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With state funding through the House Bill 115 of the 126th General Assembly, The Ohio State University (OSU) and Cleveland State University (CSU) each provided a Chinese Teacher Alternative Licensure Training Program starting in September 2006 and ending in August 2007. The year-long tuition-free program requires 36 credit hours of specially designed graduate coursework. Upon successful completion of the program, the state Praxis exam, and a background check, the trainees will be eligible for a "provisional Ohio teaching license" the same license granted through traditional teacher training. The program at the OSU College of Education and Human Ecology has 26 trainees taught by a team headed by Dr. Charles Hancock. The CSU program has 14 trainees. For more information about the OSU program, please go to the brochure by OSU and Education Service Center of the Franklin County.
With funding from the Ohio Board of Regents, the Regents' Chinese Academy enrolled 50 junior and senior high school students for intensive study of Chinese language from June 20 through August 17, 2007, at the Ohio State, Cleveland State and Miami Universities. The first stage, from June 20 to July 11, was for face-to-face learning, with master teacher Eric Shepherd delivering some lectures from OSU. The second stage, which ended on August 17, was mainly for individualized learning through internet connection. The program is free and there is a stipend for learners as well as for heritage students as peer mentors. For further information, visit the program website at http://chineseacademy.osu.edu or contact the university near you.
At the invitation and with support from Hanban (Office of Chinese Language Council International), 51 Ohio educators from about forty schools and districts joined over 700 from other states to visit China from June 23 through July 1, 2007. They were treated as guests of honor by Minister Zhou Ji and Ms. Xu Lin of the Chinese Ministry of Education at the Great Hall of the People. They experienced the Chinese language and culture, and visited numerous K-12 schools in Beijing and 18 other provinces. Two school administrators from Ohio (Marcy Raymond of Metro School in Columbus and Katherine Bush of Summit Academy Schools) were featured in a report on China Daily (link), a national English newspaper in China. The Ohio educators were excited about the experience, which is helpful to their existing Chinese programs or to their planning to start Chinese programs. The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program is following up with all of them in order to enhance and expand the fast growing number of Chinese programs in Ohio. Hanban plans to sponsor annual Chinese Bridge Delegations in the next three years. For further information about the Chinese Bridge Delegation, please contact Kun Shi at 614-292-0460 or shi.7@osu.edu.
The OSU Summer Programs East Asian Concentration (SPEAC) just completed another 7-week intensive training of Chinese language teachers from June 18 to August 2, 2007. More than twenty teachers of Chinese language signed up for the 15-credit graduate program and 15 of them successfully completed it.
SPEAC has been offering training programs for teachers for 12 years. Training program for teachers of Japanese began in 1995 and the program for teachers of Chinese began in 2000. This year marks another major year for SPEAC as it plans to collaborate with CLASS (Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools) to begin offering a program specifically designed for K-12 teachers of Chinese. SPEAC-CLASS K-12 Chinese teacher-training program promises to provide hands-on training for sound professional development. The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program will play a partner role in this new initiative. More information will become available on the SPEAC website soon.
The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program organized two-day workshops for current and new teachers of Chinese language on June 19 and 28, 2007. Fourteen teachers from across Ohio attended the workshops. The workshops were intended for high school teachers because most of the Chinese programs in Ohio are at the high school level. They are focused on an introduction to the performance-based pedagogy, an overview of the curriculum for high school students, Chinese: Communicating in the Culture (CCC), and a demonstration and practice of CCC class. For more information about teacher training, please revisit Latest News and Events on our website, or contact Kun Shi (shi.7@osu.edu) or Zhiwei Bi (bi.2@osu.edu).
The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program hosted a pre-interview meeting for school administrators to meet potential Chinese language teachers on April 16, 2007. Participants included 17 administrators from 10 schools/districts that want to hire Chinese language teachers, and 22 potential Chinese language teachers from the OSU Alternative Licensure Program. Contact information for the hiring schools was distributed to all potential Chinese language teachers at OSU. If any school plans to hire a qualified Chinese language teacher, please contact Kun Shi at 614-292-0460 or shi.7@osu.edu.
The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) teamed up to sponsor a statewide conference on K-12 Chinese language and culture on December 14, 2006. The theme of the conference is Making the Global Connection: Linking Students and China in the 21st Century. More than 200 district superintendents, public and non-public school principals, curriculum directors, and teachers from across Ohio participated in this conference.
