The 1st Irish Chinese Teaching Skills Competition successfully held at UCD Confucius Institute

In order to further improve the quality of Chinese teaching in the Republic of Ireland, promote the exchange of Chinese teaching skills and build a platform for the exchange of Chinese teachers teaching in the Republic of Ireland, the first Irish Chinese Teaching Skills Competition was held at UCD Confucius Institute on November 20. The competition was supported by the Chinese Embassy in Ireland, and jointly organized by UCD Confucius Institute, UCC Confucius Institute, and the Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Galway.

Dr. Song Ruoyun, Head of the Education Section and First Secretary of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Ireland, Prof. Liming Wang, Director of UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland and the Irish Institute for Chinese Studies, Mr. Zhang Wei, Chinese Director at UCD Confucius Institute, Mr. Huang Junyi, Chinese Director at UCC Confucius Institute, and Mr. Zhang Qi, Chief Correspondent of Xinhua News Agency in Ireland, attended the competition.

A total of 17 teachers from UCD Confucius Institute, UCC Confucius Institute, Ireland and the Confucius Institute at the University of Galway, participated in the competition. Dr. Li Xiaodong from the University of Dublin, Dr. Zhang Qi from Dublin City University, Dr. Ni Jun from TU Dublin, Ms. Zhang Dongxia from Galway University and Dr. Jiang Ning from Maynooth University, served as judges for the competition. The competition was divided into two parts: a demonstration of Chinese teaching skills and a Q&A session. Each participant had 15 minutes to present their teaching plans for students of different age groups and Chinese language levels and answer questions from the judges.

The competition judges evaluated the teachers' performance in terms of teaching objectives and content, teaching methods and skills, teaching effectiveness, and spirit and style. After a day of intense competition, four Chinese teachers from UCD Confucius Institute, Zhang Yuyun, Tong Yinfei, Li Shuying and Yuan Jiaqi, and four from UCC Confucius Institute, Zhang Meishan, Ma Xiaoling, Huang Xiao and Chen Yan, were awarded the winners of the competition and will represent Republic of Ireland to compete at the 2022 UK and the Republic of Ireland Chinese Teaching Championship - Island of Ireland to be held in Northern Ireland early next year. Dr. Song Ruoyun, Head of the Education Section and First Secretary of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Ireland, presented the prizes to the winners.

In his speech, Prof. Liming Wang, Director of the UCD Confucius Institute, said that the competition had provided a valuable platform for Chinese language teachers in Ireland to exchange teaching methods and skills, and would have a positive impact on further improving the teaching standards of Chinese language teachers in Ireland and promoting Chinese language and culture.