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The Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota (CIUMN) was the site of the recent Chinese Language Teachers of Minnesota Conference. In years past, this annual conference had been hosted by Margaret Wong at
The half-day conference began at
The formal part of the conference began promptly at
In her opening remarks, Ms. Wong thanked Ms. Brzezinski for hosting the conference and stated “How fortunate we are to have such an organization right in our midst.” She then noted that CIUMN is acollaborative initiative between the
Wong then introduced Brzezinski to comment further on CIUMN. According to Brzezinski, CIUMN is one of 40 Confucius Institutes in the
Since the stated mission of CUIMN is to promote the study of Chinese language and culture throughout
Before continuing her presentation, Brzezinski, took a survey of the group to get an idea of the origins of the teachers and there appeared to be a fair representation of mainland
China Insight was also invited to speak to the group regarding a listing of Chinese language schools in
The next item on the agenda was a presentation of the types of resources and proposed programs for teachers which will include a mentor program along with access to CIUMN’s library. Within the library, teachers will have access to books, DVDs, CDs, teaching aids flash cards,posters, maps, etc. Much of this material has been created by Hanban and is also available for purchase directly from them. To demonstrate the type of material being offered, the group was shown an interactive poster that responds to a pointer with audio answers.
(insertphoto of poster)
Also to be developed is a curriculum for Chinese holidays and special events. There also will be resources and programs for schools that will assist administrators in starting a Chinese language program,creation of a school exchange network with counter parts in
To assist teachers in their professional development, CIUMN will sponsor summer workshops, lectures/seminars and training workshops both in
According to Brzezinski, CIUMN plans to develop a number of student programs that willinclude its successful China Day event, create a Library Language Corner, plana Hanban trip and U of M Summer Camp. Perhaps the most interesting proposal -- she is considering hosting a “ChinaIdol” competition. This is still verymuch in the planning stages but stay tuned for more developments on thisproject.
After a shortbreak, the program continued when the following teachers made presentations on their experiences of teaching, training and study in
The last part of the conference was a curriculum swap during which the teachers were asked to share their lesson plan, a song, a worksheet, a game or a short report with each other. No doubt the students or most of these teachers will know that their teachers were busy working during MEA break and will enjoy the benefits of their attendance at this conference.
Wong concluded the conference by again thanking Joan Brzezinski for hosting the event and reiterating the good fortune that Chinese teachers now have a home at the Confucius Institute. There was unanimous hope that the Confucius Institute will host teacher workshops throughout the year, for new teachers to learn from more experienced teachers not only on curriculum, but especially on classroom management strategies.
The ConfuciusInstitute is located at 160 University International Center,