhanced learning opportunities and life-changing experiences to students through intensive language classes, home-stay immersion, and technology learning. Through such opportunities students can gain intercultural competence as they engage in a “negotiation of difference” and value other perspectives. Participants will examine how a home-stay can be potentially more meaningful for high school students because it connects them to local realities. Participants will evaluate the advantages of different program types and develop ideas for integrating similar experiences into their own Chinese programs.
Speakers: Dali Tan, Elisa Liang
(P1) Elementary School Program Models: Defining the Essentials
Location: Michigan/Michigan State, 6th Floor
World Language programs at the elementary school level vary widely in design, outcomes, and longevity. In this session participants identify the key elements to build an enduring and high-quality elementary school Chinese program. By clarifying the essential characteristics of such programs and identifying resources for planning and implementing programs, participants will collaborate to develop plans for enhancing existing elementary school Chinese programs and for envisioning future programs.
Speakers: Carol Ann Dahlberg, Marcia Rosenbusch
(P3) High Schools: Program Models and Essential Qualities
Location: Clark, 4th floor
This session will highlight the qualities critical for a well-articulated high school Chinese curriculum. Presenters will discuss Fairfax County’s Chinese Pacing Guide and Boston’s Scope and Sequence for developing language functions, structures, and character production. Attendees will learn how to use performance assessment and guide teacher expectations to affect outcomes, and will have an opportunity to analyze student writing samples that are representative of a well-articulated curriculum.
Speakers: Yu-Lan Lin, Paula Patrick
(R2) Sticky Messages on the Benefits of Language Learning
Room: Belmont, 4th Floor
Do you need concrete, research-based results to convince community stakeholders to support or expand your current language programs? Presenters will show how today's programs support 21st-century skills and enhance our nation's economic competitiveness and security. Participants will learn effective strategies for how to advocate for research-based programs that correlate language learning to cognitive, academic and attitudinal benefits.
Speakers: Kimberly Kirkendall, Deborah Robinson, Chengbin Yin
(T1) Designing an Effective STARTALK Teacher Program: Successful Models
Location: Indiana/Iowa, 6th Floor
Through the testimony of veterans of STARTALK’s highly regarded summer programs for teachers of Chinese and other critical languages, participants will develop the practical skills to design and implement effective teacher training programs. Participants will also review the most current information on STARTALK opportunities for Chinese teachers, STARTALK’s criteria for successful teacher programs, and have the opportunity to join the STARTALK mailing list for further updates.
Speakers: Mary Curran, Catherine Ingold, Jennifer Liu
(X3) Language Learning Through Technology: Tools for Chinese Language Learning
Location: Northwestern/Ohio State, 6th Floor
Preparing students to be global citizens means using a variety of technological tools to meet the needs of 21st- century learners. In this session, participants will review ways in which educators can reach students by tapping into the ways in which students already use technology in social settings. Participants will develop strategies for integrating technology into online and brick-and-mortar classrooms in order to create virtual learning experiences.
Speakers: Bobby Hobgood, Tianwei Xie
10:00 – 11:00
60-Minute Breakout Sessions
(C7) Active Approaches to Positive Results - Engaging Learning in Chinese Classrooms
Location: Clark, 4th Floor
Through a panel presentation, followed by interactive discussion, participants will explore the elements crucial to effective classroom teaching and learning, and examine how best to put these elements into place in the classroom. The session will provide practical and effective instructional tips from the perspectives of professionalism and better practices for the following: motivation for success; creating supports; scaffolding learning process; and classroom management. Participants will discuss and develop strategies for promoting active approaches to engage student learning and build teachers’ skills and confidence.
Speakers: Haiyan Fu, Wei-ling Wu
(G1) Opportunities for Growth: Educator Exchanges and Professional Development in China
Location: Northwestern/Ohio State, 6th Floor
A successful Chinese language and culture program has several essential ingredients, including cultivating well-qualified teachers and garnering the support of school and district leadership. In this session, participants will learn about programs and resources for educators, including opportunities for teacher professional development and immersion experiences, programs for administrators to join delegations to China, and more. Participants will analyze the value of different types of programs to determine which may be most appropriate for themselves and their schools, and develop strategies to utilize such experiences to improve program success.
Speakers: Carol Chen-Lin, Sylvia Crowder, Petya Mattys
(G6) Lessons Learned from Abroad: Strategies for Developing a Comprehensive Pre-K-12 Chinese Language Program
Location: Lincolnshire I/II, 6th Floor
This session will provide a road map for the development and articulation of a pre-K-12 Chinese Language program. As a model, participants will evaluate the ongoing experience of high-performing international schools located within predominantly English-speaking countries in Asia. Based on these schools’ significant history of integrating a comprehensive, standards-based approach to Chinese language education within their curriculum, participants will discuss lessons learned and extrapolate best practices. They will develop strategies to apply these practices to their own schools and learn how to utilize approaches such as the setting of Philosophy and Goals; Organizational Structures to Support Multileveled Approaches to Language Development; Curriculum Framework and Instructional Practices; and Varied Assessment Procedures.
