The Northern California Chinese School Association’s summer teacher training camp concluded with a ceremony held at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center on June 20th. The camp featured a strong lineup of instructors, with over a hundred teachers from around the world signing up for online courses and more than eighty actively participating in the in-person sessions.
The closing ceremony was presided over by the president of the Northern California Chinese School Association, Fu Qijun, and attended by Director Zhuang Yashu of the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center, who delivered a speech and presented certificates. Zhuang Yashu praised the excellent and enriching training program, expressing gratitude to the association for its dedicated preparation and to the instructors for offering rich courses to overseas Chinese school teachers. She noted that through the training, teachers gained valuable insights and teaching energy, which will enable them to continue promoting Chinese language education and cultural heritage overseas.
Zhuang Yashu also extended special thanks to Fu Qijun and his team for their hard work, as well as expressing gratitude to the on-site coordinators and the volunteer “Red Ants” team. She wished all teachers to return to their teaching positions with a sense of achievement and continue their dedication to overseas Chinese education, benefiting more children.
During his speech, Fu Qijun thanked all teachers for their participation and acknowledged the instructors for preparing rich teaching materials and hands-on activities. He commended the volunteer team for their meticulous planning of activities, lunches, and snacks. He expressed his hope for teachers to continue participating in association activities next year, collectively supporting the promotion of Chinese education.
Fu Qijun mentioned that this training seminar is his last as president, as his term will end on June 30th. Director Zhuang Yashu also stated that this is her final participation in association-related activities during her term. Both of them emotionally expressed, “We have graduated,” and urged everyone to continue supporting the Northern California Chinese School Association and the incoming president.
The summer teacher training camp took place from June 19th to 20th, starting with online courses on the first day and concluding with in-person sessions at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center the next day. The camp enlisted five instructors including Ou Xiqiang, Guo Yuqi, Chen Liling, Xu Peiren, and Wang Zhimei, covering topics such as AI teaching, reading and writing, vocabulary and grammar, differentiated instruction, classroom management, cultural lesson design, and interdisciplinary practical work, assisting teachers in mastering teaching strategies applicable in classrooms to enhance students’ interest in learning and their Chinese language proficiency.
During the program, teacher Chen Liling focused on “How to Bring Cultural Lessons to Life,” sharing insights on creating a language learning environment that is warm and visually stimulating. She set up three cultural booths for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese New Year, and Dragon Boat Festival, demonstrating how to incorporate traditional culture into Chinese classrooms through festival exhibits and hands-on activities.
Chen Liling suggested that teachers utilize immersive cultural atmospheres, combining students’ life experiences and sensory perceptions to help them transform cultural knowledge into profound cultural memories, thereby enhancing their learning interests.
Teacher participant Song Ruiling shared that the most memorable aspect was the integration of hands-on activities with the STEAM concept, where participants not only had to create hands-on projects but also engage in critical thinking, incorporating cultural elements into their work. She praised the careful preparation of instructors, the richness of teaching materials, and the arrangement of activities, which left a lasting impression.
Song Ruiling mentioned that the greatest takeaway from the training was allowing teachers to step back into the role of “students,” experiencing classrooms from the learners’ perspective. She believed that standing in the position of a teacher on a regular basis sometimes makes it difficult to understand students’ feelings; however, through this training, she could empathize with students’ learning moods again, feeling very positive about the experience.