"Three weeks of the 2014 Virginia Startalk Chinese Teacher Academy has shifted the way in which I will teach the Chinese Language."

Reflections: 

Three weeks of the 2013 Virginia Startalk Chinese Teacher Academy has shifted the way in which I will teach the Chinese Language. I have attended numerous trainings and workshops learning about teaching methods and research based strategies, but there were two questions that still remained: How do I get my students to perform at a desirable language output? Why are some of my students still struggling to speak and perform in the target language at the end of semester? I got my answers after three weeks of renowned Dr. Tseng’s “Chinese Language Boot Camp.” During this three week training, Dr. Tseng not only demonstrated on how to teach in Mandarin Chinese but also allowed us to practice teaching in the class. After numerous intensive observations and evaluations by Dr. Tseng and master teachers, I have learned how to teach by using target language. During that time, I had the chance to collaborate and develop a unit lesson with other teachers. I had the opportunity to meet many great teachers and also to make some good friends. This program has transformed me into a meaningful, purposeful, and effective language teacher. I am a proud graduate of the summer 2013 Virginia Startalk Chinese Teacher Academy. I can’t wait to bring the knowledge from this the experience to my classroom.