Federally-funded Professional Development Program for Prospective and Novice Chinese and Korean Teachers

Do you speak Chinese or Korean at a superior or native level and would like to share Chinese or Korean languages and cultures with K-12 students in the US?

Are you currently teaching Chinese and Korean in the US and would like to learn more about technology-enhanced and content-integrated world language instruction?

Are you interested in participating in professional development workshops and/or taking a graduate or undergraduate summer course to learn more about effective teaching and learning of world languages?

Here is a unique opportunity for you to achieve your goals with the support of a federal grant at no cost to you!

The Texas A&M University STARTALK World Languages Teacher Academy will offer an online summer professional development program for a) individuals who are interested in becoming world language teachers of Chinese or Korean, and b) novice world language teachers of Chinese and Korean who are seeking further professional development opportunities. The major portion of the professional development program will take place online from mid-May to the end of June. Participants will receive continuing professional support throughout the summer and the fall semester.

We are currently recruiting three tracks of participants:

• Track A: Prospective teachers who are currently A&M graduate or undergraduate students. You will receive full tuition support to complete an undergraduate/graduate-level course in World Language Teaching and Learning in the summer as part of the professional development program.

• Track B: Prospective teachers who are not A&M students OR who are A&M students but do not need summer tuition support. You will receive a voucher of $500 for you to complete world language teacher certification requirements.

• Track C: In-service Chinese or Korean teachers.  You will receive up to 120 Continuing Professional Education hours for participation in the program.

Participants in all three tracks will also have the opportunity to work at a well-established Chinese and Korean summer program in June to gain further teaching experiences. The cost of all the course and professional development materials for participants in all three tracks will be fully covered by the grant. 

We will have a Virtual Open House on 3/27 (Sat.) from 11:00 am-11:45 am (Central Time) to give an overview of the program. Questions will be answered and the application link will be shared at the end of the Virtual Open House. If you are interested in participating in the program, please sign up for the Virtual Open House by 3/25 (Thurs).

If you are unavailable to attend the Virtual Open House on 3/27 (Sat.), please complete the sign-up form as well. We will share with you the recorded Open House and the application process later for you to complete the application by 3/28 (Sun.). Application outcomes will be sent over email by 3/31 (Wed.). 

Admission priorities may be given to those who have attended the Virtual Open House. If you have any questions, please contact us at k12.foreignlanguages.tamu@gmail.com.