On Demand Teacher Training: Taking Mandarin Education to a Whole New Level
Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) July 24, 2014 -- Today’s K-12 Mandarin educators have a new challenge: to engage a new wave of Chinese language learners with the latest technology and “apps” while ensuring standards such as ACTFL and the Common Core State Standards are met. To address this problem, Better Chinese, LLC, a thought leader in linking technology to best practices pedagogy for Mandarin educators, is launching the first series of self-paced, asynchronous webinars, with blended learning options, that provide professional development specifically for Chinese teachers at the click of a button. The webinars not only discuss how technology can be leveraged in the classroom, but also utilizes technology to be its unique delivery platform.
“Better Chinese trained Houston Independent School District’s (HISD) Mandarin world language and immersion teachers at a LOTE (Languages Other Than English) conference last summer,” said Luis Cesar Carrillo, manager of secondary curriculum and instruction for LOTE at HISD. “As a result, my teachers were able to get a comprehensive understanding of an inquiry-based pedagogy, gain a solid foundation for curriculum development and planning, as well as gain valuable insight into new technologies and their incorporation in the classroom.”
Each teacher training webinar focuses on methodologies in the area of teacher preparation, best practices instructional strategies, lesson planning, and classroom management specifically for Chinese language learning. They focus on Backward Design for K-12 instructors for curriculum development and lesson planning, as well as instructing Mandarin educators on the role technology plays to increase engagement. The Better Chinese professional development offerings also provide seasoned professionals new ways to design assessments and plan for performance-based tasks in a new webinar series entitled “Planning for Performance.”
“At Better Chinese, we see many immersion and Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) instructors struggle to find enough time for lesson planning, collaborating, and finding classroom technology solutions that address their critical needs,” said Helen Yung, VP of Academics at Better Chinese. “The multifaceted needs of the 21st century tests administrators’ abilities to create collaboration opportunities, while ensuring their Mandarin educators are presented with a solid set of standards-based instructional strategies to prepare them for any classroom context. That’s where Better Chinese can help. ”
Kicking off in time for summer professional development and to help educators fulfill their CEUs (continuing education units), a suite of asynchronous webinars are now available on demand and ready to be watched from the comfort of any home. The process is simple. Pay online and receive one-month access to the webinar of choice. Receive 50% off one webinar with the promotion code "WEBINAR".
For more information about Better Chinese and the Professional Development offerings or to schedule an interview with Helen Yung, Vice President of Academics at Better Chinese, please contact Esther Lee at 415.309.4467 or esther.lee(at)betterchinese(dot)com.
About Better Chinese
Founded by educators from Columbia University and the U.N., Better Chinese is a leading publisher of Mandarin curricula for students of all levels, from pre-kindergarten to college. Officially adopted by nine states in the United States and used in 1200+ schools worldwide, the Better Chinese pedagogy, learning materials and technologies are helping to build the next generation of Chinese language speakers.
For more information, visit http://www.betterchinese.com.
Esther Lee, Better Chinese, LLC, http://www.betterchinese.com, +1 (415) 309-4467, [email protected]
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