With the assistance of a STARTALK grant (pending final approval), the 2009 Middlebury Chinese School will offer scholarships to make it possible for current and prospective K-12 teachers of Chinese to enroll in the residential MA program (June 29 to August 15th, 2009) and to participate in a special two-week program (August 2 to 15th) with an intensive focus on classroom practices and instructional resources.
In addition to graduate level courses, students will have the opportunity to work on curriculum design and materials development during the full six-week program. Through lectures, discussion, and hands-on experiences, participants will learn to understand the nature and process of learning Chinese as a foreign language, to identify critical issues in Chinese Foreign Language pedagogy, and to enhance their ability to develop appropriate teaching materials. They will plan and develop effective classroom activities to help students develop proficiency in the target language across the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational), and the five goal areas (communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities) as outlined in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century.
Stipends are also available for students to develop materials if they are willing to share their materials with the public. As members of the Middlebury Chinese School, students will be fully engaged in a cultural and language immersion environment, with close daily contact with staff and faculty at all times.
Please send all application material to: Ms. Anna Sun, Chinese School Coordinator, Sunderland Language Center, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753.