Highlights from 2017 Technology Conference

ACAMIS expresses sincere thanks to The International School of Macao for hosting the conference, as well as Damien Hehir from YCIS Shanghai and Frances Lond-Caulk from ISB for their contributions as the Chair and Member of the Tech Conference Planning Committee.

(Click on the photos to view their actual size)

Highlights of the conference throughout the two days:

The International School of Macao (TIS Macao) was established in 2002 to provide a Canadian curriculum and accreditation to local and expatriate students. It is presently a vibrant and rapidly growing school of 1,141 students representing 40 different countries. TIS offers a well-rounded and developmentally appropriate curriculum for students in Pre Kindergarten to Grade 12, culminating in the Alberta High School Diploma and the International Baccalaureate(IB) Diploma recognized by universities worldwide.

The International School of Macao
MUST Campus, Block K, Taipa, Macau
+853 2853 3700
www.tis.edu.mo

Sincere thank you to the support of our Sponsors:

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Keynote Speakers

Lorena Mancilla, Ph.D., WIDA Director of Early Years

Dr. Lorena Mancilla is an advocate for language learners and their families. In her career as an educator, she has worked in bilingual and ESL programs. Dr. Mancilla currently serves as Director of Early Years at WIDA. In her role, she oversees the development of resources that support young dual language learners in early care and education settings. At WIDA, she also served as the lead researcher and developer for family engagement initiatives, a professional development facilitator, and core member of the team that developed the WIDA Spanish Language Development Standards. Dr. Mancilla completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focused on Latino parent engagement in K-12 language education.

Keynote: Changing the Rules of Engagement: Considerations for Strengthening Family Engagement.

This session highlights the need to critically examine the “rules of engagement” that drive beliefs, conceptualizations, and school-based practices for engaging families in the education of their children. In particular, the focus will be on engaging with families that are racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse. The presenter will introduce participants to six key considerations for strengthening family engagement practices that are grounded in research and essential for building relationships with families. In addition, this session highlights the voice of families of K-12 English learners and presents examples of lessons learned from engaging with diverse families.

Tim Boals, Ph.D., WIDA Executive Director

Dr. Tim Boals is the Executive Director of the WIDA Consortium. He holds a Ph.D. in curriculum from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an emphasis in the education of English language learners. His background includes language education, educational policy for ELLs, and Spanish language and literature.

As the WIDA Executive Director, Tim oversees operations and long-range planning efforts. He serves on the WIDA Research Subcommittee and his research interests involve the interplay between content and language learning for English language learners across the language acquisition continuum and the effects of standards on classroom practice for these learners. He has recently collaborated on articles about re-conceptualization of academic language and the evolving construct of English language testing, the books "Multilingual Learners and Academic Literacies" and "Formative Language Assessment for ELLs," and a book chapter on supporting ELLs with special needs. Tim frequently presents at national and regional conferences on the challenges facing ELLs and how schools and educators can better meet their needs.

http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/About/Staff/1410

Keynote: Promoting Multilingual Student Engagement and Success.

This session will begin with a look at the latest recommendations for creating and sustaining culturally and linguistically engaging spaces for young multilingual learners within which to interact. A video exemplar will illustrate the teacher’s role in facilitating these interactions. These spaces should ensure that language use is promoted in authentic and engaging ways, building on students’ L1 and C1 even as children become more adept at beginning to learn English. The session will then introduce participants the latest WIDA and WIDA Early Years resources designed to assist teachers in creating similarly engaging spaces both in English and the children’s primary languages throughout the school day.

Presentation Topic: Parent communication; the vital link in bilingual Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Presentation Topic: Vocabulary Building Activities

Subject to further updates

Friday, February 2, 2018

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Subject to further updates and changes

Check Guidebook for updated Bus times departing to/from hotel and host school

Hangzhou International School
Address: 78 Dongxin Street, Bin Jiang District, Hangzhou 310053
Phone: 86-571-8669-0045
Website URL: http://www.his-china.org/

Director of School: Jeffry Stubbs

The host school will provide transportation from the following hotels:

2. Zhicheng Hotel
Address: 688, Dongxin Avenue, Binjiang District HZ, Zhejiang, China
Contact Person: Mr. Qiu
Telephone: 189 5713 1191 or 152 6712 0582
Email: 490409526@qq.com
*Please email or call the hotel to make reservations
Room Rate (Standard/Deluxe Room): ¥320/350 (per night)

Notes with hotel reservation:

1. You need to make your own hotel reservation (or for your colleagues who are going to attend the workshop).

2. Transportation will be provided only between the above hotel(s) and the host school during the workshop or conference days.
   

