International seminar held for sociocultural theory and L2 teaching

The 2nd International Conference of Sociocultural Theory and L2 Teaching was held from May 10 to 12 in Xi’an, capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi province, to exchange classroom teaching practice and research on sociocultural theory and second language.

More than 100 teachers and students from relevant research fields at home and abroad participated in the meeting.

Hosted by Xi’an Jiaotong University, the conference attracted more than 100 experts and students from China and the United States, New Zealand and Spain.

On May 10, Dr. Olga Esteve Ruesca, University of Pompeii Fabra, Barcelona, Spain, conducted a workshop on Practice and Research of Classroom Teaching Based on Concept Teaching for participating teachers and students in the form of lively and interesting classroom activities to show how to adopt a new perspective in the second language classroom, that is, the foreign language teaching method in sociocultural theory.

Professor Lawrence Jun Zhang, vice-director of Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand, made a speech entitled Teacher Learning in an Ever-changing Era: Teacher Effectiveness to Teacher Cognition in the Language Classroom on May 11, focusing on several aspects of teachers' cognition--- teachers' beliefs, knowledge reserves, teaching concepts, reflections on teaching and learning.

Chen Xiangjing, dean of School of Foreign Studies, Xi'an Jiaotong University, introduced the general situation, scientific research, faculty building, personnel training and international cooperation of his school, hoping to have deeper communication with scholars at home and abroad.

During the conference, the Association of East Asia Socio-Cultural Theories was launched to further promote the relevant research and teaching.

The launching ceremony of the Association of East Asia Socio-Cultural Theories.

The seminar was a high-level international conference in the field of social culture and second language teaching. It strengthened the understanding, communication and exchange of research in related fields among scholars at home and abroad. It will play a role in promoting and enhancing the strategic function of language service to the country and in improving the English teaching and scientific research level of teachers and students in China.