Hong Kong Institute of Education program

Future teachers from Hong Kong Institute of Education studied at the ELI and UD in the fall.

This year the ELI welcomed for the first time students from the prestigious Hong Kong Institute of Education, the largest teacher training program in Hong Kong. The 19 students, all in their junior year, spent the fall semester at the ELI, in an exceptionally rigorous academic and training program, coordinated by instructor Julie Lopez. In addition to their participation in the full intensive English program, the students also took on the role of participant-observers, in which they documented and analyzed the teaching methods they experienced as ELI students.

This group extended their academic and cultural experience well beyond the ELI, however. They attended an ethnography class taught by Assistant Director Deborah Detzel and conducted ethnographic research projects within the Newark community. In addition, students enrolled in a university class of their choice, including Meteorology, Introduction to Women’s Studies, Lifespan Development, and Myth, Religion and Art. To gain hands-on experience with the U.S. educational system, each participant made 10 visits to area public and private schools and worked individually with local teachers on a weekly basis.

The intensity of the academic program was matched by its cultural component. Students lived with homestay families for the entire semester and also participated in at least six ELI-sponsored trips. They attended Student Activities Night (at which university clubs disseminate information and welcome new members) where each student joined at least one campus club. ELI director Dr. Scott Stevens was so impressed with this group’s enthusiasm that he treated them to an experience they would probably not encounter in Hong Kong—horseback riding.

“They are all really eager and motivated to join and become part of American life,” said program coordinator Lopez.  • GW