Ateneo Confucius Institute and Sun Yat-sen University successfully organize Teacher Training in China

(Above) Teacher training participants with SYSU Prof Zhou Xiaobing (center), SYSU Office of International Exchange and Cooperation Deputy Director, Ms Gu Wenli (9^th from right), SYSU Confucius Institute Officer Ms Feng Yang (2^nd from right), SYSU Coordinator Ms Zhao Shaowei (1^st from right) and CI-AdMU Administrative Assistant Ms Stephanie Tan (9^th from left)

Guangzhou, China --- The Confucius Institute at the Ateneo de Manila University (CI – AdMU) and Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) jointly organized a teacher training program for Filipino Chinese language educators on 26 July to 06 August 2023. The training program, sponsored by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), is aims to enhance the knowledge and professional skills of Chinese language teachers in the Philippines.

Held in SYSU’s Guangzhou campus, fourteen participants, including four current students of GBSEALD’s Masters in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Program, engaged in a series of lectures by professors from various SYSU departments. These lectures were designed to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Chinese culture and Chinese language teaching. Among the lecturers is Professor Zhou Xiaobing of SYSU and Beijing Language and Culture University, whose talk focused on the challenges, teaching strategies, and history of Chinese language education in the Philippines.

In addition the the training sessions, the participants also toured famous spots in Guangzhou, namely the Nanyue King Museum, Chen Clan Academy, Five Goats Statue, Shamian Island, Yong Qing Fang Old Town and Zhujiang New Town, where the Guangzhou Library, Guangdong Museum and the iconic Guangzhou Tower are located.  Several teachers also visited Shenzhen, China’s technology capital.

Since 2006, the Ateneo Confucius Institute and Sun Yat-sen University have been organizing teacher training programs and seminars for local Chinese teachers both in the Philippines and China. The two institutions hope to cultivate more local teachers to lead the way in implementing the latest and most effective language teaching methods in schools today. Apart from training programs, the two institutions have also worked together in establishing the Master in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Program (MTChnFL) which was launched in 2019 and is now offered by the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design.

Training fees, accommodations, and meals were all subsidized by Sun Yat-sen University and the Center for Language Education and Cooperation.

All the participants received a certificate of completion from the Sun Yat-sen University School of Continuing Education. 

List of Participants  

1. Lin Yuan (Ateneo Confucius Institute) 
2. Sophia Constantino (Ateneo Confucius Institute – GBSEALD MTChnFL Student) 
3. Jarred Chiang (Ateneo de Manila University – GBSEALD MTChnFL Student ) 
4. Charmaine Honculada (Holy Name University- Bohol) 
5. Giselle Marie Fabuna (Holy Name University- Bohol) 
6. Hermae Joyce Toraja (Holy Name University- Bohol) 
7. Ma. Odeza Bornea (Holy Name University- Bohol) 
8. Maria Liesle Dopeno (Holy Name University- Bohol) 
9. Helen Sy Tiong (Immaculate Conception Academy) 
10. Eliza Tang (Philippine Cultural College)  
11. Charles Sango (Singapore School Manila) 
12. Sharleen Tiu (Singapore School Manila) 
13. Margaret Baello (University of Caloocan City – GBSEALD MTChnFL Student) 
14. Rosell Cultivo (University of Caloocan City – GBSEALD MTChnFL Student)  

For inquiries on future Teacher Training Seminars in China, follow the Ateneo Confucius Institute Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ateneoconfucius