In Semester 2, 2022/2023, nine of our colleagues organized Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) activities for their students to learn with professors and student teachers from other countries and jurisdictions. The nine colleagues are:
- Dr. Jana Patricia Valdez, HPI2022 Honours Project 1 (Part B) and CPI2002 Capstone Project 1 (Part B), with Dr. Yi Zhang Zoe and Ms. Maria Felicia Iordan from Coventry University, UK.
- Dr. Zhou Yanling, ECE6154 Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment in ECE, with Dr. Hu Aihua from Western Norway University of Applied Science, Norway.
- Dr. Annie Li, ECE3235 Language and Literacy in Early Childhood, with Mrs. Melissa Russell from Bridgewater State University (BSU), USA.
- Dr. Anika Saxena, ECE3049 Enhancing Children’s Creativity and Self-Expression and ECE3239 Contemporary Approaches to Learning and Teaching in the Early Years, with Maestro Octavio Flores Orozco, Centro Regional de Educación Normal (CREN), Mexico.
- Ms. Carmen Choi, ECE4200 Resources Management in Early Childhood Sector, with Dr. Li Minyi from Beijing Normal University, China.
- Dr. Catalina Ng and Ms. Catherine Cheng, ECE2062 Understanding and Embracing Diversity, with Mrs. Evi Katsapi from the Institute of Education (IOE), University College London (UCL), UK.
- Dr. Ken Chan, ECE4233 Working with Families from Diverse Backgrounds, with Ms. Angela Yang from PAP Community Foundation, Singapore.
- Dr. Jenny Chan, with Dr. Tomohiro Nagashima from Universität Des Saarlandes, Germany.
You can learn more about each of these COIL collaborations by reading their corresponding articles (just click on the name of the ECE lecturers). As described in the articles, many students benefited from their virtual activities. Here are some comments gathered during the semester from our ECE student teachers on their COIL experiences:
- I discovered a new passion for presenting research to audiences from different countries and how there are similarities and differences in educational practices between Hong Kong and the UK.
- I learned how nature education differs in Norway and China and how people in different countries have different attitudes about nature.
- Being in breakout rooms with students from different countries help me to think about information from new perspectives.
- I have seen the curriculum and lesson plans in Mexican kindergartens, and I have some inspiration about how to assist children's art and creativity learning.
We thank our ECE colleagues for their efforts to innovate and further enhance international learning for their students. If you would like to find out more about COIL at the ECE Department, please contact Ms. Sofie Chua (schua@eduhk.hk).
