uring their 2024 volunteer service at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP)'s Confucius Institute in Lima, three students from the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) used diverse teaching models, blending flexible classes with culture-infused language workshops.

Flexible Classes

The Confucius Institute at PUCP offers both offline and online courses, which are more convenient for students from different study time and location.

Volunteers used different platforms like Quizizz and Quizlet to make online courses more interactive. For example, Google Classroom was used by volunteer Wang Qi to manage her classes. It can create courses online, arrange class schedules, record students' grades and attendance, and conduct chart analysis to better understand their performance.

In order to adapt to students of different ages ranging from 8-year-old children to adults, the teaching mode also varied based on their preferences.

Children prefer games, competitions, and interactive activities like Kahoot quizzes or drawing on PowerPoint slides, while adults favor practical, life-related exercises.

As a result, volunteer Chen Jielin found that when teaching colors, children enthusiastically watch Sichuan opera face-changing videos, whereas adults focus on practical examples like clothing and furniture. Similarly, children learn age-related expressions through animated characters, while adults practice by conversing with classmates.

Language and Cultural exchanges

To teach Chinese vocabulary, volunteers combined Chinese words with common Peruvian languages.

For instance, Chen Jielin wanted to explain Chinese foods such as baozi and shaomai, and she combined them with Minbao, which is commonly found in Chifa (a mixed cuisine restaurant in Peru) Siumai, because their shapes are similar.

Confucius Institutes not only offer courses on teaching Chinese characters, but also provide courses on experiencing traditional Chinese culture.

During Chinese knot-making workshops, volunteers combined Quipu, an ancient Peruvian system of knotted strings used for record-keeping. Chinese knots have similar format with Qiupu but have different meanings. Chinese knots are more commonly used for decoration and expressing blessings, but Peru used Qiupu as words.

Chen Jielin was teaching children how to make Chinese knots.

Except for workshops with culture elements, there are online and offline lectures themed in culture hosted by volunteers

Theses online lectures showed students pictures and videos traditional culture. The culture themes included sugar paintings, shadow puppetry, “twelve zodiac animals”.

At the Spring Festival Gala—a large-scale cultural event co-hosted by the Confucius Institute and the Chinese Embassy—volunteer Ding Jiashu from the Chinese Studies and Exchange School performed two pieces on the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument.

Ding Jiashu was performing on the guzheng.

"Sharing Chinese culture through traditional instruments and amazing foreigners with it makes me very proud," Ding said.

Since 2007, SISU has collaborated with eight international partners to establish Confucius Institutes worldwide, including PUCP. Each year, the Confucius Institute Office recruits graduate student volunteers to promote Chinese language education globally  on official website and WeChat account.

Confucius Institute Office will interview applicants after reading through their resumes. They choose candidates contributing to international Chinese language education. Priority will be given to applicants with at least two-year teaching experience (either in international Chinese education or domestic primary/secondary institutions), preferably holding an International Chinese Language Teacher Certificate. For volunteer working in Peru, Spanish language proficiency will be an additional advantage.

After being selected, they will experience specialized training. The training is jointly organized by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation and SISU to prepare for their overseas assignments. It covers Chinese course arrangement coaching, international relations, mental health, and the unique characteristics of different countries.