Eight teacher candidates from the University of Windsor flew to China this Spring to take part in a 12-week education, research and cultural exchange.
The UWindsor 2025 Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program (RLP)/Mitacs Cohort began their international intercultural internship on April 8, under the guidance of PhD candidate Yuhan Deng with Prof. Dr. Shijing Xu, acting as home supervisor in the Faculty of Education.
The program's commitment to inclusion brings together students from diverse backgrounds and creates space for both local and international voices.
During the three-month international teaching and learning experience, the cohort of Canadian pre-service teachers engage in classroom observations, collaborative teaching, and cross-cultural learning at local Grade 1-12 schools in Beijing. They will spend the second half of their internship in Chongqing with the Southwest University (SWU).
Teacher candidate Carson Cornelisse says her experience is allowing her to understand more areas of education and the world, fueling her passion for a profession she already loved.
"The opportunity to work and observe in China has been one I will never forget. Being someone who is always looking to learn new things from others in Canada, coming here and meeting open and like-minded people has been such a warm and genuinely happy experience," says Cornelisse. "Every day I wake up and hope to learn something new, from teaching strategies to cultural experiences like calligraphy or martial arts, every moment is never dull."
The RLP emphasizes reciprocal learning, mutual appreciation, cultural immersion, and pedagogical exchange, offering participants the opportunity to learn from Chinese educators while sharing Canadian teaching perspectives. The program was developed in 2010 between UWindsor, SWU, and in partnership with the Greater-Essex County District School Board.
Each Fall, 20 students and a guide professor from SWU, China, come to UWindsor to observe classes in local Windsor schools and to audit courses in the pre-service program at the Faculty of Education.
Teacher candidates from UWindsor make the reciprocal learning trip to China in the Spring. The 15-year program has seen 10 rounds of pre-service student onsite exchange between the two universities with a couple of online communications due to the pandemic.
This opportunity is possible thanks to the University of Windsor, the Vice-President of Research and Innovation (VPRI), home supervisor Xu, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), and MITACS Globalink Research Internship.
