Chinese Studies Community Engagement
Robert Irving is a member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Victoria, and every year acts as chief judge at two Chinese language reading and speaking competitions for secondary students organised by the auspices of the Association. He often participates in the interviews for the Chinese Teacher of the Year award organised by the Victorian Department of Education & Training. Other activities include professional development workshops (e.g. for the Blackburn English Language School, 10 September 2002, on problems likely to be encountered by native Chinese speakers learning ESL).
Lijian Hong has initiated discussions with a number of secondary schools in the Monash catchment area with a view to enrolling students who have completed units 3 and 4 of VCE Chinese in the Monash Chinese Studies in-country program in Shanghai, and providing them with credit for this study should they elect to study at Monash.
Professor Bruce Jacobs does a great deal of media work. In addition to formal media interviews with radio, TV and newspapers, he often does background interviews. He writes for various newspapers, including The Age and the Taipei Times. He serves on the editorial committees of The China Journal, Asian Studies Review and Provincial China.
Gloria Davies represents the university sector on the Victorian-Chinese Joint Standing Committee on Educational Cooperation. She plays an active role in advising the Department of Education & Training on the development of Chinese LOTE at primary and secondary school levels. I also participate in the work of ENGENDER (The Centre for Environment, Gender and Development), a regional think-tank engaged in promoting poverty-alleviation and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.