I learned so much that it was as if I'd feasted at a bountiful buffet! After the intense training with all the outgoing teachers in this program, I was not only equipped with a useful and correct evaluation system to enrich my teaching efficiency but also a serious attitude toward professionalism. Virginia STARTALK Chinese Teacher Academy must be the gift from God for my 2012 summer. Special thanks to Dr. Tseng and her family.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in the 2012 UVa StarTalk teacher training program. It was three very intensive weeks indeed, but THE best three weeks of professional development! I have learned so much from Dr. Tseng, especially how to select and modify authentic materials to teach students at different proficiency levels. I have also learned a lot through the two-week practicum and from the wonderful co-trainers and fellow teacher trainees.
This is a perfect place to grow professionally and personally for a language teacher. We were introduced to the innovative approaches in foreign language education. We learned by doing. We were encouraged to share and collaborate extensively with our co-workers, and we were challenged to teach better by observing others and self-reflecting. After three weeks, I gained a lot. And it is such a pleasure to work with a group of people devoted to teaching Chinese!
"I feel very lucky that I participated in this three-week Startalk program. Dr. Tseng was very helpful and provided me many useful suggestions... I learned more about how to implement communicative tasks, use authentic material and create a student-centered language class... This program is very important for my professional development. The experience at UVA will become wonderful memory for me."
Reminiscence:
"The most valuable aspect of the STARTALK program is that I have had the opportunity to observe teaching demonstrations from other experienced teachers and hands-on practices... STARTALK gave me support in the form of Dr. Tseng and all veteran teachers who pinpointed where I needed to grow and released time to observe other classes. This enhanced my instructional concepts and sharpened my teaching techniques."
Reminiscence:
Once upon a time, it was believed that there was such a piece of treasure called “The Scroll Of Language Teaching”, whose owner would be bestowed the magical power of teaching a foreign language with greater efficiency. This summer, I, together with thirteen other very fortunate teachers from all around the nation, was given a treasure map that would lead us to the treasure. We followed the map and reached Chamber 410, where we met our Omnibenevolent mentors Dr.
"My experience at Startalk was definitely inspiring, challenging, and rewarding. It was such a wonderful opportunity to keep abreast of the new developments, pedagogy, and practice in the acquisition of Chinese as a second language... I am excited to apply these theories and strategies into my class, working towards being a more effective teacher and ultimately helping my students reach a higher level of proficiency in Chinese with a better understanding of Chinese culture."
Reminiscence:
"I have benefited enormously from Dr.Tseng’s top-notch knowledge, and I fully enjoyed working with its staff and other skillful scholars. Through recorded teaching practicum, self-reflections, and group critique sessions, my strengths have been reinforced, and my weaknesses received valuable suggestions for improvement... Scholarship opportunity, a most valuable teacher, great friendships, and a field-tested, ready-to-use curriculum have all made VSCTA a fantastic and worthy experience to me. It has exceeded my expectations, and I enthusiastically recommend it."
"The 2012 Virginia StarTalk Chinese Teacher Academy will be a precious memory for me... I feel I have a clearer vision of how I will work to improve the proficiency level of my students—by creating task-based curricula with authentic materials, so students are exposed to simulated real-life situations."
Reflections:
