UH Receives New Federal Grant for STARTALK Program

Training Program for Texas-Area Chinese Language Teachers Debuts on UH Campus

The University of Houston (UH) has received a grant of nearly $100,000 to offer a professional training program to Chinese language teachers in Texas. Chinese

The program is supported by STARTALK, a National Security Language Initiative launched by former President Bush in 2006 to promote the teaching and learning of strategically important world languages that are not widely taught in the United States. 

“The STARTALK Program for teachers of Chinese at UH is responding to a need from the diverse community of Houston,” said Manuel Gutiérrez, director of the STARTALK Program and professor of Spanish linguistics at UH.  “The program attempts to provide a group of professionals with the most up-to-date methodology and techniques to teach a second language. After this program with highly qualified instructors, they will be more prepared to teach this language and culture not only to new U.S. generations of Chinese origins, but also to people from the general community who are showing a growing interest in this language.”

Twenty teachers of Chinese language from grades K-16 public and private schools, community colleges and Chinese heritage schools in Texas will participate in a two-week program on the UH campus, July 9-20, and two follow-up sessions in October and November. Designed as a graduate course (CHNS 6371: Teaching Chinese as a Second Language), the program will focus on understanding the nature and process of learning Chinese as a second language, identifying critical issues in Chinese second language pedagogy, and enhancing participants’ ability to develop appropriate teaching plans and materials. For more information about the STARTALK Program at UH, please visit http://www.uh.edu/class/mcl/chinese/startalk/

 National Security Agency and the Central Security Service are the executive agents for STARTALK. The intent of STARTALK is to provide summer language learning courses and teacher certification in less commonly taught languages for students and teachers at levels K-16. For more information about STARTALK, please visit http://www.nsa.gov/academia/early_opportunities/startalk/index.shtml

WHO:              

Twenty Texas-area teachers of Chinese language in K-16 public and private schools, community colleges and Chinese heritage schools.           

WHAT:            

STARTALK Texas Teacher Program at UH 

WHEN:            

Noon to 1 p.m., Monday, July 9  (Media Invited. Please RSVP to mcarroll@uh.edu )

STARTALK Luncheon

Interviews available with Manuel Gutiérrez, director of the STARTALK Program, UH

WHERE:          

University of Houston, A.D. Bruce Religion Center - ADB (562), 2nd Floor Atrium Lounge

http://www.uh.edu/maps/buildings/?short_name=ADB

Off Calhoun Road, Entrance 1 – parking in UH Welcome Center Garage http://www.uh.edu/campus_map/buildings/WC.php  

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***Onsite day-of media contact: Melissa Carroll, 832-489-5844 (cell)***


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