The full-day sessions included an overview of Chinese language programs and opportunities in Ohio, OSU's initiative to develop a statewide network of K-12 Mandarin Chinese programs, K-12 curriculum and content, AP Chinese, and technology and global education. The featured speakers were Dr. Robert Slater, Director of the National Security Education Program; Dr. Susan Tave Zelman, Superintendent of Public Instruction of ODE; Dr. Galal Walker, Director of the OSU Chinese Flagship Program and National East Asian Languages Resource Center; Dr. Debbie Robinson, World Language Consultant of ODE; James Chang and Ron Fortunato of the Global Knowledge Exchange; and Selena Cantor of the College Board.
The conference was well received and many districts and schools expressed interest in offering Chinese language program and are seeking support in curriculum development and teacher preparation. Partly as a result of the conference, more Ohio schools are planning to start Chinese language programs. Two years ago, only a few schools (mainly private schools) in Ohio had Chinese programs; however, by the 2007-08 school year, more than 40 schools (mainly public schools) will have Chinese programs.
The conference will become an annual event and the second annual conference is scheduled on December 12, 2007 (see Events for detail).
The OSU National East Asian Languages Resource Center (NEALRC) released the second edition of NFLC Guide to Basic Chinese Programs (December 2006). The National Foreign Language Center guide provides information that helps schools to create new Chinese language programs. It incorporates a set of informed and explicit assumptions about learning and teaching the language that underlie the creation of a syllabus and the pedagogical practices involved in implementing it. The target readership includes Chinese language teachers and program/curriculum administrators. To order, please contact Karen L. Moore (614-292-3838 or moore.626@osu.edu), Distribution Manager of NEALRC.
After months of preparation, a partnership agreement was reached and signed on November 9, 2007 between the Columbus Metro High School and three organizations related to the Chinese heritage schools. Signing the agreement were representatives of the Metro High School (Marcy Raymond, Principal), Chinese School Association in the U.S. (Jason Ma), Ohio Contemporary Chinese School (Mingdeng Zhong), and Chinese Cultural Link (Dengke Xu). Both parties agree to share resources and collaborate in promoting the Chinese language and culture in K-12 schools in central Ohio.
The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program facilitated the partnership building between the two parties and will continue to provide support to them. It also plans to facilitate similar partnership between the Chinese heritage schools in other cities with local K-12 schools that offer Chinese. For more information, please contact Kun Shi at shi.7@osu.edu.
OSU and ODE co-sponsored the second annual K-12 Chinese conference held on December 12, 2007, on OSU campus. More than 200 participants (mostly administrators and curriculum coordinators) from 110 schools and districts attended the one-day conference. Twelve teachers with license to teach Chinese were invited meet school/district administrators who would consider hiring. The conference theme continues to be “Making the Global Connection: Linking Students and China in the 21st Century,” but the focus this time is on how to develop and maintain healthy Chinese language programs. Because of the turnout and positive feedback, it is expected that there will be many more Ohio schools starting Chinese language programs in the next school year. The conference includes a general session, two break-out sessions, and a panel discussion. The topics and speakers are as follows:
- Welcome remarks and updates of the Ohio Language Roadmap report by Prof. Mari Noda (Chair of the OSU Department of East Asian Languages and Literature) and updates of the Ohio Foreign Language Advisory Council report by Dr. Marilyn Troyer (Senior Associate Superintendent of ODE)
- K-12 Chinese in the United States by Shuhan Wang (Executive Director of the Chinese Education Initiative of Asia Society)
- Teaching Chinese to High School Students by Eric Shepherd (Assistant Professor of Chinese of the Iowa State University)
- K-12 Chinese Curriculum and Materials by Yu-Lan Lin (Executive Director of CLASS: Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools)
- Learning Chinese and the Economy by Kimberly Kirkendall (CEO of China Source Link)
- Starting Chinese Language Programs by Shuhan Wang (Asia Society) and Zhiwei Bi (OSU)
- Seeking Qualified Teachers by Carol Tao Lin (College Board) and Ryan Wertz (ODE)
- Advocacy and sustainability issues by Lucy Lee (CLASS) and Ryan Wertz (ODE)
- Curriculum Development by Yu-Lan Lin (CLASS), Debbie Robinson (ODE) and Huanzhen Zhao (OSU)
- Teachers Development by Mari Noda (OSU) and Eric Shepherd (ISU)
