Source: School of Foreign Languages 
Written by: School of Foreign Languages
Translated by: Evelyn Zhang, Zhou Qun
Proofread by: Liang Jianxin
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On March 17, 2017, the Volunteer Chinese Teachers’ Experience Sharing Meeting was held on Guangzhou South Campus of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU). The event, organized by the School of Foreign Languages (FLS), attracted more than one hundred teachers and students from within and outside the university.
 

The Volunteer Chinese Teachers’ Experience Sharing Meeting
 

Nine volunteer Chinese teachers shared their overseas teaching experience at the meeting. Guo Jin, a volunteer in the Philippines, shared her experience of individualized teaching and “battles of wits and courage” with vivid teaching cases. Liu Wenping talked about the power of collectivism and devotion during the anti-dengue fever in the Philippines. Yuan Xinyue, a volunteer in the USA, introduced her working experience at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis and all kinds of activities on traditional Chinese culture, as well as her reflection on the innovation of curriculum. Peng Yajie, whose distinctive course vitalized the Chinese teaching of her school in Australia, told the story of how she managed to turn from a teaching assistant into a Chinese teacher. By introducing the local conditions and customs of Mexico, Li Meirong and Xi Jun specified the local Chinese teaching modes, the usage of Chinese teaching materials, and the culture-experiencing activities in Mexico. Wang Xiaole, a volunteer in South Africa, presented how she took on the roles both as a secretary of the Confucius Institute and a Chinese teacher simultaneously. Liu Ziqi and Jiang Chenhao shared their innovative teaching methods in New Zealand and their journey of winning the first prize at a Karaoke competition in Wellington.

SYSU has co-established four Confucius Institutes with well-known universities in the Philippines, Mexico, the United States and South Africa since 2006. Since 2008, 224 students from the program of Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL) have been sent to 26 countries and regions as volunteer Chinese teachers. Their excellent performance has received high recognition at home and abroad, with 16 volunteers awarded "Outstanding Volunteer Chinese Teachers" by Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), 1 winning the “Silver Award for Volunteer Service in Guangdong Province”, 2 awarded the “Person of the Year of SYSU” in 2011 and 2012 respectively, 2 awarded the “Ten Distinguished Young Volunteers of SYSU” in 2014 and 2015 respectively.　

The Volunteer Chinese Teachers’ Experience Sharing Meeting has been held in SYSU five times since 2012. The activities are aimed at presenting to the world the splendid Chinese culture with Chinese characteristics, spirit and wisdom.