A total of 16 student teachers from China, Hong Kong, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the US were attached to NIE for international practicum (IP) from late June to early August this year. This is the highest number of overseas students hosted by NIE since the IP programme was established in 2012. NIEWS chatted with two of them to find out why they’ve chosen to pursue their IP at NIE.
Ayana Kawahara
Bachelor of Arts (Education), Year 3
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
“I love working with people and have pursued routes where I can continue to broaden my interest in topics such as social justice and healthy relationships at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I decided to take up the IP opportunity in Singapore to learn and experience how its different cultures, religions and languages can co-exist in harmony. I’m also looking forward to discovering the similarities and embracing the differences between our two education systems during my five-week journey, as well as understanding the role that education plays in supporting Singapore’s multi-ethic society.”
Wang Yi Ting,
Bachelor of Arts (Education), Year 3
Beijing Normal University, China
“I really love teaching! Although I’ve taught in Beijing and Taiwan before, I feel very privileged to be in Singapore to be part of NIE’s IP programme. The experience has offered me an invaluable opportunity to be attached to a primary school, and to learn about the education system, teaching approaches and common beliefs among teachers in Singapore. Through the classroom observations and discussions with my Cooperating Teacher, I have gained a better perspective about multicultural education and student engagement, and picked up some effective strategies for teaching reading and evaluation. I’ve also deepened my understanding about being a teacher. Can’t wait to share all that I’ve learned with my peers when I return to Beijing!”