This past summer, four education students and a professor from Gunma University in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, visited the MSVU campus for a unique international exchange that fostered teaching, learning, and cross-cultural understanding.
The visit was part of a partnership between Gunma University and Mount Saint Vincent University led by professors Dr. Johan Woodworth and Dr. Christine Doe in the Faculty of Education and Darlene Yamauchi, professor in the Cooperative Faculty of Education at Gunma University.
The visiting students lived on campus at MSVU. The students honed their teaching skills by leading elementary school aged MSVU day campers through Japanese cultural activities. They taught the campers to write their names in Japanese and introduced them to Sumo wrestling – Japan’s traditional national sport – using a hands-on paper sumo wrestler activity.
They joined in Bachelor of Education classes at MSVU where they learned about technology integration in teaching, as well as curriculum planning and assessment. They also participated in the KAIROS Blanket Exercise and then a reflection on reconciliation and its implications for teaching. The Blanket Exercise is a powerful experiential tool for teaching about the historic and ongoing impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples. A trip to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 was the foundation for a discussion about multiculturalism and education.
Looking ahead, the partners hope to create new opportunities for students and faculty to learn from one another through expanded exchanges, international practicum experiences, and collaborative research. By building connections across cultures and educational systems, the partnership has the potential to enrich teaching, learning, and research at both universities for years to come.
