July 21 – August 8, 2014
The Experience China Course is a three-week immersive course that equips UK qualified teachers with basic knowledge of Chinese language to begin teaching beginner-level Chinese in their schools upon their return to the UK. It also serves as a catalyst for the introduction of Chinese in their schools or supports any existing Chinese teaching.
Click here to download the 2014 Experience China Course Guide
Who should apply?
Primary or secondary teachers looking to teach beginners’ level Mandarin Chinese in their UK schools (state-maintained and independent). All applicants for the course need to provide a rationale for why they want to take the course and how they plan to develop their own Chinese and the provision of Chinese in their school. Applications must be supported by the school leadership.
How to apply
Applications for the 2014 course are now closed. Applications for summer 2015 will open in the next academic year, subject to agreement with the organisers in China. To express your interest in participating next year (summer 2015), please fill in the contact form at the bottom of this page.
How much will it cost?
Participants will cover their own airfare, food, visa costs and travel insurance. All other course costs are generously covered by Hanban.
Annual China-based training course
Format of the course
The course in China comprises of 30 hours’ tuition each week (30 hours x 3 weeks). Tuition focuses on developing participants’ pronunciation, speaking and listening skills; participants also cover some reading and writing of Chinese characters. There are lectures on Chinese culture. Participants can also enjoy a number of cultural activities and excursions arranged by the organisers.
At the end of the course, participants should be able to teach beginner-level Chinese in their UK schools. They are also expected to continue with formal Chinese language studies for at least one year upon return to the UK.
Certificates are issued to all participants upon their successful completion of the three-week course in China.
Topics covered in the course
Topics covered included: origins/history of Chinese language; Chinese characters; pinyin and tones; basic greetings and introductions; numbers; family; food and drink; other topics related to daily life; using a dictionary.
By the end of the course, all participants are able to:
- understand key words and phrases that fall within the above topics
- talk about the above topics
- use simple phrases/sentences
- recognise some simple Chinese characters
- write some basic Chinese characters
- have a basic knowledge of Chinese language
- have a good foundation to lead to further study of the language
- be able to look up simple words in the dictionary
- have an understanding of how to teach Chinese as a foreign language.
Partnership with East China Normal University (ECNU)
The IOE Confucius Institute works in successful partnership with ECNU, who contribute generous staff time, support and resources for the running of the Experience China course.
ECNU provide the highest quality of training for the teachers. They both serve as national bases for teaching Chinese as a second language and have made great efforts to expand their programmes for international students. With their strong reputation for pedagogical expertise, ECNU are ideal partners for this course.
Evaluation and impact
Previous participants have started the teaching in their school and a number are continuing with study of the language. Some are also hoping to return to China for further study. Participants hold a variety of roles in primary and secondary schools and all are in a good position to promote Chinese in their schools.
All participants are required to provide feedback.
Click here to view the comments and feedback from participants
Click here to view a case study from the 2012 Experience China course
2014 Experience China Course Guide
To express your interest in participating next year (summer 2015), please fill in the contact form below. (Note: This is not the application form. Applications will open in the new school year, subject to agreement with the organisers in China.)
