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Gathering Global Wisdom,
Writing a New Chapter in Language Education
Featuring experts and frontline language educators from over 10 countries, 4 professional workshops, 6 plenary forums, and 42 parallel sessions.
🌟 July 2025, Kunming – Bridging the World Through Language!
🌍 Held from July 18 to 20, 2025, the 1st International World Language Education Conference was successfully convened in Kunming, Yunnan, China. Jointly hosted by the North American Chinese Educational Association (NACEA) and Yunnan Minzu University, the conference was co-organized by world-renowned institutions including the Yale Language Study Center, MIT Global Languages, and the University of Siena.
💡 More than an academic gathering, it was an educational feast crossing cultures, languages, and borders.
✨ Let’s revisit the inspiring moments of intellectual exchange and warm collaboration!
🎉 I.Opening & Closing Ceremonies
On the morning of July 18, the International Conference Hall of Yunnan Minzu University was brilliantly lit and filled with distinguished guests. Accompanied by traditional ethnic music, the conference officially opened.
🌟Ms. Lisa Huang Healy, Executive Director of NACEA and International Chair; Prof. Zhong Yinghua, President of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching; and Vice Chancellor Shao Weiqing of Yunnan Minzu University, together with other honorable guests, launched the opening ceremony.
🌍 In her opening address, Ms. Lisa Huang Healy stated:
“Language is the bridge connecting the world and the bond for cultural exchange and mutual understanding.”
🙌 Prof. Per Urlaub, Director of MIT Global Languages, delivered a video speech:
“Language is key to cross‑cultural understanding. We must jointly address the dual challenges of technological change and global governance.”
🌟Prof. Jianhua Bai (Kenyon College) sent congratulatory remarks via video, highly affirming the core value of language education in advancing cross‑cultural understanding.
🎤 On the morning of July 20, President Wang Qiliang of Yunnan Minzu University delivered the closing speech:
“Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, language education not only carries the mission of cultural inheritance but also serves as a dynamic source for mutual learning and innovation among civilizations.”
💡 President Liu Jun of City University of Macau paid tribute to global language educators:
“You are guardians of civilization and igniters of the future. Language is not only a tool for communication but a bridge for mutual learning among civilizations.”
Official Group Photo of the General Meeting
Lisa Huang Healy
Executive Director, founder of NACEA
Executive Director, founder of AAICE
Former Associate Director of College Board
Chinese Language and Culture Initiatives
Zhong Yinghua
President, International Society for Chinese Language Teaching (ISCLT)Dean & Doctoral SupervisorInstitute of International Chinese Education Development, Tianjin Normal University
Liu Jun
President, City University of MacauChair, The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF)
Wang Qiliang
President, Yunnan Minzu University
🌍 II. Plenary Forums
The conference featured 6 plenary forums covering international Chinese education, global English & multilingual education, teacher development, student experience, technology integration, and cross‑cultural exchange.
🎉Key Achievements
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Established a high‑level dialogue mechanism for Sino‑US language education
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Launched cutting‑edge practices in AI, corpus, and immersive teaching
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Strengthened dual focus on teacher development and student growth
🔹Forum 1: Development, Challenges & Strategies in International Chinese Education
Chaired by Lisa Huang Healy. Distinguished speakers included Zhong Yinghua, Feng Liping, Ding Anqi, Cao Xianwen, Liu Bo, Shi Zhongqi, Wang Jing, Stacy Lyon, Maggie Chen, and Guan Chunmei.
🔹Forum 2: Trends in Global English Education
Speakers: Eric Grunwald (MIT), Fernando Rubio (Yale), Mary Jo Lubrano (Yale), Abu Bakar Mohamed Razali, Farzana Chowdhury, etc. Focused on AI‑integrated English teaching and assessment.。
🔹Forum 3: Tribute to Global Language Educators & Learners
Chaired by Prof. Tan Dali. Speakers: Li Kai, Wu Yinghui, Da Jun, Wu Sihui. Explored identity and growth in multilingual education.
🔹Forum 4: Student Panel – Cross‑Cultural Learning & Identity Construction
Chaired by Dr. Tong Chen (MIT). Students: Afrasiab Mian, Joshua Charles Woodard, Andrew Fower, Lü Qianzhi. Shared how language learning reshaped careers and cultural awareness.
🔹Forum 5: Teacher Panel – Sustainable Growth for Language Educators
Chaired by Liu Meiru. Speakers: Duan Xia, You Yinyao, Yan Tieyu, Li Zhaohong. Shared practical insights into professional development.
📖III. Parallel Sessions A total of 42 parallel sessions were held, structured into two major themes
The parallel session of this conference consists of 42 sub-forums, covering all key dimensions of language education and highlighting the distinctive features of “Technology-led, Innovation-driven, Teacher-centered, and Cross-integrated”. The conference is systematically divided into two core themes: Chinese Language Education and English and Multilingual Teaching, which are further categorized into 12 research directions. While sorting out the research and practical context of language education, the conference has presented a wealth of innovative achievements and high-quality teaching cases, showing a prosperous picture of integration between academia and practice.
