Confucius Institute at Newcastle University Co-hosts The 2024 Annual International Conference of the British Chinese Language Teaching Society (BCLTS)
18 July 2024
On July 4-6, 2024, the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University, in collaboration with the university's School of Modern Languages and Chinese Studies, successfully co-hosted the 2024 Annual International Conference of the British Chinese Language Teaching Society (BCLTS): The 21st International Conference on Teaching and Learning Chinese in Higher Education.
The conference lasted for two and a half days, receiving over a hundred abstract submissions, with 63 selected for presentations. It featured 5 keynote speakers, 1 special lecture speaker, and 2 guest speakers. Additionally, there were 46 parallel sessions, 4 themed workshops, and an academic poster exhibition of 8 posters. A total of 135 participants attended from 10 countries and regions, including the UK, mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, the USA, Canada, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Sweden, and Belgium.
The opening ceremony of the conference was chaired by Professor Ruojuan Zheng, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University. Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Nigel Harkness, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University; Andrea Wilczynski, Head of the School of Modern Languages at Newcastle University; Mark Critchley, Chair of the Association of University Language Centres in the UK and Ireland; and Dr. Xuan Wang, Chair of the British Chinese Language Teaching Society (BCLTS). They warmly welcomed the participants and wished the conference great success.
Paul Seedhouse, Professor of Education and Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University and one of the five keynote speakers, introduced ENACT, a free web application developed by Newcastle University with funding from the European Union and Confucius Institute. He explained the Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) principles behind the app's design and gave a brief demonstration of its key features: the interactive player, authoring tool, and community functions. Additionally, the digital lab tours prepared for attendees on both evenings were a delightful surprise and well-received by participants.
Dr. Andrew Law, Local Director of the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University, delivered a speech as a special guest at the closing ceremony on the historical connections between China and Newcastle. He introduced the close ties between China and Newcastle in modern history and provided an in-depth analysis of how these connections have influenced cultural and educational exchanges between the two regions. His engaging presentation captivated the audience, bringing the conference to a perfect and inspiring conclusion.
The success of the 2024 conference underscores Newcastle University and the Confucius Institute's commitment to fostering academic exchange and collaboration in the field of Chinese language teaching and higher education.
