The CLTA-WA’s June 2nd AGM Workshop on fostering empowering learning community was a resounding success! Participants praised the abundance of valuable resources and engaging activities shared. The workshop offered practical guidance that extended beyond the Mandarin and Chinese culture classroom, with potential applications school-wide and fostering connections with Mandarin-speaking countries and regions. It also showcased a wealth of engaging activities designed to spark student interest and fuel exploration of the language and culture.

Cultivating Empowered Learners:

• Lead by Example: Show your students the power of embracing challenges and overcoming stereotypes. Express your pride in your heritage cultures while fostering respect for others. You are a valuable contributor to your local community and society – model that for your students. (By Sun Burford Experienced Mandarin Educator and Councilwoman of City of New Castle)
• Coach, Don’t “Teach”: The workshop emphasized the shift from teacher as instructor to facilitator. By posing insightful questions, you can guide students towards independent discovery and hone their critical thinking skills. (By Cheryl Wang)
• Goal Setting and Progress Tracking: Empower your students by encouraging them to set personal learning goals and track their progress. This fosters a sense of ownership and accountability. (By Shuijun Huang)

Empowering Your Learning Community:

Ready to Take Action? Here are some additional tips:

• Choice & Ownership: Offer students choices in activities, projects, or learning pathways. This fosters a sense of agency and ownership over their learning journey.
• Celebrate Mistakes: Transform the classroom narrative. Celebrate mistakes as opportunities for growth, and create a safe space for experimentation and embracing challenges. Encourage students to feel comfortable communicating their ideas and learning from their peers.
• Culture as a Lens: Infuse your Mandarin lessons with cultural exploration. Organize Chinese cultural activities in your classroom or even school-wide events. This adds context, depth, and a deeper understanding of Chinese culture to language learning.
• Collaboration is Key: Encourage student collaboration through group projects or discussions. This fosters teamwork, communication skills, and a sense of community within your classroom.

Fostering an empowering learning environment is a journey, not a destination. By incorporating these tips and the valuable resources from the workshop, you can create a dynamic classroom where your students thrive and become confident learners of both Mandarin and Chinese culture.

CLTA-WA Members: Don’t forget! The slides, recording, and additional resources curated by our experienced presenters are available on the member-only page using the password shared with you.