PCAL Modern Languages

Each year, Western Kentucky University’s (WKU) Department of Modern Languages receives a number of Fulbright Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) for languages and cultures at the university level. Sloane (Hsin-Chien) Wang is one of the Fulbright TAs of the 2021-2022 cycle and is currently teaching CHIN 208, a Colonnade course on the innerworkings of Chinese calligraphy in the Department of Modern Languages at WKU.

Most recently, from January 27th to 29th, the current 374 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) from 51 countries around the world who teach 35 different languages at 169 colleges and universities in the United States gathered online in the FLTA Mid-Year Conference which was sponsored by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The conference highlighted speakers to strengthen the participants’ teaching methodology and professional skills. In addition, 23 FLTAs are selected as speakers to present creative teaching techniques used at their host institution to share their language and culture. Professor Wang was chosen as a presenter at the conference with her proposal “Write Like You Dance: Teaching Chinese Handwriting with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan’s Choreography,” a theme which goes hand-in-hand with the content of CHIN 208.

Essentially, Professor Wang’s presentation covered the importance of writing in stroke order with a dance performance from a Taiwanese dance company, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. According to Wang, “… [students] have a better visualization and understanding on how the stroke order works,” and has multiple benefits, including using real-world examples, building connection between students and language, and empowering students with artistic experience to further their linguistic and academic success. Professor Wang’s presentation is an example of how creative, cultural approaches can be taken to language learning to strengthen the learning process.

Hsin-Chien “Sloane” Wang is a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant from Taiwan. Prior to coming to WKU, she worked as a journalist and translator.