Xuan's Page

I currently live in Arizona, but grew up in Shandong, China. I am a Graduate Teaching Associate of Chinese at Arizona State University. I currently teach undergraduate Chinese language courses at levels ranging from Novice to Intermediate.

One thing that you should know about me is that I love dogs, and my husband and I recently adopted a rescue dog Mei, and it’s been a joy having her in our family. She reminds me daily of the importance of play and structured games in the learning process.

This key idea, that learning should be fun, has significantly influenced my philosophy of teaching, and informs how I approach teaching a class. I believe that students approach material more readily when they are enthusiastic and enjoying themselves, and as such I work to structure my classes around activities that will engage them with the language in a creative and interactive fashion. I also feel that teaching and researching often go hand-in-hand, and that they are not necessarily separate activities.

Some key experiences that have significantly influenced my philosophy of teaching and learning include teaching in a public technical college in China, and serving as a Graduate Teaching Associate of Chinese in a public university in the United States while pursuing my Doctorate studies. This combination of two roles--teacher and student--has granted me the chance to work with a host of talented and experienced teachers, and the opportunity to combine the lessons learnt from them with my own ideas in a classroom setting.