- Technology and Online Resources by Jun Liu (OSU) and Kun Shi (OSU)
- Sustainability and Future Opportunities by Debbie Robinson (ODE) and Kun Shi (OSU)
- Teacher panelists: Lisa Lin of Akron City Schools and Jeannine Subisak of Columbus Academy
- Administrator panelists: Marcy Raymond of Metro High School and Ken Collura of Diocese of Columbus
- Heritage school panelist: Max Xu of the Ohio Contemporary Chinese School
- Institution panelists: Ryan Wertz of ODE and Kun Shi of OSU
The Ohio State University K-12 Chinese Flagship Program is awarded the StarTalk grant to coordinate two-week Chinese Immersion Summer Day Camps from June 12 through 25 in three metro areas of Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton. Seventy students with basic Chinese language skills will be recruited to have an immersion experience with teachers, activity facilitators and peer mentors. The Summer Day Camps are in collaboration with high schools of Beachwood and Shaker Heights in Cleveland area; Metro High School, Gahanna Lincoln High School and Diocese of Columbus in Columbus area; Beavercreek High School and Centerville High School in Dayton area; and Chinese heritage schools in the three cities. We are beginning the planning of the project and more information will be available here and distributed soon. To learn more about the Summer Day Camps, please visit 
or contact Kun Shi at shi.7@osu.edu.
The Chinese Immersion Summer Day Camps in three metro areas (Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton) have completed the total student enrollment of 70 students. Acceptance letters were sent to the students on May 11. The recruitment of 9 teachers, 6 facilitators and 23 peer mentors for three camps has been successfully completed, including the interview of all candidates. Offer letters were sent to them and local coordinators by May 11. The two-week curriculum is being developed and a training session for all teachers and facilitators is planned for May 24 at 2939 Kenny Road (in the building next to the OSU K-12 Chinese Program office), Columbus OH 43221. We are certain that at least 70 Ohio students will have a great immersion experience during June 16-27 to enhance their Chinese language skills.
The Summer Day Camps funded by StarTalk is a great opportunity to promote statewide innovative programs in Chinese language learning and cultural experience. It also serves as a model to combine the talents of the heritage schools (native-speaking teachers and peer mentors) with Ohio schools operating Chinese programs. Eventually, a multifaceted partnership will help Ohio students to reach high levels of Chinese proficiency. The OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program is pleased to play a role to facilitate partnerships for Chinese programs at all levels. If you have questions about the Summer Day Camps, please contact Kun Shi.
The National Chinese Language Conference was held in Washington, DC during April 17-19, 2008. Nearly 750 participants from 44 states and seven countries participated. They included policymakers, school board members, state or local education administrators, school principals and teachers, university faculty and parents.
The Ohio State University attracted special attention at the conference. First, the OSU President Gordon Gee delivered speeches at plenary sessions. Then, Eric Shepherd, professor of Chinese and graduate from OSU, staged professional performances of Chinese storytelling (Shandong Kuaishu) that brought loud applauses from the audience. Also presenting at the conference were Galal Walker and Kun Shi of the OSU Chinese Flagship Program. For more information, please click here.
Along with the fast increasing Chinese language programs in K-12 schools across Ohio, there is a growing need for qualified/licensed Chinese language teachers. With state support, OSU is working with the Franklin County Education Service Center to recruit candidates for the third Chinese Alternative Teacher Licensure Training program, which is tuition free for qualified candidates (e.g., fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese, or Ohio licensed teachers of other subjects with competent language skills; including international students with valid F-1 visa). The 12-month program includes 18 graduate credits (quarter system) in professional and pedagogical training, and another 18 credits in field experience and student teaching. The deadline for application is July 18, 2008.
To apply for Chinese Alternative Teacher Licensure Training program at OSU, please visit http://www.fcesc.org/license. For more information about the program (including the courses required), click here.
Similar Chinese licensure teacher training program is also going on at the University of Akron. For more information, visit http://www.uakron.edu/colleges/educ/fl-core/FL-CORE.php.
If you are teaching Chinese and want to apply for an alternative educator license, please click here. Good luck!