Although I was aware of how ill Ted had been, the news that he had passed away on September 19 nevertheless took me by surprise, and a real sense of sadness overtook me that day.
As I thought about Ted, my memories harkened me back to one of my earliest meetings with him in the 1990s. I had heard that he was working on an innovative technology for language textbooks and I was eager to learn more. In his Mt. Holyoke College office, we hovered over his computer, where he showed me all the wonderful audio and video features that he was able to incorporate in this magical new medium called laser discs. While the laser discs themselves never took off because of the high cost of the players, this early moment with Ted gave me a first glimpse into the mind of this remarkably curious man. From the start, Ted had a love for innovation and a zeal for technology’s educational potential.
Throughout his distinguished career, Ted had a unique impact on the field of Chinese language studies. As the proud publisher of Ted’s many works, I witnessed first-hand his many contributions. He had a pioneering spirit that brought fresh perspectives into his works.
For example, he co-authored with Scott McGinnis Let’s Play Games in Chinese, which was perhaps the first book in English to bring ‘fun’ into the Chinese classroom. In his Foreword to the book, Timothy Light wrote about Ted: “….in his teaching, he has developed materials in all media (video, computers, audiotape, and, of course, books). These have brought his classes alive, made them active and fun, and thereby raised the standard of proficiency of his students.” This book remains highly sought-after and relevant to this day.
More recently, he worked with Tianwei Xie and contributed an article called “Technology in Chinese Language Teaching and Learning” to the publication Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language: Theories and Applications,” 2nd Edition, edited by Michael E. Everson and Yun Xiao.
Last, but by no means least, was his leadership in initiating the development of the Integrated Chinese series when he ran the Chinese summer programs at Indiana University Bloomington. Not only was the concept of integrating all four skills – listening, speaking, reading, and writing—innovative when it was first published, but he also built one of the first online companion websites to support the program. Till his final days, he had been involved in ensuring that this most widely-adopted series continues to stay relevant by keeping up with the latest effective pedagogical and technological changes in language teaching.
Ted, we will do our utmost to continue your impactful legacy and expand upon the innovations you introduced in Integrated Chinese.
We will truly miss you, Ted, not only for your pioneering contributions to Chinese language teaching, but, more importantly, for being the wonderful and much-loved friend and colleague that you were.
Jill Cheng
President and CEO
To learn more about the life and contributions of Prof. Yao, please visit the following sites:
Memorial: https://tedyao.wordpress.com/
CLTA: http://clta-us.org/tao-chung-ted-yao-obituary/
University of Hawaii: http://www.hawaii.edu/eall/in-remembrance/