Buffalo, NY--As part of its ongoing effort to build capacity in local schools to teach Chinese language and culture, the Confucius Institute at the University at Buffalo(UBCI) held a 3-day workshop for teachers on June 27, 28, and 30, 2011. The workshop was attended by (1) Chinese language teachers currently teaching in Western and Central New York State;(2) guest teachers from the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) in China;(3) students interested in obtaining certification to teach Chinese in New York State; and (4) Confucius Institute staff from the University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, and Alfred University.

The agenda was designed so the workshop would be beneficial for experienced Chinese language teachers from the United States and China, as well as for aspiring language teachers.

Dr. Lynne Yang, Clinical Associate Professor in UB's Graduate School of Education, opened the workshop with a presentation on the latest theories and best practices on second language acquisition. Dr. Yang introduced participants to various approaches to language teaching popularized over the past several decades and led them in discussion about how these approaches could be relevant in their Chinese classes. Over the course of her two-day presentation, Dr. Yang evaluated the importance of "structure based," "comprehension-based," "interaction/conversation-based," "content-based," "developmental," and "form-focused" approaches to second language education.

On the afternoon of the first day, Dr. Zuyan Chen, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature and director of the Confucius Institute for Chinese Opera at Binghamton University, spoke on ways to integrate learningabout Chinese culture into the language classroom. Following Dr. Chen's talk, Hong Zhang, Director of the Song of Silk at Binghamton's Confucius Institute, lectured on how Chinese language can be best taught and learned through songs and led the entire group in energetic singing. Dr. Chen stressed the value of singing in developing students' pronunciation, vocabulary, voice projection, and language expression, and in increasing their appreciation for Chinese music.

Day 2 of the workshop began with the second part of Dr. Lynne Yang's presentation. In the afternoon, Chinese language teachers from Buffalo Public Schools gave demonstration lessons in which they shared some of their most successful classroom strategies with workshop participants. The presenting teachers were Ming Yu of Stanley M. Makowski Early Childhood Center, Rong Yan of Frederick Law Olmsted School, and ShueZheng of City Honors School.

The June 30 session addressed how the federal government, state governments, boards of education, and teachers unions help shape education policy and funding levels. Among the topics discussed were teacher tenure, resource allocation at the local level, federal programs like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, standardized testing, and teacher evaluation. The presenters for this final session were Dr. Thomas Ramming, Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy in UB's Graduate School of Education and Dr. Theresa Lawrence, Director of Instruction for Clarence Central Schools and Adjunct Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at UB.

According to University at Buffalo Confucius Institute Executive Director Wenzhong (Eric) Yang, "This successful workshop will be of great value to participating teachers and their schools and districts as they work to strengthen and expand the teaching of Chinese language and culture throughout Western New York. Everyone benefitted from presentations by leading expertsin the field and from the interaction among experienced local teachers, Hanban guest teachers, and students preparing for careers as Chinese language teachers."

The Confucius Institute at the University at Buffalo is a collaborative effort of the University at Buffalo, the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), and Capital Normal University in Beijing, one of UB's long-time partner institutions in China. Part of an international network of over 350 Confucius Institutes worldwide, UBCI is dedicated to promoting the teaching of Chinese language and culture in Western New York and furthering the understanding of contemporary China. Major funding is provided by Hanban and the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information about the Confucius Institute at the University at Buffalo, contact Dr. Eric Yang at wenzhong@buffalo.edu or (716) 645-7919.