Reciprocal Learning between Canada and China in Teacher Education and School Education:Partnership Studies of Practice in Cultural Context

Abstract In this introduction we describe the purpose and structure of the Canada-China Reciprocal Learning in Teacher Education and School Education Partnership Grant Project sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada(SSHRC)in 2013−2020,and describe the project’s practice-based methodology along with a discussion of selected preliminary results.The papers presented in this special issue of Frontiers of Education in China animate our discussion by bringing forward important school-based activities and results.The heart of this work is the collaborative activity and voices of Chinese and Canadian educators.We illustrate our concept of reciprocal learning and how we apply this concept in our Partnership Grant Project.We believe that we have heavily benefited from the productive work and impact that has been made in the field of comparative education and we have put our emphasis on Reciprocal Learning as Collaborative Partnership throughout our project.

A Narrative Inquiry into Chinese Teacher Induction in West China through Cross-Cultural Teacher Development

This article is part of a narrative study of Chinese beginning teacher induction through cross-cultural teacher development,which has been developed and contextualized in the Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program between the University of Windsor(UW),Canada and Southwest University(SWU),China.This program is part of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada(SSHRC)Partnership Grant Project,Reciprocal Learning in Teacher Education and School Education between Canada and China.The partnership builds on the Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program,and the Shanghai-Toronto-Beijing Sister School Network.In this article,the authors conducted narrative inquiry with two of the SWU participants in the Teacher Education Reciprocal Learning Program to explore their experience from their cross-cultural learning in Canada to beginning teachers in West China.The findings of the research suggest the need to develop a global and cross-cultural dimension in teacher education and development in West China.It is evident that the cross-cultural experiences in Canada have influenced beginning teachers’curriculum views,relationship to students,and beliefs about teaching.Their“lived stories”(Connelly&Clandinin,1990,p.6)also indicate that the personal,pedagogical,and social influences of cross-cultural experiences play important roles in beginning teachers’teaching careers.