Ateneo offers masters in teaching chinese as foreign language
With the rapid expansion of China’s role in the world, knowledge of Mandarin Chinese has become increasingly important to those engaging the world’s second largest economy in business, cultural and diplomatic exchanges. The past decade has witnessed a sharp rise in the number of Mandarin Chinese learners worldwide, including the Philippines. As a result, there is also an increase in demand for quality language programs catering to every educational level, even professionals.
As a response to this global trend, the Ateneo de Manila University has launched the Masters in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Program – the very first such program in the country -- to develop professional high-caliber Chinese language teachers for schools and universities. It is jointly offered by the Ateneo’s Department of Education and Chinese Studies Program in collaboration with Sun Yat-sen University, Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and the Ateneo Confucius Institute.
Joining Ateneo’s Department of Education’s lineup of renowned graduate programs, the Masters in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Program consists of graduate level subjects in education, advanced Chinese language, and teaching Chinese as a foreign language. In addition, the Program also trains students in education research, introduces them to the Ignatian Philosophy of Education, and provides them a comprehensive understanding of China through the course Aspects of China. In order to provide language and cultural immersion to students, the program also offers an option to study in China with subsidy at Sun Yat-sen Univerisity in Guangzhou during the Intercession Semester (approximately six-weeks) between the first and second years.
The demand for Chinese language teachers in the Philippines is expected to rise further in the near future. In the past, teaching Chinese language has traditionally been the niche of Chinese schools in the Philippines. Today, Mandarin Chinese courses are starting to be offered in public and private schools after the implementation of the K-12 program, which encourages all schools to offer foreign language classes. International schools, universities, and even Chinese schools also seek for more educators to teach in their existing Chinese language programs. Learning Chinese has also become immensely popular among professionals looking to communicate better with Chinese speaking clients or become more competitive in the job market. The program aims not only to provide qualified teachers to these institutions, but also to produce education leaders, who will contribute to the long-term development and modernization of Chinese language teaching practices in the country.
The Ateneo de Manila is an established institution for Chinese language learning in the country. The university’s Chinese Studies Program has been teaching Chinese language in the college since 1987, while the Confucius Institute at the university has been teaching Chinese language to professionals and general public since 2006. The Ateneo Confucius Institute has also organized numerous Chinese language teacher trainings seminars in the Philippines and China.
The Masters in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Program is open to Filipino and international applicants with Chinese language teaching experience. For more information about the program, you may contact the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at 426-6001 loc. 5141-42 or visit this webpage: http://bit.ly/machineseteaching
This article was originally posted on www.ateneo.edu.