Litan Rath

Litan Rath, known as “Li Laoshi” by her students, teaches at Westinghouse College Prep in Chicago. Using a lot of fun Rap songs to teach Chinese, she is also called “MC Laoshi” by her students.

Before Encounters, Litan found traditional language programs tedious, with too much reliance on grammar explanation and rote memorization. She found it difficult to keep her high school students actively engaged in learning and excited about Chinese culture.

“We need a curriculum that is more interactive, fun, student-centered, and cultural! I want my students to try to figure out something by themselves and take leadership in learning!”

Since adopting Encounters in the Spring of 2011, she has seen her students excel in language acquisition and cultural understanding. “They listen to the video and figure things out a lot by themselves, and they start to speak like the video!” Litan advocates Encounters for its strong communicative approach, authenticity, engaging activities and amazing multimedia.

“Encounters supports ‘student-centered’ learning. The videos/video clips are a good starting point for language acquisition, and the worksheets and rap songs reinforce those newly acquired skills. The students LOVE to practice and perform the Rap songs in teams. I highly recommend this program to any teacher who wants to create a fun, interactive and effective learning environment for their students, as well as for themselves!”

About Litan Rath:

Litan received her B.S. in Finance and M.A in Sociology from Beijing Normal University. She has taught in Beijing, China, at DePaul University and Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute. Litan is passionate about teaching and is getting her second M.A in Secondary Education in Chicago. She is also an active member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association and the Midwest Chinese Teachers’ Alliance.