The Chinese Language Teachers Association, Inc. (CLTA) is a professional organization devoted exclusively to the study of Chinese language, culture and pedagogy. (See our Mission Statement.) In the years since our establishment in 1962, the Chinese Language Teachers Association has both reflected and responded to changes in our students, our teachers and our world. Although approximately half of our membership is composed of specialists in Chinese language, literature, linguistics and culture teaching at colleges and universities throughout the world, we increasingly count among our membership teachers of Chinese at primary and secondary schools and Chinese community schools, as well as students of the language and other interested parties. From each of these diverse types of experts, we learn much, and can consequently give much more to all of us engaged in the learning and teaching of the Chinese language.
While the focus of our organizational energy is most concretely evident in our various publications and at our annual meeting, we are constantly seeking to expand our range of service to the Chinese language teaching profession. Specifically, we are presently working on two major initiatives: (1) to act as an advocate for and facilitator of enhanced articulation among all Chinese language learning settings, including the integration of non-textbook-specific national standards; and, (2) to serve as a provider of teacher training programs of both a pre-service and in-service nature. We are also dedicated to enhancing classroom-based application of the results of empirical research on Chinese language acquisition and instruction. And finally, the fact that you are reading this by electronic means is a result of the commitment of the Association to increased integration of technology into Chinese language pedagogy.
Whatever your reasons for learning more about the learning of Chinese, we welcome you to join us.
For more information please visit: http://clta-us.org