Anyone who’s ever tried to teach or learn a language knows that language learning is far from straightforward– but connecting with a community of fellow teachers can make all the difference.

When the world shut down and classes moved online in the spring of 2020, Professor Wei Gong, an Associate Professor of the Practice in East Asian Studies, found the opportunity to create such a community online. After a long period of hoping to pursue her project but lacking the space in her busy teaching schedule to get started, Professor Gong took the extra time that the sudden COVID lockdown had provided to create an online space that she hoped could make a positive impact on others.

In March 2020, Professor Gong created a blog on WeChat, a Chinese social media platform that allows users located both in China and internationally to connect. Starting as a way to document and reflect on her own methods of language teaching, her blog grew into a space to share pedagogical materials, exchange tips, and connect with other Chinese teachers and advanced language-learners through the app’s survey and messaging features. She hopes to use the blog to improve and expand her own teaching as well as help other teachers– especially newer ones– access materials and learn from strategies tested in her classroom.

While her blog specifically centers Chinese language pedagogy and linguistics, she hopes that professors of other languages and subjects can take inspiration from her creation of a shared online community for language-teaching insights, connections, and resources. To join her WeChat blog, scan the QR code below!