Congjia Lu

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My philosophy of teaching Chinese comes from my own experience, as a
student, teaching assistant, and tutor in both the U.S and China. Prior to
being a teacher, I am a learner rst. As a student, I always ask myself,
What would I do if I were the teacher? as a teacher, I also frequently
reect on the question, Will I enjoy my teaching if I were one of the
students? These questions help me evolve my teaching style and
techniques daily, by learning from my instructors, my peers, and most
importantly, by listening to my students. My beliefs regarding teaching
Chinese are always advancing. I have developed several key elements for
providing excellent classroom instruction.
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According to my two years experience of teaching more than 100
university students, I found that the best students, without exceptions, are
the ones who hold a strong interest in learning Chinese. To be a successful
instructor, I believe the rst and most important task is to rouse the
students desire to learn better. I have been trying to make learning
Chinese an exciting and meaningful journey for my students.
Firstly, I have made efforts to help them realize that Chinese is not only
about the people living on the other side of the earth. Chinese relates to
their daily life and experience. For instance, I encourage them to ask for
the Chinese menu in the local Chinese restaurants, talk in Chinese with the
students from China at school activities, classes, and even parties. The
surprise of being accepted and praised by others can bring students
courage and condence, furthering their interest in learning more Chinese.
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Secondly, I intersperse the lessons with cultural elements as much as
possible when teaching vocabularies and grammars. For example, when
teaching the word real man, I tell them the anecdote of the
ancient general Han Xin, who is the representative gure of the real man
in Chinese history. I also tell the students about the present situation in
China when teaching relevant topics. This exposure to the cultural
background helps the students remember the new vocabularies quicker
and prepare them for the ongoing situation in China.
Thirdly, I design different interesting activities to help the students evolve
in their linguistic skills, helping them master the content of the class in
more approachable ways. For instance, I arrange the groups for practicing,
games, contests, skit, and role playing. Through these activities, they hear
and use the same vocabularies and grammar patterns repeatedly in this
process, which builds their familiarity and condence. In addition, everyone
can actively participate in the class rather than absent-mindedly listening to
the teacher talking.
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I believe the language teacher should make every effort to only use the
target language, and encourage students to use only the target language
in class. I make every effort to create an immersion-like environment to
ensure that the students are getting every chance in class to practice
listening, speaking and reading. I also require my students to express
themselves in Chinese when practicing in groups. When teaching the
Beginning Level, I use body language, images, and sounds to avoid
explaining the meaning of new vocabularies in English. Teaching the
Intermediate Level, I rst fully familiarize myself with what they have
learned, and explain the meaning of the new words by replacing them with
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the synonyms that the students have learned. This persistence in focusing
on the target language pulls the students out of their comfort zone so that
they can be motivated.
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First, I build a professional relationship with students. I consider them as
whole persons and critical thinkers. Students are recognized and
respected in my classroom.
Second, I am conscious of the differences between individual learning
styles and backgrounds of education. I utilize different teaching methods
and activities such as reading, listening to the speech of the teacher, group
discussion, and individual performance to allow enough exibility for
students to take in and process information in a variety of ways. I also use
pre- and after-assessments to get feedback from students and make
adjustments based on their opinions. For instance, I use the smiling face
and a rubric several times in one semester. I also talk with each student
individually during the one-on-one tutorial and during my ofce hour to fully
understand their expectation and adopt their suggestions.
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Technology is an effective assistant to help me use the target language.
It also helps in conducting activities in various forms. I have been using
Powerpoint, Prezi, Quizlet, D2L, Evernote, Google Drive, Vocaroo,
TimeRime, and WordPress. to attract students attention, stimulate their
interest, and inspire their creativity.

For me, teaching is the best career that I have ever dreamed about. The
positive assessments and the smiling faces of my students are my best
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reward. As my students grow condent in their language skills, I am proud
that I make a difference in the lives of others as well as my own life.