3. You can book other hotels but you (and/or your colleagues) will need to make your own way to the host school.

Click below video for the highlights from last year's conference

Yamin Ma
Ms. Yamin Ma is Head of Chinese at Island School. She received her M.Ed. in Curriculum Design and Instruction from Queen’s University, Canada. Since 1995, she has taught Chinese at I/GCSE, A/AS and IB B levels to students from near-native to non-background. Ms. Yamin Ma has extensive experience of teaching Chinese to both primary and secondary level students and has run many workshops for teachers in the same field. Ms. Yamin Ma is the author of “Chinese Made Easy” and “Easy Steps to Chinese” series.

Xiaochuan Lin
Lin Xiaochuan currently teaching MYP and DP Chinese, while serving as the head of language acquisition department at the Chadwick International school in South Korea. Her international school teaching experience has spanned for the past 20 years, when she taught in Tanglin Trust School, Overseas Family School in Singapore and the British School of Manila before the Chadwick International. Her teaching committed to cultivating her students’ creative and critical minds through relevant, meaningful and challenging learning experience.
She has become an IBDP workshop leader in 2010, and has successfully facilitated both Chinese Ab Initio and Chinese B workshops since. Implementing MYP the new chapter in the last three years, she has been devoting her time and energy to explore the concept driven and inquiry based approach to the Chinese language acquisition.
Lin Xiao chuan graduated from Fujian Teachers’ university with major in Chinese language and literature and she taught Chinese at a teachers’ college in Fujian for 9 years. After obtaining her Master of Applied linguistic from Macquarie University in Australia in 1996, she started teaching Chinese as a second/foreign language to international students.

牛毅 Peter Niu Yi
牛毅, 在北美、香港和中国大陆地区多所学校有逾十年教授儿童和成人的语言教学经验。他常年活跃在各地区性教学研讨会并担任主讲人。作为教育科技产品的极客，他喜于钻研并亲自投身尝试最新产品的研发，同时他在教学中极力推广哈佛大学教育学院的可视化思维模式。
牛老师毕业于香港理工大学对外汉语硕士专业并持有香港大学学位教师教育文凭证书。现就职于香港汉基国际学校并教授MYP、DP课程以及担任中国体验项目（昆明地区）负责人一职。
他是业界即将出版的第一本MYP中文教材《MYP语言和文学》合著人之一，同时也是香港橙新闻及科技杂志《今日校园》撰稿人。2014年他带领学生在耶魯大學夺取世界学者杯国际总决赛团体总冠军。他曾任香港经纬青年商会董事兼财务长并在香港大学、港澳办、统战部等任客座嘉宾。
Niu Yi has had more than ten years experience in teaching languages to kids and adults around the world, including North America, Hong Kong and Mainland China. He has actively contributed to academic workshops as a leader and a speaker. As a passionate geek of educational technology, he has delved into and fully devoted himself to the development of new technological products that can be used in the classroom; meanwhile, he experiments with and promotes the Visible Thinking program pioneered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Mr. Niu graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a Master Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language followed by a PGDE degree from Hong Kong University. After having completed the degrees, Mr. Niu begun to work at the Chinese International School of Hong Kong, teaching the MYP and DP courses at a variety of levels. For many years, he has coordinated the China Experience Program in Kunming, China.
Mr. Niu is the co-author of the first MYP Chinese course book entitled MYP Language and Literature, which will be published late this year. In addition to this, Mr. Niu writes articles for publications such as Orange News and E-Campus Today. In 2014, he organized and led students to participate in the World Scholar Cup and won the Team Championship in the final round in Yale University. As the Treasurer and board member in Junior Chamber International Queensway Hong Kong, he has been the guest speaker at various events organized by Hong Kong University, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, The United Front Work Department (UFWD) etc.

Marphy Cai
Ph.d of Drama and Theatre in Education, The University of Warwick
Marphy Cai is the founder of Marphy’s Play House. She had Master degree of Drama and Theatre in Education at The University of Warwick, and then continue her Ph.d study in Warwick University. Her research focus on drama and language development in Chinese context. She did TiE workshop in IDEA, France. This project is called the Coldest War and explored history through drama. She also had presentation in IDIERI, Singapore, addressed how to combine drama and story to benefit children’s language development.

鄒蕙蘭 Lanny Tsou, BA MED
Deputy Head of Chinese Faculty & NCS Chinese Coordinator
Ms. Tsou is originally a Chinese teacher from Taiwan, and now works as the Deputy Head of Chinese Faculty & NCS Chinese Coordinator at Creative Secondary School. She is an experienced educator and has previously teaching experience in Taiwan. She obtained a diploma from the Department of News Editing and Reporting from The World College of Journalism (Shih Hsin University). She received a certificate from the Taipei Language Institute Center for Teacher Chinese as a Second Language in 2006. She also holds a Bachelor degree of Chinese Language and Literature, and has a Master degree of Teaching Chinese as a Second language from the University of Hong Kong. Her research area focuses on the teaching strategy and curriculum designing for the Second Language. She held many workshops for teachers and students from local secondary schools and the University of Hong Kong in recent years. Meanwhile she maintains her appointed position as an IB Chinese examiner.

