From 1st-2rd December, 2017, the 5th International School Chinese Language Education Conference and Workshop (Hereafter “The Conference”), under the theme “Transcending Diversity through Multimodality of Teaching and Learning” was successfully held at the campus of UWC Changshu China.  The Conference was jointly organized by Graduate Institute of Teaching Chinese as a Second /Foreign Language of Kaohsiung Normal University, Faculty of Education of The University of Hong Kong, Chinese Language Center, Office of International and Cross-strait Affairs of I-Shou University, International College of Chinese Studies of East China Normal University and UWC Changshu China. It was the first time for the Conference to be held in the mainland of China.

Over 300 professors, scholars, teachers, those who would become teachers after graduation from universities and people interested in Chinese Language Education, from 12 different countries and regions, including the mainland of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland, attended the Conference. Focusing on reflections in Chinese language teaching and learning in international education and how to improve Chinese language teaching and learning, senior IB training officers, IB examiners and certification officers and many outstanding teachers who are teaching in classes in international schools shared their valuable experience at the 28 workshops during the Conference. Meanwhile, 60 research papers submitted by teachers and students, which had been reviewed and selected by university professors from the mainland of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were presented during the parallel sessions with valuable comments given by experts.

Teaching Chinese in the international school context involves many complex factors. The multilingual and multicultural contexts of the international schools bring a series of new challenges to administrators, Chinese language teachers, and Chinese language learners. With more and more international schools offering IB education, the IB learner values with emphasis on native language study, respecting native language cultural heritage in international education, intercultural teaching, understanding and appreciating cultural diversity, emerged as the new hot spots in Chinese teaching in international schools.

Against this background, the opening of the Conference has a significant impact in promoting and improving Chinese language education in international schools. Different from other conferences of similar kind, the Conference has been the only one of international scale which has included scholars and teachers from the mainland of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South East Asia and even from other parts of the world. The Conference has provided an excellent and unique platform for in-depth  research and putting into practice effective teaching methodology in Chinese language education in international schools and for teachers and students to present their achievements and learn from each other.

In particular, it also offered a learning opportunity and broadened the horizon for students who will become teachers in future in international schools. Achievements from the Conference will no doubt inspire extensive discussions among teachers and professors throughout the world on multimodality of teaching and learning of Chinese language, encourage the adoption of good practices, and will also help Chinese language teachers to gain more experience and be better qualified. The participation of future teachers at the Conference has also become one of the distinctive highlights of the Conference.

Keynote speakers Mr. Jin Yucheng, who won the Mao Dun Literary Prize, Dr. Ian Hill, former Secretary-General of IBO and Ms. Jane Orton, an Honorary Fellow in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne, delivered speeches respectively on “Memory, nonfiction and fiction: Re-discovery of literary characters”, “Challenges for Chinese Language Teaching ‘the IB Way’” and “International Education and the Teaching of Culture – the Meaning Base of Language”. Their insight in the trend of Chinese literature and Chinese education throughout the world has opened another window for the participants of the Conference.

Vice Mayor Ms. Hong Zhao said in her speech during the opening ceremony: “Scholars, teachers, friends and those interested in Chinese language education gathered in the ancient city of Changshu, met at the bank of Kuncheng Lake and got acquainted with each other at UWC Changshu China.  What a great honor for people of Changshu to have so many guests coming from afar.”  She expressed her warm welcome to all the participants on behalf of Changshu Government.

Founder and Chairman of the Board of UWC Changshu China, Mr. Mark Jiapeng Wang said in his speech that: “With growing momentum in international education and fast increase of international schools, more and more people in the international education sector in China, students studying in international schools and parents and Chinese people living abroad have come to the consensus that learning Chinese language and culture is of great importance while introducing popular curriculum from the West. China needs young people who will become global citizens who do not only have solid native language foundation and unwavering love for the motherland, but also international perspectives”

As the member of the Working Committee and the key mastermind of the Conference, Vice Principal of Chinese Programme of UWC Changshu China, Head of Kuncheng Academy, Ms. Ping Li commented at the end of the Conference:  “Organising the Conference is a major project for Kuncheng Academy of UWC Changshu China which is set up for the purpose of training teachers for international schools and for carrying out Chinese traditional cultural activities.  As a high school, it is a great honor for us to jointly organize the Conference together with several prestigious universities.  We were under great pressure given what the Conference had already achieved in previous years.  However, as UWCers, we were willing to take up challenges and were keen to contribute our bit to promoting the exchanges in Chinese language education, combining research and teaching practices and for bringing up future teachers. ‘Empower Idea, Enlighten Future’, the Conference is uniquely positioned as a down to earth Conference with the important responsibility to pass on the traditions to the young generations of teachers. The Conference is one with vision and foresight, innovative and unique.  It has demonstrated the unity and strength of those who are dedicated to strengthen Chinese language teaching and learning in international education.”