On July 21, the International Office welcomed 10 professors from Xi’an Polytechnic University (XPU), a partner university of 16 years. The professors joined ESU for English language and methodology training, as well as for American culture and language immersion. Between Aug. 1 and 20 the Chinese professors are living with host families who have opened up their homes to them.
The English Teaching Training Program is a customized program, upon the request of XPU, designed for English teachers who teach college-level students of various majors. The expected English level is “functional English,” which means the teachers have received college-level training and instruction in the English language and the pedagogies of the teaching English as a second language. However, aside from daily instruction in the classroom, teachers may or may not have a great deal of exposure to and use of the language. Through this program, several learning outcomes are expected to be met:
Gain exposure to the speaking and listening ability pertaining to American English, accents and speed of language
Familiarize with some pedagogies and teaching strategies for developing English skills through reading
Introduce into their daily teaching concepts of creative writing as an effective pedagogy for English learners
Improve vocabulary and applications of the English language on different contexts
Explore critical topics of the American society and culture, as it applies to English for instructional purposes
Dr. Gonzalo Bruce, dean of international education, shared sentiments about the overall experience.
“The opportunity to host XPU scholars for a language and cultural immersion program has enabled us to work with community members and innovate in teaching pedagogies,” Dr. Bruce said. “Local host families have graciously opened the door to enrich the scholars’ experience in the U.S. Similarly, the workshops that we have designed are aimed at providing experiential, hands-on learning opportunities that scholars may find useful and applicable to their own teaching when they return to China.”
At the host family luncheon held on July 30, several of the professors expressed their gratitude to the families.
“I am really grateful for this opportunity to learn about American culture because I only know about American culture through television,” said Guoxiang Du (Margaret). “When I return I will be able to share with my students about my experiences to better prepare them for future studies in the United States.”
Each week of the program, the professors will tackle various aspects of their learning outcomes through in-the-field experiences with visits to various historical buildings and museums in Topeka, Wichita and surrounding counties.