Educators Explore China, Connect with Teachers and Students

This April, 13 educators from Massachusetts had an unforgettable experience. Following the completion of a preparatory course about the history, culture, and peoples of China, the group of teachers and administrators traveled to Shanghai, Xi'an, and Beijing to encounter life in China first-hand. In each city, participants visited historical sites, toured museums, and sampled cuisine at local restaurants. Additionally, this study tour provided a unique opportunity for participants to deeply engage with Chinese students and teachers through a teaching immersion program. Over the course of 16 days, the teachers and administrators traveling together developed friendships, acquired knowledge and resources, and learned valuable lessons about themselves and the vast and complex country of China.

Participants on this Primary Source study tour spent a significant amount of time interacting with local Chinese people. These memorable moments provided invaluable opportunities to practice cross-cultural communication skills and hear from authentic voices. In Shanghai, participants visited EF Education's English Language School where they met a remarkable group of young adults eager to exchange thoughts and ideas on education, daily life, and more. The session was a valuable learning experience for all. At the end of the day, one participant reflected on her conversation with two young Chinese women, "We agreed when we parted that the world will be a better place with more contact between cultures."

At the Dandelion School in Beijing, a school for the children of migrant workers, participants spent four days as a teacher of a class of eighth graders — a challenge in any language! With translation help from tour leaders and volunteers, Primary Source educators prepared and taught a series of lessons over the course of four days. Students learned about the Columbian Exchange, landmarks in China and the U.S., the Civil Rights Movement, the author and artist Eric Carle, and habitats around the world. The goal of this week was twofold: provide students with rich content about a new topic and demonstrate new pedagogical methods for their teachers. For each topic, Primary Source educators modeled group work, alternative assessments, vocabulary activities, and differentiated lessons.

To conclude the week at Dandelion, tour leaders facilitated a teacher-to-teacher discussion about the teaching methods and strategies that Primary Source participants modeled. Dandelion teachers had been observing all week and were eager to ask questions about the lessons. Primary Source educators shared reflections on their experiences and gave further information about why they chose particular methods. The experience will inspire Dandelion teachers to expand their own teaching repertoires to include more group work and periodic assessments — important strategies for ensuring students of all abilities are learning.

This Primary Source study tour provided an extraordinary opportunity for learning and exchange. Teachers on the tour encountered a culture very different from their own, and built relationships with people living very different lives. For four days, these educators exchanged ideas, language, and hopes for the future with students and teachers. This experience will most certainly deepen how they teach their own students about this fascinating country.

Follow the teachers' journey through China through narrative, photos, and film on the study tour blog.