[Report on Kaleo] [CLTE Webpage]
Reported by Christine Martinez
The Freeman Foundation at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa has acknowledged the high demand for licensed Chinese-language teachers throughout the nation this month.
The purpose of the independent, university-related, nonprofit organization is to raise private funds for the university through full-range fundraising and alumni relations services for all 10 UH campuses. The foundation has demonstrated their purpose by awarding an initial start-up funding of $400,000 to the new Chinese Language Teacher Education program.
"I personally think it will be a great program to successfully prepare highly qualified Chinese-language teachers, not only for our schools in Hawai‘i but also for those on the mainland," said JiaLin Sun, the project coordinator for the program.
The funds will help to expand the training for Chinese-language teachers of all grade levels. Up to 50 new teachers in the nation are expected to complete the training program over the next three years. In addition, the funding will develop an ongoing teacher preparation program to meet the increasing demand for more Chinese-language teachers in K-12 schools.
The program is proposed to begin in Spring 2008 and will be administered by the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary Education. Applicant qualifications will be evaluated and required to meet the PBCSE standards as well as the national standards for foreign language teaching in secondary schools.
The Chinese Language Teacher Education program is being developed by the University of Hawai‘i College of Education, along with the Center for Chinese Studies, the department of East Asian languages and literature and the department of second language studies.
In addition, the college will also collaborate with the Hawai‘i Department of Education, the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board, the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools and other institutions outside of the state.
The proposed course sequence includes 36 credit hours over a two-year time period (four semesters). A separate module focusing on Chinese culture will be developed at UH by the College of Education, School of Pacific and Asian Studies and College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature.
Once the teachers in training complete the program, they will be recommended for licensure from the Hawai‘i Teachers Standards Board. After receiving licensure, the new teachers will have the opportunity to teach in any state. Those who remain in Hawai‘i can apply to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education system and also be informed about relevant job announcements from all states.
"The University of Hawai‘i College of Education has an excellent reputation, and its teacher education program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education," Sun said. "By collaborating expertise from all other departments and colleges that are involved, the Chinese language education program will be a top program."