Speakers

Prof. Jun Chen, Chongqing Normal University, China

陈君教授，重庆师范大学，中国

Research Area: English Education, Teacher Education

研究领域：英语教育、教师教育

Title：An initial comparison of Chinese and UK Qualified Teacher Status: reflections and lessons learned so far

Abstract: 

The system of teacher qualifications has got the worldwide consensus as a baseline and prerequisite for anyone who wants to be a teacher and also the guarantee of good quality teaching. But compared with the much earlier implementation of QTS in USA in 1825 and in UK in 1844 (Education Act 1844), the initial teachers’ qualification framework didn’t come into being in China until the 1990’s, then the full implementation started since 2000 (MoE, 2000). Although it has made great contribution to improve the quality of student teachers in the past 22 years, prominent problems still exist.

This session will specifically focus on the possible challenges to teachers’ qualifications in China as improvements are currently being considered as an emerging concern.

This research compares Chinese Teachers’ Qualification system with U.K Qualified Teacher Status by digging into the related documentations and exploring their respective implementations in UK and China. As such, the outcomes of this research are intended to make a valuable contribution to the development of the next versions of teachers’ qualifications in China in the drawing future.

In this session, I will:

• review the Qualified Teacher Status in UK and Teachers’ Qualification in China briefly; 

• share reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems; 

• debate the underpinned philosophies of the two systems;

• discuss the challenges that Chinese TQ system faces;

• explore how the Qualified Teacher Status (in England) may usefully inform the future development of new Chinese teachers’ qualification.

We will take the opportunity to engage in discussion about the relationships between the two systems in China and England and, together, explore any potential for transfer of components for consideration in China in the future.

Prof. Augustin F. C. Holl, Xiamen University, China& Université Libre de Dakar, Senegal

Augustin F. C. Holl教授，厦门大学，中国 & 达喀尔大学，塞内加尔

Research Area: Anthropological Archaeology, Material culture, Technological change, The emergence of complex societies; Mortuary Archaeology, Archaeology of Visual Representations, Ethnoarchaeology of pastoral societies; West African Archaeology; Emergence of food production; Archaeology of African diaspora (New York African Burial Ground Research Project); West African Prehistory: Prehistoric adaptation to marginal dry lands; Sahel, Sahara (West Africa) and the Negev desert (Israel), Cultural Heritage

研究领域：人类学考古学、物质文化、技术变革、复杂社会的出现； 太平间考古学、视觉表征考古学、游牧社会民族考古学； 西非考古学； 粮食生产的出现； 非洲侨民考古（纽约非洲墓地研究项目）； 西非史前史：史前对边缘旱地的适应； 萨赫勒、撒哈拉沙漠（西非）和内盖夫沙漠（以色列），文化遗产

Title：Climate Change and Cultural Adaptation: A West Africa Case Study from the Saloum Delta, Senegal

Abstract: 

Islands and coastal areas tend to be hyper-sensitive to climate change at different magnitude and time scales. The Saloum Delta shell-middens anthropological archaeology launched in 2017 aims to investigate the development of intensive exploitation of deltaic resources as well as patterns of cultural adaptation during the Holocene period along coastal West Africa. The Saloum delta is located at the western end of West Africa, in coastal Senegal. It is today the northernmost mangrove along the West African coast, a UNESCO listed mixed biological preserve and world Heritage site, with hundreds of shell-middens. 

The Oudierin drainage project designed as a regional archaeology project aims to probe the dynamics of past shellfish exploitation, looking at site location strategies that have resulted in the regional distribution of the shell-middens recorded along the Oudierin drainage. Hypothetically, fluctuating species compositions of the shells’ samples may have reflected the interplay between anthropic action and natural phenomena triggered by climate change.  Middens size differences and location are factored in the project as key cultural variable to be investigated. Some activities areas were recorded.  Complete shells size (length and width) are relied upon to monitor cycles of exploitation in the largest tested midden of Oudierin-Boumak. The formation of the tested midden spans the entire Holocene period from 8500 BCE to 1350 CE. It was however visited intermittently for short periods of intensive shellfish processing followed by long periods of abandonment. The presentation explores the causes of the recorded punctuated pattern of shellfish processing.

