What do you love about teaching in the field of Chinese language, culture, and pedagogy?

What I love the most in teaching are the opportunities to keep learning with the students, to face the challenges they have experienced, and to share their excitement and enlightenment. In my view, teaching is a most rewarding profession that is constantly enriched by the instructor’s content knowledge, innovative pedagogical approach, and research-informed best practice.

What are your current research interests?

My current research interests focus on the integration of language and culture through sociocultural context, including cross-cultural communication, documentary film and oral history, and teacher professional development. I co-edited and published books on “Cross-cultural communication: Teaching Chinese in the global context”, “Tradition and transition, Teaching Chinese culture overseas”, and “Living overseas: Cases, strategies and guidance for CFL teachers around the world”.

What are some memorable projects you’ve had students do and how do they reflect your goals as an educator?

One of the memorable projects is the final project to write a calligraphy piece, as the capstone product of the course in the final showcase. The key pedagogical design I have implemented is differentiated instruction and individualized projects. Because the students come from different cultural and academic backgrounds, the final project is well selected, based on the discussion between the instructor and the students, in order to reflect their different learning styles and prior knowledge.