- Confucius Institute at Ateneo de Manila University (CI-AdMU) held the 2025 Local Chinese Teacher Training Program on October 25-26 in a hybrid format, attended by over 50 educators nationwide.
- The program featured expert lecturers from Fudan University and BLCU, focusing on Mandarin instruction, pronunciation, language acquisition theories, and digital teaching tools.
- The initiative reinforced CI-AdMU’s commitment to advancing Chinese language education in the Philippines through academic exchange, innovation, and cultural collaboration.
In this regard, the Confucius Institute at the Ateneo de Manila University hosted a very successful 2025 Local Chinese Teacher Training Program last October 25-26 at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Salcedo Village, Makati City. There were 52 educators from schools and universities all over the Philippines who attended on-site and several more participated via Zoom for the two-day event.
It was a hybrid format so that professional training could be extended to teachers from all parts of the country who could avail themselves of the program's emphasis on enhancing Mandarin instructions and pedagogical practice. The event was opened by Mr. Cris Gilbert Garcia, Director of CI-AdMU, who emphasized the Institute's objective to enhance local capacity in Mandarin teaching and to provide Filipino teachers with linguistic proficiency and modern teaching methodologies.
The training program consisted of expert lecturers from China's academic institutions, including Prof. Wu Zhongwei, Dean of the International Cultural Exchange School at Fudan University; Prof. Hu Wenhua, Deputy Director of the Office of the Confucius Institute at Fudan University; and Prof. Zheng Yanqun from the Beijing Language and Culture University, who joined online.
Prof. Wu Zhongwei led the opening sessions on theories of language acquisition, intercultural communication, and the cultural context of modern China. He noted how knowledge of social and cultural processes could enrich communicatively oriented teaching methods in the teaching of Mandarin. Prof. Hu Wenhua provided the subsequent practical sessions with focus on Chinese pronunciation and character instruction, highlighting cognitive aspects of phonetic learning and classroom techniques to improve pronunciation among Filipino learners.
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Over these two days, the course covered six full training modules that blended theoretical perspectives with practical applications. Among the main theories of second language learning that were covered were the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, Error Analysis Theory, and Order of Acquisition Theory, all of which help teachers to detect and solve the most frequent problems that learners face. Also, interactive and sociocultural models of teaching were considered, focusing on scaffolding techniques and curriculum design to meet the academic, general, and professional purposes of different learners.
The second day brought into focus the increasing scope of digitalization in language education through an online lecture by Prof. Zheng Yanqun. She introduced ways of integrating artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and intelligent teaching tools into the classrooms, which would facilitate engagement, real-time assessment, and personalized learning. Interactive sessions and open forums allowed educators to share insights and discuss ways of adapting digital pedagogies within the Philippine context.
The program ended with the information dissemination on the Master in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language program offered at Ateneo de Manila University, which was led by Mr. Garcia. The 2025 Local Chinese Teacher Training Program has further re-entrenched the commitment of CI-AdMU to pursue greater heights in Chinese language education in the Philippines through collaboration with Fudan University and BLCU. Through academic exchange, technological innovation, and cultural understanding, the Institute remains instrumental in empowering educators toward effective cross-cultural dialogue in the classroom.
