By Pohua Huang
On October 4, 2025, the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Washington (CLTA-WA) hosted a professional development workshop titled “Reimagining Chinese Education – Pathways to Global Competence,” led by Ying Jin, an award-winning world language educator and ACTFL presenter. The workshop was designed to help educators integrate the principles of global competence into daily teaching practice and connect language learning with global citizenship.
The event featured a hybrid morning session and an in-person afternoon session. Throughout the day, Jin Laoshi provided vivid examples, detailed curriculum plans, and authentic samples of student performance to demonstrate how global competence can be embedded into lessons across proficiency levels—from novice to AP. She also connected the framework of global competence with World Language Standards, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Social Justice Standards, and AP themes, sharing strategies to foster intercultural awareness, critical thinking, and collaboration through authentic materials and global issues.
Participants engaged in interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational learning phases to explore and apply the Four Domains of Global Competence:
- Investigate the World – Learners formulate meaningful, researchable questions about global issues, analyze information from diverse sources, and synthesize evidence to draw well-supported conclusions from multiple perspectives.
- Recognize Perspectives – Learners examine their own and others’ viewpoints, considering how cultural contexts, access to resources, and global interactions shape beliefs, values, and interpretations.
- Communicate Ideas – Learners convey and interpret ideas effectively across linguistic and cultural boundaries, employing appropriate language, behavior, and technology to promote understanding and collaboration.
- Take Action – Learners apply global understanding to identify challenges, evaluate potential responses, and engage in informed, collaborative actions that contribute to positive change locally and globally.
Inspired by Jin Laoshi’s guidance, participating teachers developed classroom tasks and projects that guide students in investigating global challenges, reflecting on diverse perspectives, and taking meaningful action within their communities. The workshop highlighted the evolving role of language educators in cultivating empathy, curiosity, and responsibility among globally competent learners.
A heartfelt appreciation to our exemplary teacher, Ying Jin, for sharing her rich teaching experience, and to all participants for their active engagement. Together, we continue to build world language classrooms that foster connection, cultural understanding, and purposeful action in an interconnected world.
