Month: December 2019
The four months I spent in University of Calgary (UOC) is definitely the best moment in my life. Not only did I experience the difference in education system, I also participated in different activities in which I met a lot of friends from all over the world.
The education culture in Calgary is totally different from that in Hong Kong. In one of the mathematics courses I took, students were very engaged in class. Communication among students were emphasized to the extent that everyone in class had the chance to speak up during group tasks. Presentation of group work was definitely an unforgettable experience to me. As a future teacher, the experience in Calgary always reminds me of the importance of peer learning.
Although I did not have a chance to participate in mathematics teaching programmes, I joined the voluntary piano teaching club there. It was such a fruitful experience! I felt the sense of accomplishment when the little kids there enjoyed what I taught.
Apart from studying and teaching, I met two of my best friends in a hiking activity in Banff which is a famous tourist spot near UOC. It is a place surrounded by majestic mountains and surreally colored lakes. While I enjoy hiking in Hong Kong, the scenery there was even more breathtaking and mesmerising. My friends and I even went for a road trip together after the semester ended! I miss all the joyful moments with them so much, and I am so glad that all the friends I met in Calgary was being so nice to me.
| I am glad to join the summer course in the University of Glasgow and it was a fruitful experience. The course introduces Scottish educational system including nursery education, primary and secondary education, Special Education Needs (SEN) and globalisation, etc. I also had a chance to visit one nursery school, one primary school and one secondary school. As there were only 6 students in the course, lessons were conducted in group discussion. The Professors first introduced Scottish educational system. Students then shared their countries’ systems. My classmates were from Singapore and USA, so I also learned their educational practices simultaneously. Besides lessons, I joined some day trips and learned Scottish cultures such as fashion, food and dancing. It really broadened my horizon! |
A Wonderful Experience in The University of Edinburgh
The program allowed me to explore the culture of Edinburgh, learn English and get along with local people.
Learning in The University of Edinburgh was much more relaxing than that in Hong Kong. Classes were conducted in small-class teaching that everyone had chances to speak English in class and teachers could give immediate responses. Teachers were energetic and made every lesson fun. They encouraged us to speak more and be involved actively in class by using English games to attract us. As a student major in education, I appreciated their teaching skills and styles in which I learnt a lot from them.
In cultural aspect, I explored the Scottish culture through participating in various social programs and visiting different scenic spots in Scotland. I joined the city tour, the trip to Highlands and the Isle of Skye, Scottish Ceilidh dancing party and some talks, and visited National Gallery.
Moreover, I had a good relationship with my host family and I really miss them. In general, my hosts are extremely nice. My host mum,Caroline, took good care of me, for examples, giving me two extra blankets and turning on the heater for me even it was in summer as she saw that I always worn a jacket. Besides, she cooked very well just like dining in a western restaurant, and made food that suits my taste. I did not expect to have hot food every day. Moreover, my host dad, Peter, drove me in the first few days so as to let me familiarize myself with the bus route. Through our communication every night, I knew more about Edinburgh and their living style. I shared with them what happened in Hong Kong in return. Overall, I stayed in a family with love and warmth. Though I felt cold all the time in Edinburgh, my heart was always warm. To me, I become more confident to speak English after this program, and more independent to handle challenges by myself.
An overseas exchange experience
In summer 2016, I was fortunate to join the Minor in Entrepreneurship(MIE) summer exchange programme in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Despite the fact that this is just a relatively short exchange experience within less than two months in Singapore, it does not mean I had experienced little. In fact, NTU had placed me in an academically stimulating environment that was both culturally enriching and socially fulfilling. I had gone through a lot of new challenges and learnt a lot.
Intensive coursework and assessments were challenges of the summer exchange experience. What made these challenges more demanding was a surprise that I had never expected–I was the only exchange student from Hong Kong, while the rest were local students and students from Michigan University, USA. Having no Hong Kong companion means I was forced to communicate with those new English speaking friends, deal with all obstacles I encountered on my own, and learn to be more independent.
As a teacher-to-be, this exchange experience inspired me to reconsider what education is and how it should be implemented. In Singapore and Hong Kong, the entire education system places extremely high demands on students. It is typical for high school students to solely focus on schoolwork from 8 am to 11 pm whereas in the US, they ended up in the opposite. Therefore, students from Singapore and Hong Kong are considered to be more “intelligent”. However, students from the US surprised me. I did not see students from US in the exchange programme to be more “dump”. There were always innovative ideas in their mind, and they dared to dream and try. Some of them have even started their own profit-making online business since the age of 16 or 17, which is drastically different from those “typical conservative bookworms” produced under the spoon-feeding education system in Hong Kong.
I have never expected to have seen and experienced so much in Singapore. The multi-cultural social atmosphere is something simply travelling cannot give you. Exchange experience gives you not only months of exposure to a new culture, but also a journey of self-discovery and personal growth filled with fascinating experiences and unforgettable memories. It will probably be your once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore care-free, and do and see things you could have never dreamed of. Therefore, the advice I will give to everyone would really be to take advantage of any exchange opportunity.
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My six months exchange at UCLA was the most life-changing experience I have ever had. Not only did I immerse myself in an independent English learning environment, I also engaged in various pedagogical exposure including teaching internship and voluntary teaching. Encountering novel instruction approaches has made me see education from a different perspective. Apart from the academic, living overseas allowed me to make friends with foreigners from different countries and even understand their culture.
I am blessed to be a student of BMED. The well planned program covered a broad range of courses which guided me to answer questions like “WHAT to teach” and “HOW to teach”; conversations between passionate classmates and helpful teachers also gave me courage and directions to face the uncertain future. The teaching-related experiences provided by the program have given me chances to put theory into practice and forced me to seek the meaning behind teaching: “WHY am I a teacher?”. This is not an easy question to answer but the GROWTH that I experienced while searching for the answers was the most precious present that I gained in these 4 years of study— since education is all about growth.
Time goes swiftly, and finally, it comes to the end of my study as an undergraduate at CUHK. I will never forget the fruitful journey of studying in the BMED (Bachelor of Education in Mathematics and Mathematics Education) programme. Not only did the programme equip me to become a professional teacher with sound academic and pedagogical background, it also gave me a lot of opportunities to develop my potentials, brought me insights to reflect on myself, and filled my life with more colours.
The programme serves as an excellent platform to gather students who share the same vision here. In the past five years of study, I met lots of friends who are passionate in teaching. We played together and studied together. We had a lot of joyful moments when we did the educational projects and made different teaching aids together. I will definitely miss the discussions and sincere supports that we gave to each other during the teaching practice.
Throughout the 4 years, I have been offered numerous chances, such as school attachment and teaching practice, to teach, observe and experience in different schools. This makes me a fully-devoted teacher. The mathematics education courses are useful, comprehensive and well-structured, taught by experienced, conscientious and professional teachers. They act as a bridge connecting knowledge and practice. Education courses provide me rich pedagogical theories, and mathematics courses offer me advanced subject knowledge.
I am adamant that this program fits seamlessly for applicants who aspire to be an all-rounded mathematics teacher in the future.
