To implement the work arrangements of the Shandong Province Primary and Secondary School Teacher Quality Improvement Training Project, strengthen the construction of the junior high school English teaching force in the Yellow River beach area, and improve the quality of basic education in the region, the 2026 Demonstration Training Program for Junior High School English Key Teachers in the Yellow River Beach Area, hosted by the Shandong Provincial Department of Education and organized by the School of Foreign Languages, was successfully carried out and concluded in Jinan from August 23 to 25. A total of 50 junior high school English key teachers from various cities and counties along the beach area participated in this intensive training.

The training was specifically organized and implemented by the School of Foreign Languages. Grounded in the university's orientation of serving basic education and fully leveraging its strengths in teacher education, the School focused on the real challenges of junior high school English teaching in the beach area. It meticulously constructed a comprehensive and three-dimensional training curriculum system that integrates teacher ethics cultivation, curriculum standard interpretation, classroom innovation, and AI teaching applications, aiming to cultivate a team of English key teachers who are deeply committed to the beach area and possess excellent professional competence.

Themed around enhancing the teaching design and implementation capabilities of junior high school English key teachers in the Yellow River beach area, the training invited several senior experts from both within and outside the province to deliver special lectures. Professor Liang Chengfeng from the School began with the first lecture titled *"Promoting the Spirit of Educators and Becoming 'Master Teachers' of Junior High School English Rooted in the Yellow River Beach Area,"* which guided participants to cultivate a deep educational commitment and steadfastly hold their ground in beach-area education, based on the current state of English teaching there. QiLu famous teacher Wang Yan focused on the Activity-based Approach to English Learning, leading participants to explore pathways for reconstructing classroom activities. Associate Professor Zou Deping from the School conducted workshops on teaching design refinement and simulated lectures, addressing difficulties in classroom teaching design from a frontline perspective. Yang Shuping, Dean of the Weifang High-tech Zone Academy of Educational Sciences, interpreted unit-integrated teaching design under the guidance of big ideas, updating participants' concepts of unit teaching. Two experts, Peng Xiangmei, the English subject leader at Xuzhou No. 7 Middle School, and QiLu famous teacher Li Jing, focused on generative artificial intelligence, explaining practical strategies for AI applications in lesson preparation, classroom implementation, and teaching evaluation, thereby helping teachers embrace the digital transformation of education.

The training innovatively adopted a blended model of "expert lectures + thematic workshops + group seminars and sharing," breaking away from the traditional one-way lecture format. Following each lecture, a "Dialogue between Experts and Participants" session was arranged, where participants, drawing on authentic teaching cases from the Yellow River beach area, confronted practical teaching difficulties and engaged in Q&A exchanges with experts. The 50 participants were divided into 7 study groups, conducting case studies, problem inquiries, and outcome presentations. They completed tasks such as lesson polishing, 4F learning reflection records, and group study briefs, effectively integrating theoretical learning with actual beach-area teaching practices—arriving with questions, engaging in classroom discussions, and reflecting based on practice.

To ensure the effectiveness of the training, the program established a full-process evaluation system covering pre-training, during-training, and post-training phases, combining formative and summative assessments. Participants' learning outcomes were comprehensively evaluated through multiple dimensions, including attendance, lecture notes, group discussions, reflection assignments, and teaching case studies. Additionally, a "Training Support Team" composed of professors and doctoral degree holders from the School was formed to provide teaching research consultation and instructional guidance both online and offline simultaneously. Access to the National Smart Education Platform for Public Services, the LuJiaoYun platform's teaching resources, and the School's professional e-library resources was opened to provide continuous learning support for participants after the training.

Participants expressed that the training closely mirrored the real scenarios of junior high school English teaching in the Yellow River beach area, offering both cutting-edge educational concepts and practical, actionable teaching methods. Through the three-day intensive training, they updated their teaching philosophies, broadened their teaching perspectives, and mastered practical ways to empower classrooms with AI. They stated that they would apply what they learned in the training to their daily teaching practices, optimizing teaching designs based on the specific learning conditions of beach-area students, effectively improving classroom teaching quality, and serving as dedicated cultivators of basic education in the Yellow River beach area.

In recent years, the School of Foreign Languages has continuously deepened its work in on-the-job training for basic education teachers, fully leveraging the strengths of its English (Teacher Education) program to consistently serve the reform and development of basic English education in Shandong Province. The School will continue to adhere to the integrated development approach of pre-service and in-service teacher education, persistently carry out teacher training programs geared towards regional basic education, and contribute to the high-quality development of basic education in Shandong Province.

Photography:Ma Xiaojia

Written by: Xie Shijin

Initial Review: Zhu Hui

Second Review: Xie Shijin

Final Review: Song Xiukui, Yu Jiang