International University Tour: Chinese Students Visit NC State
Chinese students from the Beijing Royal School visited North Carolina State University yesterday as part of a tour of U.S. higher education institutions.
The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation (FI) and Wake County’s Centennial Campus Middle School (CCMS) hosted the twenty-three 10th and 11th grade students and their teachers.
The Chinese students used various technologies in their experiences at Centennial Campus Middle School and in sessions with professors from the College of Education,” said Dr. John Lee, NC State associate professor of social studies and middle grades education. “We were all impressed with the energy and creativity of the Chinese students.”
The CCMS students led active learning activities to introduce the Chinese students to the school and its magnet theme. The Chinese visitors learned how to use 21st Century skills to create visual word clouds so that the group could get to know each other by sharing important information about their lives. Also, the visiting group participated in classes at Centennial Campus Middle School, specifically attending NCSU middle grades program graduate Andrea Gambino's seventh grade social studies class, which was studying Chinese dynasties.
“We view our work today as part of an on-going relationship that is helping to expand cross-cultural ties between the United States and China,” said Dr. Hiller Spires, senior research fellow at the FI and professor in the College of Education. “Our experiences with the BRS students reminded us of the many interests that we share and how truly interconnected the world has become.”
A partnership with the Beijing Royal School began last fall when delegation from the College of Education went to China to lead the New Literacies Teacher Leader Institute, which resulted in an international partnership.
Click here to see a video of the Beijing Royal School’s visit to NC State.