Enhancing Rural Teacher Training Project Welcomes Visiting Chinese Delegation (Fall 2005)

by Jim Montgomery

Photo courtesy of Jim Montgomery

Education faculty member Jim Montgomery (third from left, front row) and First Nations Elder Ray Peter (with drum) welcome our Chinese visitors

Representatives of the Faculties of Education and First Nation Studies shared an afternoon together with a team of visiting Chinese educators probing such common issues as teaching minority students, inclusion, mixed languages, and living away from home. 

The Chinese group was on campus as part of their visit to Canada with our ACCC project “Enhancing Rural Teacher Training’ in partnership with P.E.I.’s Holland College.  Students, faculty, and visitors agreed that their time together was far too brief, and that all had learned much from each other.  Elder-in-Residence Ray Peter’s drumbeat welcome was returned by the visitors in the form of a traditional Chinese song of friendship.

Jim was busy playing host to the Chinese delegation as they visited a variety of Malaspina departments. Our guests were impressed with the variety of teaching models and strategies they observed during their time with the University. The rural teacher training project soon enters its' third year.