College Instructor Receives State’s First Chinese Teacher Certification...

Article Body: Lone Star College-Montgomery instructor Yuying Liu has been awarded the first teaching certificate in Chinese from the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). SBEC is the certification board responsible for ensuring that educators are qualified to serve in the Texas public school system.

Liu--who pioneered the Chinese language program at both LSC-Montgomery and LSC-CyFair last fall--said she is honored that she has been chosen to pave the way for those pursuing certification to teach Chinese in Texas schools. In addition to Chinese, Liu also holds SBEC certification to teach special education and vocational home economics education.

“This validation of my skills as a Chinese language teacher is very rewarding as well as career advancing,” said Liu, who in addition to teaching for LSC is founder and principal of the Hua-Xia Chinese School Northwest Campus--a non-profit education organization in Houston that teaches the language to both native Chinese speakers and non-native Chinese speakers of all ages. “Everybody grows through the teaching process and being able to teach people Chinese language has been very exciting for me.”

Liu immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970s to earn a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has taught Chinese at a variety of levels including kindergarten through college and adults in the corporate environment. Liu, who has completed training programs offered by the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, will travel to Indiana this summer to pursue additional education in her field.

“The state certification Yuying has been the first to earn confirms what we already know about her and her skills as an educator,” said Dr. David Zimmermann, LSC-Montgomery department chair of languages. “She is an incredibly talented teacher and our students are very fortunate to have someone of her caliber in the classroom.”

Liu also maintains contact with the Chinese consulate in Houston, which is beneficial as its office has provided LSC-Montgomery with items including Chinese textbooks and other learning materials.

“I am pleased to learn that Ms. Liu is the first teacher to get the teaching certificate in Chinese from SBEC in Texas,” Consul Tang of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston said. “As many American people are becoming interested in China and Chinese culture, more and more colleges and universities are establishing Chinese language programs. Ms. Liu and her colleagues have done a lot of projects to introduce Chinese culture to their students last year. I hope the Chinese language program at Lone Star College-Montgomery will increase the understanding between the American people and Chinese people.”

LSC-Montgomery began offering Chinese last fall due to an increased demand for it as well as other critical languages, said Zimmerman. The program has since expanded to offer advanced Chinese courses, as well, he said.

“As the economy goes increasingly global and technology brings everyone closer together, the need for knowing additional languages increases,” said Zimmermann, who added that the college hopes to expand the foreign languages program to one day offer Russian and Arabic. “The demand is there and Yuying has helped us charter a program that will serve many well into the future. She has a firm commitment to her students and, as it is a very difficult language to learn, she makes herself available to them outside of the class period as well.”

Course descriptions for the Lone Star College System’s Chinese language program include:

Beginning Chinese I (CHIN 1411) – An introduction to modern spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. Emphasizes beginners’ speaking, listening comprehension and basic principles in grammar along with simple exercises in compositions and reading which include cultural material. Students will write Chinese characters;

Beginning Chinese II (CHIN 1412) – A continuation of CHIN 1411 as an introduction to modern spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. Increased emphasis on speaking, listening comprehension, and basic principles in grammar along with simple exercises in compositions and reading which include cultural material. Students will write Chinese characters;

LSC-Montgomery and LSC-CyFair will offer both of these courses in the upcoming fall semester. Additionally, Intermediate Chinese I and II, which expand upon the first two classes, will be offered in subsequent semesters.

“There is obviously a lot involved for someone to learn a foreign language such as Chinese, which has a completely different structure than English,” said Liu. “I know from experience that people can learn it. The method of teaching I use helps students reach their goal and this recent addition of state certification helps confirm my practices.”

Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers and LSC-University Center. With 49,250 students, it is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and third largest community college district in Texas. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu

Posted by Engelhardt, Dealva L on 6/25/2008 4:00:00 PM

College Instructor Receives State’s First Chinese Teacher Certification...

College Instructor Receives State’s First Chinese Teacher Certification...

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