Adjunct

Chun Chen

Chun Chen

Adjunct Lecturer in Chinese

Email: cc5502@columbia.edu

Educational Background

Certificate: Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL), Teachers College, Columbia University
MA: Chinese Linguistics and Language Acquisition, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
BA: Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, Jinan University

Bio
Chun Chen has been teaching Mandarin Chinese to learners of diverse ages and proficiency levels in the United States and China since 2015. She taught in Columbia University’s summer language programs in Beijing in 2015 and 2016 and has since taught Chinese in university, study-abroad, and immersion settings. She joined Columbia University’s Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures as an Adjunct Lecturer in Fall 2025. She is also the founder and director of Moxie Mandarin, a Mandarin education program in New York City.

Yaxi Zheng

Yaxi Zheng

Adjunct Lecturer in Chinese
Educational Background

MA: East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University
BA: Communications and Media Studies, Fordham University

Classes Taught

CHNS UN1010 Introductory Chinese A
CHNS UN1011 Introductory Chinese B
CHNS UN2201 Second Year Chinese I
CHNS UN2202 Second Year Chinese II
CHNS UN2221 Second Year Chinese W I
CHNS UN2222 Second Year Chinese W II

Research Interests

Chinese Language Pedagogy, Heritage Learner Instruction, Technology-Enhanced Teaching

Bio

Yaxi Zheng has been teaching Chinese language courses at all levels since 2014 at institutions including Columbia University, City College of New York, Fordham University, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She specializes in proficiency-based instruction for both heritage and non-heritage learners.

Xiaonan Chu

Xiaonan Chu

Adjunct Lecturer in Chinese

Office: 506 Kent Hall
Office Hours: M, W, Th 10:20–11:20 a.m.
Email: xc2375@columbia.edu

Educational Background

MA: Bilingual and Bicultural Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
Certificate: Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL), Teachers College, Columbia University
MA: English Literature, China University of Petroleum
BA: English, Changchun University of Science and Technology

Classes Taught

CHNS UN1111 FIRST YEAR CHINESE W I
CHNS UN1112 FIRST YEAR CHINESE W II

Research Interests

Second Language Acquisition
Chinese Language Pedagogy
Language Input and Learner Engagement
Differentiated Language Instruction
AI-Supported Language Learning
Curriculum Development

Bio

Xiaonan Chu began teaching as an adjunct Chinese language instructor at Columbia University in Fall 2025. She previously served as a Teaching Associate in Chinese at Columbia and has taught Chinese and English in both the United States and China. Her experience also includes curriculum development, teacher education, and interdisciplinary program design. Her current interests center on responsive language-learning ecologies that integrate rich and comprehensible input, meaningful communication, differentiated pathways, learner agency, and AI-supported learning. She is particularly interested in how language curricula can respond to learners’ diverse linguistic backgrounds, cognitive strengths, and developmental needs.

Publications

Chu, Xiaonan. “On a Contrastive Method of Teaching Culture in ELT Classroom for College-Level Students.” Higher Education of Social Science, 3(3), 2012.

Chu, Xiaonan, and Xiuhua Wang. “Characteristic Analysis of Mandarin Chinese From a Cultural Perspective.” Studies in Literature and Language, 7(2), 2013.

Book chapter in preparation (co-author): Interdisciplinary theme-based learning for K–12 educators in China.