Oshawa, Ontario - Of the hundreds of English-speaking institutions they could have chosen, 47 teachers from Shanghai are now honing their English skills at Durham College in Oshawa. For many of the teachers, this trip marks their first visit to North America.
The Chinese teach at elementary, middle and high schools. Two key reasons they chose to study at Durham College are the friendliness and relatively small size of the college and Oshawa. The college hopes that the program will develop into a longer-term partnership, with more Chinese teachers studying here next summer.
The teachers arrived in Canada in late July and are here to explore new ways to teach English as a second language as well as improve their listening and speaking skills. They are staying at the college's residence and will return to China on September 1.
"Our instructors are very kind and we've learned a lot about teaching styles in Canada," says Harry Shao, one of the visitors. "Here, teachers encourage students to ask questions; in China, there is no discussion or group work."
Sharon Babbs, who is helping co-ordinate the program at Durham College, says that the teachers' impressions of Canada and Oshawa are very positive. "One teacher said she was astonished at how quiet the residence was, even though she could see all sorts of traffic on Simcoe Street. Many of the visitors remark that our air is very clean and they are amazed at our open spaces."
The teachers have visited a number of local points of interest such as the Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the Canadian Automotive Museum. They have also sat in on summer classes at Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School.
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Catherine Shearer-Kudel |
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