The Center for Language Education held a conference, with both instructors and students presenting on teaching and learning practices which work for them inside as well as outside the classroom. The Director of the CLE, Dr. Li Yuan, gave opening remarks where she spoke of the need for good teaching practices which use English as the medium of instruction, and how this positive pedagogy can influence classrooms across campus. Following, a total of 10 teachers gave presentations on how they implement those same ideas on a daily basis, creating a learning environment which fosters sustainable educational growth not only amongst students, but for the teachers as well, continually developing as professionals, reflecting the positive attributes of the CLE.
One of the highlights of the conference was the Student Poster Presentations, in which 12 students designed, created, and hosted an academic poster depicting teaching and learning strategies which work for them, not only in English classes, but across their educational spectrum. Giving empowerment to student voices of understanding, these posters spoke to the learning strategies implemented within the CLE, which include innovative and authentic approaches to the design of student curriculum and classroom instruction.
This is the second conference which the Center for Language Education has hosted at SUSTech over the past two semesters, a tradition we plan to continue going forward. Teaching is an art which is continually developing, taking into account updates in research, student learning outcomes, and constructive teacher development. Looking to become a leader at SUSTech for not only language development but teaching improvement, the CLE hopes to use the issues discussed at this conference to help foster continual development within the realm of teaching, extending from our center to all departments across campus.
