Ping Wu, OATC Representative

Founded in 2008, the Ohio Association of Teachers of Chinese (OATC) has been the major force for promoting Chinese language and culture and supporting Chinese teachers in Ohio.  With the growing popularity of Chinese study and the concomitant expansion of Chinese programs in the schools, OATC has witnessed a rapid growth in our membership.  This has allowed us to undertake diverse tasks to assist our members and to provide opportunities for them and their students.

Recent OATC Events

In collaboration with the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at The Ohio State University (OSU), OATC organized the first annual Chinese Immersion Day for high school students in March 2012.  Students participated in a Chinese spelling bee, sang Karaoke, performed Chinese-themed skits, and engaged in other activities with their Chinese-studying peers from across the state.

For teachers, OATC organized a one-day workshop in September 2012 on Chinese pedagogy and culture.  Among other activities, professionals taught Chinese chanting, knot tying, and painting.  Throughout the year, three regional meetings, where teachers shared teaching strategies and networked, were held in Columbus, Dayton and Cleveland.  Then, in conjunction with the Confucius Institute of Cleveland State University, OATC sponsored workshops for teachers and contests for students in April and May 2013.  The workshops focused on the teaching of both Chinese characters and culture.  Middle and high school students competed in Chinese speech and essay contests.

Upcoming OATC Events

For the 2013-2014 school year, OATC will continue hosting workshops, regional meetings, Chinese Immersion Day, as well as student events and contests.  In addition, OATC is working with OSU to start a summer camp in China for high school students.  Anyone interested in helping to organize this camp or in working as a summer counselor should contact OATC president Ping Wu at wpwnsyx@gmail.com.

For additional information about OATC or to become a member, please visit our website at http://www.ohioatc.org.

Online Teaching Resources

Below are some on-line resources for Chinese and other foreign-language teaching:

1.  A website with interactive games and exercises for learning German, French, Spanish, and Chinese: http://www.hellomylo.com

2.  A collection of Chinese teaching strategies, tips, resources, web tools, and other useful information: http://csgchinese.wikispaces.com

3.  A collection of Chinese films and TV shows (most with English subtitles): http://tinyurl.com/lz9mxsm

4.  An online platform to create various multimedia teaching activities (but not in Chinese): http://en.educaplay.com