2025 CLASS CIRCLE - Session Speakers

Session Speakers

Jianhua Bai

Jianhua Bai is Professor of Chinese at Kenyon College and was Director of the Chinese School of Middlebury College. He has taught Chinese at all levels, linguistics and Chinese language pedagogy. His research interests include applied linguistics, Chinese language pedagogy and assessment, and action research. He served as President of the Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA) and is currently a board member of the International Society of Chinese Language Teaching. He also serves as Senior Academic Advisor for American Council of International Education and has served as Chair of the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam Development Committee and Chief Reader of AP Chinese.

Weina Chen

Dr. Weina Li Chen is an Associate Professor of Bilingual Education at the University of Massachusetts Global. With over a decade of teaching experience across all age groups, Dr. Chen brings expertise in educational technologies, bilingual education, and learning design. Her work in teacher development has spanned K-12 to higher education, with an emphasis on training bilingual educators. Weina is an active practitioner, she frequently presents at both statewide and international conferences on teaching innovations and emerging learning technologies in the language education and higher education fields

Dr. Carol Chen-Lin

Dr. Carol Chen-Lin serves on the Board of Directors for the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS) and teaches Chinese at Choate Rosemary Hall. She brings a rich educational background to her work, with a Ph.D. in Curriculum Design from the University of Connecticut and an MA and BA degree in Chinese Language and Literature from the University of Hong Kong. She directed the Choate STARTALK program from 2007 to 2013 and was a member of the College Board Foreign Language Review Committee (2006-2007) and the Chinese AP Curriculum Design and Assessment Committee (2008-2010). She has presented at local, regional, and national workshops and conferences.

Zhengyu Chi

Zhengyu Chi is a bilingual social studies educator specializing in curriculum development and technology-enhanced learning. Her work focuses on integrating digital tools to enhance student engagement and exploring innovative strategies that bridge language acquisition and content learning.

Manxuan Gui

桂曼轩，北京师范大学2023级国际中文教育专业硕士研究生，本科毕业于中国传媒大学汉语国际教育与新闻学双学位，现在在美国中文沉浸式学校进行专业实习。主要研究方向为：技术驱动的文化教学资源开发、影视文化数字叙事与教育融合、中华文化国际传播机制研究、跨文化交际理论与实践创新等。

Renfen Hu

胡韧奋博士，北京师范大学国际中文教育学院数字人文系副教授，研究方向为计算语言学、计算机辅助语言教学、古汉语信息处理。主持国家社科基金青年项目、国家自科基金青年项目、北京市社科青年学术带头人项目及多项企业委托课题，在ACL、EMNLP等计算机领域顶会、《Language Learning》《Studies in Second Language Acquisition》等高水平期刊发表学术论文40余篇，获国家发明专利授权6项，主持构建了中文词向量资源库、CCA中文搭配助手、CLRA中文词汇特征分析器、“京师汉语”词汇自适应测试平台等资源和应用。

Lan Lin

Ms. Lan Lin is a passionate and experienced educator in Chinese language education, currently serving as the Modern Language Department Chair at Hopkins School. Since joining Hopkins in 2007, she has been instrumental in leading a robust language program that includes Mandarin Chinese, French, Spanish, and Italian. She assumed the role of department chair in 2018, bringing over 20 years of expertise to her leadership.In addition to teaching Mandarin and mentoring students, Ms. Lin is highly regarded for her contributions to the professional community. A former president and current board member of the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS), she actively promotes excellence in language education.Ms. Lin frequently shares her insights and innovative teaching practices at conferences, including the ACTFL Annual Convention, the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL), and the National Chinese Language Conference (NCLC).

Mingzhu Li

Brian Luckett

Brian Luckett is a World Language Instructor of Mandarin Chinese at KIPP DC College Preparatory High School in Washington D.C. With a deep passion for Chinese language and culture, Brian Luckett has dedicated his career to fostering cross-cultural understanding through education . He holds an M.A. in International Relations from American University with a focus on China and Taiwan and completed a summer intensive Mandarin Chinese program at Beijing Normal University.In addition to teaching, Brian continues to enhance his own language skills through ongoing tutoring, demonstrating a commitment to personal and professional growth. Actively incorporating technology into the classroom, utilizing tools like DAHUA.ai to streamline lesson planning and content creation. As a panelist at the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools event, Brian Luckett will share insights on his observations, industry challenges, the application of AI in education, and strategies for project consolidation and classroom management.

Qihui Tang

Qihui Tang received her MATFL from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and has been teaching Chinese at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, since 2008. She currently serves as the Modern and Classical Languages Department Chair. She has presented at regional and national conferences, including CLTA-VA, CLTA, CLASS Circle, and ACTFL. Before joining Sidwell Friends School, Qihui Tang was a Chinese instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, and OPI tester at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California.

Mary Weerts

Ms. Miao has 24 years of experience teaching Chinese in public schools, including 10 years at Chicago Public Schools. Since 2011, she has been a part of the Barrington School District’s Chinese Immersion Program, teaching grades 1, 3, and 5. Currently, she teaches world history and American history at the junior high level. Ms. Miao integrates technology and AI tools into her teaching, using them to enhance language learning and critical thinking. She believes that by combining historical narratives with innovative technology, students can develop essential skills and maximize their potential in both Chinese and broader academic fields.苗蔚老师拥有 24 年的公立学校中文教学经验，其中 10 年在芝加哥公立学校任教。自 2011 年起，她一直在巴灵顿学区的沉浸式中文项目中任教，曾教授 1 年级、3 年级和 5 年级。目前，苗老师是一名初中世界历史和美国历史教师。她将科技和人工智能工具融入教学，以提升学生的语言学习和批判性思维能力。她相信，通过结合历史故事与创新技术，学生可以培养核心技能，并在中文学习和更广泛的学术领域中发挥最大潜能。

Rebecca Zhang

Rebecca Zhang is a middle school social studies educator specializing in Chinese immersion instruction. Her research focuses on the use of Chinese as a medium of instruction to enhance student engagement in social studies, exploring innovative strategies that bridge language acquisition and content learning.

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