As part of a newly formed partnership between Trent and the Wuxi Foreign Language School in China, four teacher candidates – now recent graduates – went to China for three weeks recently as part of their alternative settings placement.

This new partnership is an example of Trent’s focus on providing students with a breadth of experiential learning opportunities, and was experience that gave participating teacher candidates new ways of thinking about teaching from a global perspective.

“My challenge now is to translate my time in China into shared experiences with my students at home in Canada,” explained recent graduate Justin Demarchi. “I want to find a way to bring my future students along with me on my China experience through story, photos, video and perhaps, a pen pal exchange with Chinese students." 

Expanding Trent’s International Reach

“I am pleased with this development as it represents a strong example of the internationalization work at Trent,” explains Dr. Jackie Muldoon, provost and vice-president academic at Trent. “We are not just interested in a multicultural experience on campus, but in providing our students with opportunities to explore their areas of interest, and broadening their horizons.”

“This new partnership with the Wuxi Foreign Language School is a terrific learning experience for our Canadian teacher candidates, for the students in the school, and for the teachers in Wuxi China,” added Dr. Cathy Bruce, dean of Education, Teaching and Learning at Trent.

In Ontario, teacher candidates are required to complete a specific number of teaching days in the classroom in order to become certified to teach in the province. The School of Education at Trent takes this commitment one step further to help diversify students by encouraging teacher candidates to broaden their experiences through an alternative settings placement.