2019 International Leadership in Education Assessment and Pedagogy Practicum in China

The Judith Herb College of Education (JHCOE) implemented its third International Leadership in Education, Assessment and Pedagogy (I_LEAP) Practicum. This practicum took place May 16 to May 27, 2019 in Qinhuangdao (Yanshan University) (7 days) and Beijing (4 days), in Hebei Province China.

The practicum was led by two faculty members: Dr. Noela A. Haughton, Associate Professor in Research and Measurement (RESM), and Dr. Marcella M. Kehus, Associate Professor in Curriculum and Instruction.

All participating students completed extensive coursework in their respective content areas, including work in Classroom Assessment, Educational Psychology, and the Theory and Social Foundations of Education.

I_LEAP was offered as an extension to the participating students’ coursework and academic experiences. All students had the opportunity to extend their in-class curricular experiences in an applied international non-Western setting and to learn about and experience educational leadership, assessment, and pedagogy in the host country. This was the first overseas travel experience for some and the first co-curricular experience of this type for all.

The three types of experiences were: on-campus Yanshan University experiences, Chinese elementary and secondary school visits, and Chinese cultural events and experiences. All delegates completed an 8-hour Chinese Language and Culture course prior to departure.

UT STUDENT VOICES

• I am glad that I took a risk and took advantage of the opportunity to go on this trip to China. I normally would have considered going and then never followed through with it. I think taking the risk was worth it. I got to meet new people, try new food and new experiences. Seeing the different educational and cultural aspects of China was more rewarding than I could ever have expected.
• I love seeing what the teachers are doing to challenge students to use critical thinking and not just showing them what they “should” know. It would have been very easy for the teacher to simply play the song, have the students sing it, and then move on to another song; instead, she gave her students an opportunity to be creative as a way to further learning and growth.
• This experience is so far is showing me that there are many more ways to communicate than I thought possible through different languages. I have a new-found respect for the effects technology and individual outlooks have on the openness of communication.
• The people here have been wonderfully friendly and I really enjoy seeing so many people smiling and waving when they see us. My learning and professional goals are definitely impacted by what I have seen so far of the culture and the places we have visited. In the future I strive towards helping diverse communities in the U.S. to live better and healthier lives. For many of the populations I want to work with, there is a good percentage that do not speak English and have immigrated to America. Being able to be culturally competent and use cultural humility correctly is really important, and experiences like this study abroad help with that.