Wales China Schools Project

Bursary Opportunities to attend the Annual Chinese Conference for Teachers/Tutors in London: 18-19 May 2012

SSAT (Schools Network) are once again hosting the Chinese Teachers’ Conference in London this summer. I have pleasure in informing you about the bursary fund for the conference that is taking place in London on 18-19 May 2012. There will be representatives from the Confucius Institutes for Wales at the conference and I am pleased to inform you that we have four bursaries available to fund two part time teachers/tutors and two full-time teachers/tutors.  The bursaries should cover all the conference fees and most travel and accommodations costs. For details of the conference click here.

If you would like to be considered for a bursary then please contact confucius@cardiff.ac.uk with a brief explanation of your current role and why you think this conference will be of value to you in your future professional practice.  All registrations of interest should be received no later than Wed 09 May.

The latest Wales China School Forum takes place at Llandovery College on 6^th March 2012.

The latest Wales China School Forum took place at Llandovery College on 6^th March 2012.  Over 40 participants were involved in the one day event which was preceded by a gathering of the Confucius Classrooms for Wales.  Llandovery College was the first Confucius Classroom to launch in Wales.  For more details about the CC’s please click here. Shaz Lawrence, the US-based Chinese teacher trainer and author of www.crreatvivechinese.com was our special guest for the day, leading sessions on the basics of applied Chinese teaching and how to add creativity and innovation into the learning environment for young learners.

During the day school teachers, Chinese tutors and language practitioners were able to take part in a range of different taster sessions led by local Chinese tutors from Lampeter and Cardiff Confucius Institute.

In the final part of the day, representatives from WJEC launched the Mandarin accredited Welsh Bacc programme inviting schools to take part on the QCF accredited modules and to sign up as accredited centres.  For more details on this please contact us

Pan-Wales Conference on Building Chinese into School’s Curriculum

Schools across Wales have met with language experts to discuss the development of Chinese studies at all levels of Welsh education.

The third Wales-China Schools Forum was organised by Cardiff Confucius Institute, in partnership with Lampeter Confucius Institute. Welsh schools and organisations were invited to Conwy in North Wales for a two-day round table discussion with language experts, modern foreign language advisors, Chinese tutors, validating authorities and language practitioners to explore the future of Chinese Studies in schools in Wales.

The discussions built on issues raised in earlier forum meetings in Cardiff and Carmarthen which involved representatives of Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government, British Council Wales and Cilt Cymru. The Wales China Schools Forum seeks to work alongside all schools in Wales currently engaging in activities with China and to raise aspirations for other schools that would like to see Chinese studies integrated into their programmes in the future.

The forums are part of the Confucius Institutes for Wales China Schools Project. The two Confucius Institutes aim to promote understanding of Chinese language and culture across Wales. Last year the project was able to support the provision of over 100 Chinese courses to schools from across Wales

Scott Andrews, General Manager of Cardiff Confucius Institute based at Cardiff University’s Centre for Lifelong Learning, said: “China is set to be the largest economy in the world within the next 10-15 years and mandarin is the most widely spoken language in the world. A better grasp of the language and of Chinese culture will enable future generations in Wales to be more equipped to forge links and to partner with China.

“This North Wales meeting of the Wales China Schools forum has attracted even more schools than previous meetings. The forum has demonstrated the increasing interest in the development of Chinese language opportunities as a genuine alternative to other modern foreign languages in both primary and secondary schools across Wales.

Cathays High School has recently been awarded Confucius Classroom status as a pioneer school for Chinese language provision. Mrs Eluned Davies-Scott, the Head of Community Languages for Cathays said: “I have always found the forum very valuable and am pleased to see the developments in Wales since the start of the forum.”

San Diego Confucius Classrooms Provide a Useful Contrast for the Wales China Schools Project

A recent visit to the Confucius Institute (CI) at San Diego State University (SDSU) provided an opportunity for Scott Andrews (General Manager of the Schools Project) and Prof Siyi Fu (Academic Director of Cardiff Confucius Institute) to visit several Confucius Classrooms (CC).

The CCs in San Diego state have a number of similar educational challenges to those in Wales – the population is very similar and given its close proximity to the Mexican border the Spanish language is widely spoken alongside English, just as Welsh is widely spoken alongside English across Wales. This is reflected in school classes and the language media through which children are learning. The inclusion of Chinese in the syllabus provides a third language for pupils as young as 6 years old to contend with. The CI at SDSU reaches out to 22 schools in San Diego state with its CC programme and Mandarin is developed through a number of different approaches at all stages of the child’s education from kindergarten through to high school.

Guests from Wales were invited to observe children in ‘immersion projects’ which means that up to 70% of all their classes (Maths, Science, History, etc) are taught through the medium of Chinese. As such, children were graduating from elementary school to middle school with a high level of competency in Chinese conversation.

Both CIs at SDSU and at Cardiff partner with Xiamen University, so the three universities are now exploring opportunities for wider collaboration with their Confucius Classroom programmes.