I am from China and currently just got my M.Ed. in Language Education at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University. I got my B.A. in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China in 2011.
During my study at Rutgers GSE, I took World Language methodology courses and learned a lot about World Language teaching and learning in the class as well as from observations in different settings of schools. When I went to Linden High School to observe the Chinese classrooms, I also got the chance to teach 9th graders two full lessons of Chinese. During the summer of 2012, I participated in the Rutgers Startalk program as the practicum teacher in Highland Park, in which I was engaged in learning the methods and working with novice students from different age groups.
I was employed as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Rutgers this spring semester. I taught Mandarin Chinese to college students at intermediate and advanced levels. Though the college setting is different from K-12, I tried to utilize the theories and methods that I learned from the graduate school, as well as from observations and my prior experience to create a positive, interactive learning environment in the Chinese language classrooms. In my spare time, I also tutor Chinese to a high school student twice a week and substituted several times at Jersey Shore Chinese School on Saturdays.
It is my goal to combine my knowledge and experience in language education as well as my ability to be a passionate, hard-working Chinese language teacher to create good learning experiences for the students in the future. As a native speaker of Chinese, I wish I could open windows to a different culture and perspectives for students by teaching them Mandarin Chinese and bringing the culture in the teaching.