The 5th International Conference on Chinese as a Second Language Research (CASLAR-5)
(June 14-16, 2018)
The 5th International Conference on Chinese as a Second Language Research (CASLAR-5), co-organized by the "Supporting the Learning and Teaching of Chinese Language for Non-Chinese Speaking Students in Secondary Schools (2016-18)" (The PoCSL Project) administered by Centre for Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research (CACLER), Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong and the Chinese as a Second Language Research (CASLAR) Association, USA, was held between 14 and 16 June 2018 at the University of Hong Kong. More than 300 scholars and practitioners from the field of Chinese as a Second Language exchanged ideas and insights during the occasion. This not only allowed local researchers and educators to explore the latest developments in Chinese as a Second Language, but also offered a highly synergetic platform for international delegates to learn about relevant teaching and research achievements of Hong Kong. The conference featured more than 200 papers by presenters from around 20 countries and regions, showing the ever-rising popularity of the subject matter in global academia.
The conference was officiated by Prof. Istvan Kecskes (State University of New York at Albany/President, The CASLAR Association) and Prof. Shek-kam Tse (Honorary Director, CACLER, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong). Prof. A. Lin Goodwin, Dean of the Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, gave her remark on the second day of the conference. The three keynote speeches, “The Many Faces of Language in Language Learning: Implications for SLA Theories and Pedagogy” (by Prof. Jenn-yeu Chen, National Taiwan Normal University), “Aspectual Classes in Chinese and Their Operability for Teaching” (by Prof. Claire Saillard, Université Paris-Diderot), and “Participatory Drama as a Pedagogy for Chinese Second Language Teachers: Theory and Practice, Challenges and Rewards” (by Prof. Joe Winston, University of Warwick), were well received by the audience.
A series of featured seminars were also given by renowned scholars in the field including Prof. Jane Orton (The University of Melbourne), Prof. Wu Yongyi (South China Normal University), Prof. Chun Chen-cheng (National Kaohsiung Normal University), and Prof. Heo Chul (Dankook University, South Korea). CASLAR-5 also featured the PoCSL Dissemination Seminars given by frontline partners from the project’s seed schools to showcase their action research output with reference to the three innovative pedagogies, namely “Reading to Learn” (R2L), “mLang” (Mobile-assisted Chinese Language Learning), and “Drama in Chinese as a Second Language Education” (DiCSL), which had been published in the volume Different Tunes Played With Equal Skill: Selected Teaching Exemplars for Chinese as a Second Language (Hong Kong: CACLER, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, 2018).
The event offered attendees the chance to engage in knowledge exchange and to collaborate with fellow scholars and educators from around the world. The Conference Organizing Committee also arranged the Pre-conference School Visits to Delia Memorial School (Broadway), YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College, and HKMA David Li Kwok Po College for the participants on 14 June 2018.