Amanda Zhou

Dr. Aihua Zhou has over 10 years of university-level teaching experience in Mandarin Chinese, Chinese culture, Chinese film, Chinese calligraphy, and traditional Chinese painting. She has taught at UNC Charlotte, the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, and the University of Montana.

Dr. Zhou holds five academic degrees, including a Ph.D. in Playwriting, an M.A. in Chinese Film, an M.A. in Applied Linguistics, a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature, and a B.A. in Pedagogy. Her educational experience in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom has shaped her interdisciplinary approach to language and culture education.

Drawing on her interdisciplinary background, Dr. Zhou views the classroom through the lens of theatre. She believes that students should not be passive audience members but the main actors in the learning process. From this perspective, the instructor serves as a director who guides and supports learning, while the textbook functions as the script. Through role-playing, improvisation, and collaborative learning, she creates an engaging learning environment that promotes language proficiency and deepens cultural understanding.