Program Overview

Teacher PLD: Beginner Chinese for Primary School Teachers

Course Description

This course equips primary school teachers with the skills and confidence to begin using and teaching Chinese in their classrooms. Participants will learn basic Chinese expressions and vocabulary that can be easily integrated into everyday routines and activities. At the same time, they will explore key language teaching pedagogy, giving them practical strategies to create engaging and effective learning opportunities for their students.

Participants will also examine the essential building blocks of the Chinese language and discover a range of adaptable classroom activities and resources. They will be supported to guide their students in communicating about everyday topics in Chinese and to reflect on cultural similarities and differences between Chinese and their own backgrounds. By the end of the course, participants will have a practical toolkit of language, pedagogy, and resources to confidently begin their Chinese teaching journey.

Course Structure and Topics Covered

The course consists of the following modules:

• Module 1: Introduction Module Background to Chinese teaching, curriculum and pedagogy
• Module 2: The Building Blocks of the Chinese Language
• Module 3: Greetings
• Module 4: Classroom Objects
• Module 5: Names
• Module 6: Numbers and Age
  • More modules to be added in 2026

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Gain the skills and confidence to begin teaching Chinese in their own classrooms
• Build a foundation in basic Chinese expressions, vocabulary, characters, pinyin, and tones
• Apply key approaches to language teaching, including Ellis' Principles, iCLT, and task-based learning
• Use simple Chinese in everyday classroom routines and activities
• Design tasks that help students communicate about familiar topics such as greetings, names, and age
• Guide students in reflecting on cultural similarities and differences between Chinese and their own backgrounds

Target Audience

This course is designed for all primary school teachers, whether native or non-native Chinese speakers, as well as teachers introducing Chinese at Year 9 level. No prior experience or knowledge of the language is required.

Course Details

• Date: 2026
• Modality: Online - self-paced
• Duration: Approximately 30 hours of learning time required, with access to the course until the end of 2026
• Price: Free