📌 Theme on Chinese Language Education
This theme explores seven major directions: Chinese Characters and Vocabulary, Curriculum Design, Teaching Methodology, Intercultural Communication, Educational Technology, Teacher Development, and Pronunciation Teaching. Distinguished scholars including Zhong Yinghua, Ding Chongming, Ding Anqi, Wu Yinghui, Tan Dali, Liu Meiru, Duan Xia, Xu Peisong, Da Jun, Shi Zhongqi, Wang Jing, Cao Xianwen, Dong Yan, Wang Huazhen, Wei Mingying delivered excellent presentations. They integrated traditional wisdom with modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, demonstrating innovative paths and future possibilities in Chinese language teaching from multiple perspectives.
📌 Theme on English and Multilingual Teaching
This theme focuses on five cutting-edge areas: writing instruction, educational technology, teaching resources, teaching methodologies, and language policy. Distinguished guests from home and abroad including Eric Grunwald, Fernando Rubio, Mary Jo Lubrano, Zhang Xuexin, Farzana Chowdhury, ABU BAKAR, Ding Lihong, Du Jia, Wang Juan, Liu Jie, Liu Yunyun, Zhao Minhui shared advanced practices and theoretical breakthroughs in multilingual teaching, providing new perspectives and methodological support for promoting cross-linguistic and cross-cultural educational cooperation.
🛠️ IV. Practical Workshops: Four Special Sessions to Help You Improve Teaching Skills Hands-On!
As the highly anticipated "highlight session" of this conference, all four workshops were fully attended with an extremely lively atmosphere:
Workshop ①: Yale University — "Innovative Applications of AI and Corpora in Language
- Professor Fernando Rubio demonstrated on-site how to efficiently analyze students' language output with AI tools. His operation was smooth and the effect was intuitive, drawing constant praise from the teachers present: "It’s really an eye-opener!"
Workshop ②: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)— "Design and Implementation of Bilingual Immersion Instruction"
- Professor Eric Grunwald and Teacher Chen Tong collaborated to guide participants in group activities and teaching plan design through a learning-by-doing approach.
Filled with frequent interactions and lively engagement, this model received unanimous praise from the audience.
Workshop ③: Academic Paper Writing for International Journals
- Professor Jiang Nan focused on academic paper writing for international journals, analyzing the construction of logic, discourse negotiation, and identity positioning in writing for top international journals.
Using AI-assisted text analysis, he compared the rhetorical differences between Chinese and English academic writing and put forward a number of practical suggestions for writing and revision.
Through real cases, he also explained how to respond to reviewer comments and strengthen argumentation.
The participants actively took part in the practical session, and the response was enthusiastic.
Workshop ④: AP Chinese & Immersion Teaching – In-Depth Practice & Innovative Pathways
-This session was moderated by Lisa Huang Healy, with Tan Dali and Marty Chen as co-presenters. Focusing on curriculum design for the U.S. AP Chinese course and best practices in immersive Chinese instruction, they systematically analyzed the core requirements and teaching strategies of the AP program, and shared a wealth of frontline immersive classroom examples.
The content was comprehensive and highly practical, providing adaptable teaching models for international Chinese language education. With enthusiastic interaction throughout, participating teachers commented: “Solid theory, vivid cases, directly applicable to real classrooms – truly rewarding!”
📜The participating teachers spoke highly of the workshop, commenting: “This workshop integrates academic depth, practical insights and extensive exchanges. It was rich in valuable content throughout, truly enlightening, and the outcomes exceeded all expectations!”
One teacher further remarked: “The theories were systematic, the cases vivid, and the interactions in-depth—all closely aligned with real teaching practice. It was indeed a rewarding and worthwhile experience!”
📊 V. Conference Outcomes & Academic Impact
- ✅ A total of 128 paper abstracts were submitted, with 65 accepted, covering both Chinese and English.
- ✅ The conference received extensive media coverage, including China Daily Online, Xinhuanet, and the official websites of numerous Chinese and foreign universities.
- ✅ The download volume of resources on the official conference website exceeded 2,000 within three days.
China Daily Website
https://yn.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202507/22/WS687f7025a310028a84abf327.html
Xinhua News Agency Website
http://www.yn.xinhuanet.com/20250722/df51dcc71ad64d2db52147fa33ceeccf/c.html
Yunnan Minzu University
https://www.ymu.edu.cn/info/1151/73531.htm
City University of Macau
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5W8IwBWWHyh_lKA3Zki-Gg
Yunnan Website
🌟VI. Let us meet again in 2026!
The First Conference has come to a successful conclusion amid the integration of knowledge and inspiration. This is not an end, but a brand-new beginning.
North American Chinese Education Association (NACEA) will continue its commitment to building:
🔹 A more internationally oriented exchange platform
🔹 A more cutting-edge and in-depth content system
🔹 A warmer community for educators
🚀 2026, the 2nd World Conference on Language Education —more academic giants, richer interactive sessions, more practical resource sharing, and countless unexpected surprises await you!
📣 Stay tuned. Let’s meet in 2026!For more updates, please follow us on:
WeChat Official Account: NACEA北美文教学会
Official Website: https://www.naceany.com
Official Conference Email: iwlec@xinmeixingyao.com
