To enhance the professional capacity of overseas Chinese language teachers and foster collaboration between Taiwan and Chinese or mainstream schools across the U.S. and Europe, the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) commissioned Chung Yuan Christian University to host the “2025 Language and Culture Workshop for Overseas Taiwanese Educators” from June 30 to July 11, 2025. A total of 46 teachers from the U.S., Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Spain participated in this 74-hour intensive program designed to strengthen both pedagogical skills and cultural competence.
The workshop featured innovative and culturally rich content, with a special focus on practical AI applications in teaching—such as AI-assisted quiz creation and lesson planning—to enhance teaching efficiency and classroom engagement. Cultural modules included traditional Taiwanese arts such as tea ceremony, paper cutting, and ink painting, deepening participants’ appreciation of Taiwan’s cultural elegance and diversity.
The program also included an exploration of Taiwan’s Indigenous cultures through both classroom instruction and field visits. A two-day experiential trip was organized, featuring hands-on activities such as natural dyeing with native plants at the Shibi Dyeing Workshop in Miaoli and traditional Hakka tea-making (Lei Cha) in Hsinchu. This dual-track design—combining academic learning with cultural immersion—enabled participants to gain deeper insight into Taiwan’s diverse cultural heritage. Teachers are now equipped not only with enhanced teaching skills, but also with firsthand cultural experiences they can share with students across Europe and the U.S., becoming ambassadors of Taiwan’s cultural diplomacy.
The workshop concluded with a closing ceremony on July 11 at Chung Yuan Christian University’s Jinrong Lecture Hall. Distinguished attendees included OCAC Deputy Minister Mr. Steven Chang, Deputy Director Ms. Po-Chin Chen and Section Chief Mr. Wei-Nung Lee from the Department of Overseas Education, as well as Dr. Daphne Ou, Director of CYCU’s Chinese Language Center. Deputy Minister Chang emphasized the OCAC’s longstanding commitment to supporting Chinese language education in overseas Chinese and mainstream schools in Europe and the U.S. He expressed confidence that the workshop’s comprehensive program had effectively enhanced both the teaching skills and cultural competence of participating educators.
