The Confucius Institute for Northern Ireland at Ulster University (CINIUU) successfully held the 4th European English Language Teaching Skills Competition across Ireland and Northern Ireland on October 12 and 13, 2024. The training project was presided over by Dr. Liu Xingchi, the Chinese Co-director of CINIUU. More than 50 mandarin teachers partook in the challenging programme, among which 12 teachers won awards in the competition.

The judging panel was composed of a few distinguished experts in the field including Liao Jiahong, the Associate Lecturer in the Chinese Language at the University of St Andrews, who was also appointed by the CLEC, Mr. Tim Losty, former Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau in Beijing, Mr. William Cromie, Coordinator of the Confucius Centre at Bainbridge College, Dr. Catrin Rhys (Caitlin Reith), Dean of the School of Communication and Media at the Ulster University, and Ms. Siobhan McTaggart, Principal of St. Theresa's Primary School. At the same time, Dr. Liu Xingchi, the Chinese director of CINIUU, and Naomi, the outreach manager of CINIUU, also served as judges of the competition. In addition, the administrative team of CINIUU also made great efforts and dedication to the fulfillment of this whole event.

 

The training process was a great success with remarkable fruition. The competition ended up with a prize-warding ceremony. Three teachers in the university group won the Excellent Awards. Seven teachers from the primary and secondary school groups won the awards related to the contest. In addition, two volunteer teachers in the art specialty category won the Best Creative Curriculum Design Award. The teachers and volunteers of CINIUU not only demonstrated their awesome teaching skills and expertise but also gained valuable practical teaching experience during their preparation and participation. They also said that they benefited a lot from this training, which would definitely shed inspiring light on their future teaching practice.