Harvard ICCP Sparks Global Interest

September 24, 2014

What does it take to keep up with the rise of China’s global presence in the classroom?

The Chinese Language Program, as part of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard, will host the first ever Harvard International Conference on Chinese Pedagogy (Harvard ICCP) on September 26-27th. This two-day conference will provide a space for scholars from multi-disciplinary perspectives to convene and discuss the growing demands for Chinese language and culture in the educational setting. In keeping with the globally-minded theme, the nations represented include: Taiwan, Germany, China, Korea, Japan and the US. Workshops on day one and presentations on day two will cover various teaching methods to meet a growing interest in Chinese studies among students. Over 150 scholars, teachers, and students are expected to attend.  

As the need for Chinese educators increases, Harvard ICCP hopes to provide a skill set for all levels of instruction and spark conversation on a range of topics, including “The Chinese Language Field in the 21st Century: Lessons (Not) Learned from Japanese in the 20th Century,” “What do We Acquire when We Acquire a Language? The Many Faces of Language in Language Learning,” and “Teaching Practices and Interaction: What Works in Online Language Courses?” The intention is to merge theory, research, and practice for Chinese education in the classroom. The conference aims to inspire and provide a foundation of training for future Chinese instructors and leaders, and the Chinese Language Program hopes for this to be the first conference of many to come.

Chinese Language Program Director Jennifer Liu states, “Harvard ICCP is the first of a series of conferences that we invite international experts to speak on the issues related to pedagogical expertise and to redefine and advance the knowledge and skills required for Chinese language teaching and learning”. Harvard ICCP’s growing popularity is already becoming strikingly apparent as interested participants continue to register during the final week leading up to the conference.

The conference will take place on September 26 - 27, 2014 in the Tsai Auditorium, CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Harvard University. See the website for details: http://www.events.harvard.edu/profile/web/index.cfm?PKWebId=0x1379524ed

See also: Language, Chinese