STARTALK 2013 Summer Chinese Teacher Training Program at Hunter College: The Blended Model

Program Dates

• June 15, 22, 29 (Saturdays): On-campus full day seminar on teaching Chinese as a foreign language.
• July 1 - July 18: On-campus three-week face-to-face student teaching and practicum *Note: During the full day seminar and face-to-face session (four days a week), participants are required to be on campus from 9 am to 3 pm.
• July 22 - August 7: Three-week online second language acquisition project and online practicum.
• August 8: Last day of the summer session. All participants return to Hunter College Campus for final project presentation and end-of-session celebration.
• Fall 2013 semester: On-campus Graduate-level Chinese pedagogy courses for those students who are interested in continuing. Classes will be held on Saturdays.

Program Location

Hunter College, 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, New York City.

Courses Offered

A. Summer Session Courses

• CHIN709 Independent Study (3 credits)
• CHND712 Methods I (3 credits)

B. Post-summer (Fall 2012) session Courses

• CHIN701 Chinese Phonology (3 credits)
• CHIN703 Chinese Orthography and Lexicology (3 credits)

Eligibility

• Native speakers of Mandarin Chinese with a BA degree and standard Mandarin pronunciation.
• Speakers with advanced-level Chinese language proficiency (you should be able to read Chinese newspapers without using a dictionary).
• Priority will be given to those who intend to pursue a New York State teaching certification.

Number of Participants

We will be enrolling 20 applicants (current or potential teachers at any level) who are interested in teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

Admission

This summer program may be taken for credit or noncredit. To apply, all applicants need to submit the STARTALK application form. Applicants who are not Hunter students but wish to enroll for credit must have a BA degree and need to apply for Hunter College's non-degree graduate admission. The deadline for summer enrollment is April 15. More details regarding Hunter non-degree admission can be found here: the Graduate Admissions website. As soon as you obtain the non-degree acceptance notice from Hunter College, contact us to get departmental permission to register for the courses.

Hunter College Tuition and Fees

You can download a list of tuition and fees from the Bursar's website.

Please note that non-NY residents will need to pay a higher tuition rate than NY residents. You must pay the tuition upfront. The program will provide scholarships upon your successful completion of the courses.

Achievement Awards

Participants who enroll in courses CHIN 709 and CHND 712 for credit are eligible for achievement awards. Each participant who demonstrates outstanding performance will be awarded up to $1,000 for each course.

Application Process

Non-credit Track

• Fill out the program application form.
• Write a personal statement (500 words in English) explaining why you should be accepted.

For-credit Track

• In addition to the program application form, you also need to submit the non-degree application form to Hunter College Admission Office.
• Contact Hunter Chinese department to get permission to register for courses after you receive the non-degree acceptance notification from the Admission Office.
• Pay Hunter tuition.
• Participate in the program.
• Receive scholarships upon completion of the courses.

Application Deadline

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all the seats are filled.

Highlights of Program Curriculum

• Training will be conducted through a variety of activities, including lectures, classroom instruction, observation, student-teaching, presentations, workshops, and individual projects.
• Different levels of student teaching (tutorial sessions, small group, whole class teaching, and online teaching) will be assigned to participants based on their ability and background.
• Instructors will be available for office hours, lesson plan writing clinics, and individual conferences to assist teacher-trainees.
• Learn how to conduct an online course and implement technologies in teaching Chinese, online practicum, and online tutoring opportunities.
• As a Hunter non-degree graduate student, you can take up to 12 credits. Once you become a full-time student for the M.A. Program, these credits can be used for your MA degree and certificate

Opportunities to be Tutors with Pay

Summer program participants can become certified Conversation Partners and Professional Conversation Partners after completing three requirements:

1. Training on OPI and WPT proficiency test benchmarks and how to conduct a task-based conversation session in both online and face-to-face settings.
   Training Dates: April 6, 13, 20
   Email flagship@hunter.cuny.edu to RSVP.
2. Satisfactory performance in supervised student teaching for one-on-one conversation sessions to students at different levels during the summer session.
3. Superior-level Proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing Chinese.

Certified tutors are eligible to apply for tutoring positions for the Chinese Flagship Center. For more information, please contact the Flagship Center at flagship@hunter.cuny.edu or call 212-396-6595.