Speakers: Theodore S. Faunce, Yan Jin, Wenhong Zhu
(O4) Partnering with Business and Community to Expand Student Learning Opportunities
Location: Michigan/Michigan State, 6th Floor
Students may seek, but not know where to find, opportunities to apply their knowledge of Chinese language and culture in real-life settings. Partnerships with business, government and community organizations can open up doors for students to participate in internships, study abroad, and more. In this session, participants will learn proven strategies and practical approaches for collaborating with businesses and other entities to extend student learning beyond the classroom. Participants will evaluate the benefits of such collaborations and learn how they can cultivate key relationships in order to develop new work and study opportunities for their students.
Speakers: Robert Davis, Kimberly Kirkendall
(O5) Opening the Door to Language Learning: Chinese in After-School and Summer Programs
Location: Belmont, 4th Floor
After-school and summer programs can jump-start language learning in a variety of ways and help connect learners to new content, contexts and communities. In this session, participants will review elementary and secondary Chinese after-school programs across the country and develop strategies and resources to complement school-based language instruction. Participants will learn how to improve their after-school program by exposing students to a new language and helping them use it in authentic ways.
Speakers: Alexis Menten, Kristin Hayden, Wei Liu
(O7) Attitudes Toward Learning Chinese: Students, Parents, and Teachers
Location: Purdue/Wisconsin, 6th Floor
To address a significant gap in the knowledge of how students best learn languages at the elementary school level, the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center at Iowa State University is conducting a longitudinal research study of K-2 non-intensive Chinese Foreign Language in Elementary School programs in two Midwest urban school districts. Surveys were designed and administered in three treatment schools, which are implementing the same Chinese FLES curriculum, and in two control schools with no Chinese FLES or other World Language program. Through a presentation of the results from the first year of the survey, participants will learn about the impact of the Chinese FLES program on attitudes of kindergarten students, parents and teachers toward Chinese language and culture, and will recognize the benefits of and develop strategies for implementing or expanding Chinese FLES in their own schools.
Speakers: Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch, Claudia Navarro Villarroel, Peifeng Zhang
(R3) Setting the research agenda for teaching and learning Chinese
Location: Armitage, 4th Floor
Presenters will offer a review of Chinese L2 pedagogy research, including implications for practitioners. Then, participants will engage in a dialogue to share ideas on where the field should be headed in its research interests, and will assist in formulating research questions with the presenters. Participants will then discuss how the questions will best be answered. Session participants will learn about current research in Chinese L2 pedagogy, and will develop hypothesis-testing skills that will enable them to perform simple research in Chinese L2 classrooms.
Speakers: Jennifer Liu, Jerome Packard
(T7) Chinese Language Teacher Preparation Programs: Experiences Gained and Lessons Learned
Location: Indiana/Iowa, 6th Floor
In this session participants will identify the critical issues confronted by those training Chinese language teachers for the classroom. Through a review of two models for teacher preparation, participants will assess the balance between theory and practice in these strategies for the training of teachers and the advantages of integrating graduate course work into a school practicum. Participants will develop approaches to meet the unique needs of teacher candidates from various backgrounds and to train them for work with heritage and non-heritage language speakers. Participants will evaluate the importance of helping teacher candidates to understand cultural differences between the U.S. and China. From these various elements, participants will be able to improve their own teacher preparation programs and identify strategies to respond to teacher candidates’ potential needs.
Speakers: Mary Curran, Frank Lixing Tang, Juefei Wang
11:15 – 12:15
Closing Plenary: World Language Education Around the World: What Can We Learn from One Another?
Location: Grand Ballroom Salons I and II, 7th Floor
Jun Liu, Professor and Head, Department of English, Director of Confucius Institute, the University of Arizona | BIO
Joseph Lo Bianco, Associate Dean, Global Relations and Knowledge Transfer,
and Chair, Language and Literacy Education, the University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education | BIO
Shuhan C. Wang, Executive Director, Chinese Language Initiatives, Asia Society | BIO
Peter Negroni, Senior Vice President of Relationship Development, The College Board (moderator) | BIO
Shuhan Wang will share preliminary data of 2008 National K-12 Foreign Language Survey from the Center for Applied Linguistics. Dr. Wang will also show data comparing when the U.S. and other countries begin to offer a second language in elementary and secondary schools. Dr. Jun Liu will respond by describing foreign language education policy and practice in China, as well as Chinese government’s effort in promoting Chinese as a world language globally. Dr. Joseph Lo Bianco will draw upon his experience in developing national language policy in Australia and his work throughout the world to discuss how different countries promote the study of another language through educational systems. Dr. Wang will share the current status of Chinese as a world language in the United States.
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