Prof. João VELOSO, University of Macau, China

João VELOSO教授，澳门大学，中国

Research Area: Phonology; Theoretical models in Phonology; Formal Phonology; Descriptive Phonology of Portuguese; Comparative Linguistics; Linguistic Typology; Language and Variation; Element Phonology; Sociophonetics; Interfaces: Phonology-Morphology, Phonology-Lexicon; Phonology-Phonetics; Prosody; Phonological change and variation

研究领域：音韵学； 音韵学的理论模型； 正式音韵学； 葡萄牙语的描述音韵学； 比较语言学； 语言类型学； 语言和变体； 元素音韵学； 社交语音学； 接口：音韵-形态，音韵-词典； 音韵学-语音学； 韵律； 语音变化和变异

Title：The languages of science

Abstract: 

It goes without saying that sharing a common language is a communication facilitator. In many occasions and under different circumstances, History has shown that the emergence of lingua francas like Portuguese in the coastal areas of Africa and Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries for trade purposes has played a critical role for the development of cultural and commercial contacts between different communities. Scientific communication is another field where the widespread use of a common language by native speakers of many languages can enhance communication and contribute for the improvement of knowledge transfer. History also shows us that the status of a lingua franca as such changes over time quite often. Europe and the Mediterraean, for instance, have known different scientific lingua francas: Arabic, Latin, French, German. In the contemporary world, most of scientific communication is done in English. The adoption of English – as the previous adoption of, say, Latin in past times – enhances the communication between a significantly higher number of people. However, imposing one sole language not only as the main but as the exclusive language of science entails some risks, too. It is a well known fact that multilingual individuals and societies benefit from the knowledge of different languagesBearing these considerations in mind, we shall discuss the issue of the importance of languages other than English in science production/communication. So, in this talk I shall try to offer some reflections on the following topics:

(1) It is up to scientists’ responsibility – particularly in the case of scholars from the broad field of Human and Social Sciences – to contribute for the preservation of cultural richness that makes the whole humankind a place for dialogue and cooperation.

(2) In some topics – as it is the specific case of languages themselves and the cultural/artistic expression in those languages –, readership of and sources for academic work are mostly formed by people who know such languages. 

(3) Today, there is a considerable number of languages spoken by huge communities of speakers around the world (e.g., Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Arabic). Among the speakers of these languages, we find vibrant scientific communities of scholars who produce high-quality scientific results with great social impact.

(4) Even if the choice of a shared language is often justified on the basis of neutrality and equidistance, it is not always the case. The question of the alleged “neutrality” of a common language should, in our view, be subjected to a better assessment, even in order to avoid in science the diglossic situation that, in other realms of human activity, are deemed unethical. 

In sum, my main purpose is to contribute for the discussion of what can scientists responsibly do in order to see languages other than English also as languages of science. This does not mean to discard English as a major publication and communication language. Our central point is just to suggest that, instead of occupying all the space of scientific communication, English can coexist with other languages (Portuguese and Chinese being good examples of languages that have also to be regarded as relevant languages for the production and transfer of knowledge in several scientific domains).

A. Prof. Ray Yuen Ling CHOY, City University of Macau, China

蔡远宁副教授，澳门城市大学，中国

Research Area: Public Health, Mental Health, Health Promotion, Developmental Disabilities, Migration Studies, Public Administration and Management of Non-profit Organisations  

研究领域：公共卫生、心理健康、健康促进、发育障碍、移民研究、公共行政和非营利组织的管理

Title：Macau – A World Gaming City: Changes and Challenges 

Abstract: 

Macau was established as a Portuguese-speaking city situated at the mouth of the Pearl River downstream from Guangzhou. The city was a colonial territory under the administrative rule of Portugal for almost 500 years. Macau was returned to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1999, and transformed into a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the PRC. Macau is a tiny and vulnerable city with limited access to resources including water, electricity and food. Its workforce is largely made up of immigrants from mainland China and neighbouring countries. 

The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) has built up a world-class gaming industry, with a wide range of casinos, hotels and resorts. The economy is closely linked to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Guangdong Province of China, all part of the Pearl River Delta region context. Under the policy of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China, the MSAR is one of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau GBA cities. The current One Belt One Road policy of China places Macau in a strategic position in the context of the maritime leg of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as it plays a vital role between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

This study presents key traces of the economic transformation of Macau, from a former Portuguese colony to an SAR of the PRC. It will further examine the social problems faced by this developing city, namely the lack of diversification of industries, the impact of casinos on local residents, and the increasing pressure on traffic and transportation due to the influx of tourists. The MSAR is economically and socially vulnerable as it relies on Chinese resources and main supply chains. Moreover, the occurrences of the COVID-19 pandemic calls for the re-examination of its role and positioning in the context of the GBA and the BRI.

Dr. Narentheren a/l Kaliappen, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Malaysia

Narentheren a/l Kaliappen博士，马来西亚北方大学，马来西亚

Research Area: Strategic Management and Business Administration

研究领域：战略管理和企业管理