The 2023 Advanced Training Class for Local Teachers from Belarus in China sponsored by the Center For Language Education and Cooperation and organized by Dalian University of Technology was successfully held in China from July 15, 2023 to July 31, 2023. This is the first training program for foreign teachers coming to China since the epidemic has improved, and is also a project specifically aimed at the trainees of the training class for local Chinese language teachers in primary and secondary schools in Belarus at the Confucius Institute of Sinology of Belarus State University. Thirty-five local teachers from Belarus gathered to participate in the training.
A grand opening ceremony was held on July 18th. Duan Yuping, the dean of the School of International Education, extended sincere welcome to the local teachers coming from Belarus and heartfelt thanks to the Center For Language Education and Cooperation and the Confucius Institute of Sinology of Belarus State University for providing strong support for the training. In the speech, he put forward the significance of local teachers’ training and reviewed the achievements of both China and Belarus in the training of local teachers. Dean Duan pointed out that the school actively participated in the whole process of training local teachers in Belarus, and organized online and offline training activities for local teachers for many times, providing assistance to alleviate the shortage of Chinese teachers in primary and secondary schools in Belarus. At the end of the ceremony, the trainees collectively performed the Belarusian folk song "Guberinka" collectively. The charm and cheerful rhythm of the dance drive the atmosphere of the scene, winning continuous applause.
This training aims to improve the trainees’ Chinese language ability and Chinese teaching level. According to the trainees’ cultural background, age characteristics, language ability and learning goals, four modules of Chinese teaching lecture series, language ability training, Chinese traditional culture experience and modern Chinese urban landscape investigation are carefully set up.
The Chinese teaching lecture series were taught by teachers with rich experience in overseas teaching. The lectures made trainees familiar with the knowledge of Chinese ontology, the theory of second language acquisition, classroom management experience and the general situation of Chinese culture. The theoretical quality of Chinese teaching has been comprehensively improved, and their teaching skills have been improved and perfected.
The language ability training courses are taught in small classes, with the purpose of comprehensively improving trainees’ comprehensive language ability of listening, speaking, reading and writing, focusing on the scientific nature and accuracy of language elements, the arrangement and interpretation. Through the study of the courses in this module, the trainees’ Chinese communication level has been greatly improved, and the foundation of Chinese classroom teaching has been further consolidated.
In terms of cultural experience, this training not only set up experience classes such as Tai Chi Fan and calligraphy, but also organized traninees to visit the Zhongshan Folk Paper Cuttings Art Inheritance Base in Dalian to learn paper-cut and visit farmer painting works. In the full range of experience and personal practice learning, the trainees fully felt the profound heritage and unique charm of Chinese traditional culture.
At the end of the project, the school organized trainees to carry out cultural investigation in Qufu and Beijing. The visit to SanKong and Confucius Museum enabled local teachers from Belarus to talk with the ancient sages and strengthen their determination to engage in international Chinese education, and the visit to the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square allowed trainees to conduct a dialogue with the historical time and space of Chinese buildings, feeling the ancient and modern style of Chinese culture and the power of Chinese.
The successful holding of this research project has played an important role in continuously building a more inclusive, pragmatic and effective new pattern of opening up, focusing on serving the cultural exchanges between China and Belarus, and promoting the sustainable and high-quality development of international Chinese education. The school will sum up the training experience, innovate the teaching forms, and help the construction of international education teachers in Belarus with practical actions, and contribute to the mutual learning between China and Belarus.
