From April 13 to May 18, 2022, the ASEAN Human Resources Education Center held a 6-week training program for enhancing the capabilities of teachers providing support for teaching language to new immigrants (also known as education support teachers). A total of 21 educational support personnel participated in the program. The training included physical workshops for creating teaching aids, teaching demonstrations and assessments, as well as online teaching application courses led by a team of professional instructors. The program aimed to enhance the competencies of teachers providing language education to new immigrants, assisting them in conducting language courses.

Due to the expansion of Southeast Asian new immigrant language courses in primary schools nationwide, there is a demand for a substantial number of teachers to deliver these courses. Many of these teachers are new immigrants from various Southeast Asian countries. After training and selection, they become educational support teachers for new immigrant language courses in various primary schools. Teaching is an ongoing process of improvement and growth, yielding the best results. Therefore, various units frequently organize relevant training programs for these education support teachers.

In this training event, the ASEAN Human Resources Education Center invited the convener of the Taipei City New Immigrant Language Education Support Group, Principal Wu Shengxue of Binjiang Elementary School, and the deputy convener, Principal Lin Biyun of Xingde Elementary School. The course instructors included Principal Zhang Jinxia of Yeliou Elementary School, Hsinchu City New Immigrant Language Education Support Group Director Counsellor Guo Yishan, and New Immigrant Language Education Materials Editing Committee members Teacher Wu Zhennan, and Teacher Mai Meiyun. These instructors have extensive experience in editing new immigrant language education materials and primary school teaching. They formed the core teaching team for this event.

In addition to sharing teaching experiences and ways of interacting with students, the instructors guided participants in exploring various aspects of multicultural teaching. This helped participants understand that new immigrant language education is not just about teaching language but also about enhancing cultural inclusiveness in children. In response to the post-pandemic era, the course also covered various online teaching techniques, strengthening the digital teaching abilities of support teachers.

The most impressive part of the training was the second week's session led by Principal Zhang Jinxia, focusing on the design and creation of teaching aids. Under Principal Zhang's guidance, the support teachers, in a limited time, created exquisite and engaging teaching aids, such as a roulette wheel, that would appear fresh and interesting to children during lessons. Additionally, the support teachers enthusiastically attended the physical teaching demonstration during the final week. In a short 15-minute demonstration, they integrated and applied what they had learned over the 6 weeks, demonstrating remarkable performance that amazed both the judging teachers and peers.

In the future, the ASEAN Human Resources Education Center will continue to organize events promoting multicultural education. Stay tuned to our Facebook fan page for more exciting content!