董宁
MPhil., M.A., B.A.
董宁女士，中国语言文学学士，中国古典戏曲小说硕士，澳大利亚悉尼大学文学哲学硕士。曾担任大学中文系讲师、山西南洋国际学校副校长，澳大利亚悉尼大同中文学校校长等职。2004年起在香港李宝椿世界联合书院任教。现任香港啓新书院中文课程教师。主讲IBDP、MYP中文语言与文学课程，具有丰富的中国语言文学教学经验。
早在90年代初，董宁就参与了国内早期民办私立学校的创办，出国后又继续从事海外中文学校的教学管理。几十年来，始终站在中文教学的第一线，一直关注学生、家长、教师和中文教学的情况，对国内、海外的中文母语教学进行持续不断的探究。
董宁对 IBDP文学课程的研究深入， 2012年根据新版大纲编写的教材 《国际文凭大学预科项目中文A文学课程指导》(繁简体上下册)出版。董宁的文学研究从不间断，2013年出版了中英文双语版研究清代弹词小说的学术专着 《诚为才女红顔写心》。2014 年《文学课程专题研究论文写作指导》(繁简体各一册) 一书出版。2016年，《IBDP文学术语手册》(繁简体各一册) 一书出版。以上几本专着构成系列的IBDP中文教材，填补了全球IBDP中文教学的空白，满足了IB教学的需要。2017年，《国际文凭大学预科项目中文A文学课程指导》(繁简体上下册)再版发行。
目前，董宁正专注与MYP课程的教学研究，她主编的MYP中文语言A.LL的教材即将由香港三联出版社出版。

朱煜
中学高级教师。华东师范大学硕士研究生兼职导师。中国教育学会名师巡讲团特邀讲师。上海市写作学会会员，中国吟诵学会会员。曾获全国小学语文教师素养大赛特等奖、最佳仪态奖，上海市园丁奖，首届全国小学语文教学观摩活动上海选拔赛特等奖，上海市中青年教师教学竞赛一等奖。《小学语文教学》《教师博览》杂志签约作者。上海中小学课程教材改革小学语文综合学习教材特约撰稿人。出版专著《讲台上下的启蒙》《还在路上》《教书记》《赵清遥的作文故事》。主编出版《新语文参考古诗文卷》《学科有效学法指导*小学语文》《迷人的阅读》，编写出版《古诗全脑学习法》《小学生朱自清读本》。参与编著出版《轻轻松松学作文》《新语文作文》《亲近作文》《小学生作文快速提高》等作文教学书籍十余册（套）。另在多家专业刊物上发表文章几十篇，提出“启蒙语文”和“分段互动作文教学”等观点。近年致力于小学语文单元整合教学的研究。在全国各地讲学，上示范课近三百场。现为上海市建平实验小学校长助理、课程教学部主任。

2017 Chinese Conference
Utahloy International School of Guangzhou
June 30 - July 2, 2017

Challenges facing Chinese teaching in international contexts
国际汉语教学所面临的挑战
by Yamin Ma

国际大环境正在经历着各种变革与挑战，比如人工智能的发展，3D技术的发明及运用等等。电脑和网络的广泛使用给教育带来了巨大的冲击和机会。社会变革影响了教育理念和教育方法。

然而，我们要问的是，学生的学习过程改变了吗？教育检测的标准改变了吗？教育改革应该怎样借鉴并汲取中西方成功的教学经验。

以概念主导的探究性的教学途径 - 汉语习得教学的一个挑战：一个教师的视角和反思
by Xiao Chuan Lin

以概念主导的探究性的教学途径，在许多教育机构比如 IB 的推动下，正形成一股革新潮流，挑战着我们已有的教学思路。这种途径是否适用于语言习得的教学，特别是汉语的教学？聚焦于概念的学习过程是否与扎实的语言学习和交流技能的培养构成冲突？针对这些疑虑，林小川将分享她的理解以及她在尝试这种教学途径的过程中的经验和体会。其要点有：

1. 以概念为主导的探究性教学需要激活学生已有的知识与能力，帮助他们建立目标语言与母语或其它已掌握的语言之间的联系；

2. 以概念为主导的课程意在建构有深意的教学框架，让学生在学习语言掌握交流技能的同时，对相关的重要概念和议题有深入的理解， 并形成思路；

3. 以概念主导的探究性的教学框架能够容纳，也需要采纳各种有效的语言学习及技能训练的方法和策略来落实语言的学习和技能的培养；

语言习得的老师需要帮助学生建立概念，并将知识、技能与概念联系起来，让学习深入，让它们的转化成为可能。