One paragraph can hardly express my gratitude and to cover what I learned from UVA Startalk program. Even though I might not be able to use everything I learned from the program about task-based learning, the core principle of task based learning is deeply embedded in my classroom. I tried to create authentic environment for my students so they can learn through real-life situations which is very inviting for the language learners.
Reflecting on the Startalk program at the University of Virginia’s Chinese Teacher Academy has been an enriching experience. Under the guidance of Dr. Tseng, I had the privilege of delving into the intricacies of language teaching. Dr. Tseng’s expertise and support were invaluable as I learned to craft lessons within authentic settings, employing strategies like 小讲, 小练, 小用, and 大用 to establish a robust scaffolding for students to receive comprehensible input.
In the past few months, in spite of the busy schedules with school work and family life, I have been greatly benefited from attending the UVA Startalk Program in the summer that has provided me with ongoing reflection in my daily teaching. It has totally reshaped my philosophy of teaching from what I thought was good for students to what students would benefit the most from a backward design curriculum that first identifies the desired outcomes and then crafted lessons and assessments to meet those objectives.
I am so fortunate to have gone through the Startalk program. Since the pre-program started almost a year ago and having completed both the main program and post program, I have learned alot about teaching chinese. The techniques I learned for online teaching are transeferable to the classroom. I have learned to structure my classroom preparation and use the 7 principles to produce better learning outcomes in my students.
Firstly, there has been a notable shift in my level of engagement with fellow teachers. I've become more proactive in sharing ideas and regularly discussing classroom experiences with my colleagues. This open dialogue has fostered not only a sense of camaraderie but also provided valuable insights into different teaching approaches. Moreover, I've taken the initiative to extend invitations to my colleagues to attend and observe my classes. Simultaneously, I've reciprocated by making an effort to drop in on their classes.
Through this Startalk project, I learned how to use task-based teaching in my classroom to effectively improve students' learning efficiency. At the same time, by cooperating with my fellow teachers, I feel more confident and efficient in preparing lesson plans. The most important thing about my transition from a new teacher to a master teacher is the transition from teacher-fronted class to student-centered class. I will try my best to implement this strategy in my future teaching.
In this inspirational program, I learned effective practices to create a more “student-centered” class with authentic materials and communicative tasks. I learned techniques for selecting authentic materials and designing spiral-up tasks tailored to different proficiency levels.
Learning from mentors and peers about the effective use of technology tools to support teaching and spark student motivation has been rewarding.
Participating in the UVA Startalk teacher program this summer was an enriching experience that significantly enhanced my teaching approach. The focus on task-based instruction was particularly enlightening, providing practical strategies to engage students actively in the learning process. Implementing effective teaching instructions such as student-student interaction and the three P's not only streamlined lesson plans but also fostered a more interactive and dynamic classroom environment.
Participating in UVA's STARTalk program has been a significant journey for me. During this journey, I not only delved deep into the Task-based teaching strategy and learned how to provide better support to my students, but I also had the incredible opportunity to connect with a group of like-minded friends. Together, we've discovered the power of maintaining a positive outlook when facing challenges, actively seeking solutions, and firmly believe that as educators, our dedication can significantly enhance our students' learning and emotional development.
I am very grateful that the UVA StarTalk 2023 program provided me with this opportunity to learn new teaching and learning principles and practices, to work with my team in designing this fantastic AI unit, to pilot-test the unit design in real classes with my students, to receive valuable feedback from my peer teachers and mentors, and to revise the unit design to fit my local needs better. This cycle of design-implmentation-evaluation-revision will continue in my future teaching practices.
