2012.0625
NTNU Students Mandarin Teaching Internship in United States
Starting from this summer, NTNU Department of Applied Chinese Language and Literature would cooperate with the public elementary school in United States. Four of the students from Department of Applied Chinese Language and Literature would intern in the public elementary in United States for half a year to a year. There were possibilities for them to teach in United States in the future.
With the trend of learning Mandarin in the world, Ministry of Education started to encourage university students to intern Mandarin teaching in other countries a few years ago. However, the cooperated schools were mostly the Mandarin teaching institution, international Chinese school, Department of Chinese in university, or the language center. There was merely chance to intern in the public elementary school overseas. Besides, the public elementary school in United States had strict policy and they mostly cooperated with China. Only very few chances were left for Taiwanese students.
NTNU established the Department of Applied Chinese Language and Literature five years ago. With the encouragement of the director Tsai Ya Hsun, she led several students to participate in the California Basic Educational Skills Test in United States, and the STAR TALK Mandarin internship. The first group of participated students would intern in two public schools, San Diego Unified School District and Barnard Elementary School, Mandarin Chinese Magnet this summer.
The principal of Barnard Elementary School Edward D. Park, Professor Li Rong Lily Cheng from San Diego State University, School Site Council Board member Jim Boyston, and parents representative of Barnard Elementary School Michelle Cass arrived NTNU personally came to Taiwan and sign the MOU contract with NTNU Office of Teacher Education and Careers Service.
Another cooperated elementary school was the Terra Verde Discovery School in Oklahoma. The school parents representative Dr. Peter Gries came to NTNU to discuss the detail of internship cooperation last year. The discussion decided that two students would be chosen to intern in Terra Verde Discovery School every year. The Ministry of Education would support the expenditure.