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International Presentation By GippsTAFE Teachers

Teachers recently returned from China share their experiences at a special presentation

By Eimear McNelis - 8th August 2002 - Back to News

GippsTAFE teachers that have recently returned from China, this week shared their experiences at a special presentation held at GippsTAFE’s Yallourn Campus.

Janine Ochsenbein, Neil Hauxwell, Nina Wills and Brad Shaw talked about living in China, the enthusiasm of Chinese students, differences in teaching methods between the two countries, and the types of questions the students asked.

The group also showed photos of the College’s they visited in China, and talked about the challenges they faced and how they dealt with them.

Neil Hauxwell taught a Conversational English Course for five months at Xingtai Vocational and Technical College.

"They were the best group of students that I have ever had, it was very rewarding work, and the whole college was wonderful, said Mr Hauxwell.

Janine Ochsenbein taught a preparatory course for students wanting to sit the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam, which is a mandatory entry requirement for international students who want to study in Australia.

"Over half of my class passed the IELTS exam, which was great considering many of the students were complete beginners at English. Now three of those students are in Australia," said Ms Ochsenbein.

GippsTAFE Painting and Decorating Coordinator Brad Shaw spent two weeks at Jiaozou Technical College designing a curriculum for an Interior Decorating and Design course that Chinese students will study in Australia.

"I met many prospective students, and showed staff some of our students’ work and photos. I also met some primary school students who asked lots of questions and sang me a song," said Mr Shaw.

"My visit was one of cultural enlightenment. The people I met were endearing and they asked lots of questions."

GippsTAFE Fashion Teacher Nina Wills has also just returned from Xingtai Vocational and Technical College, where she taught Chinese fashion students that may be coming to Australia next year.

"My time in China was exhilarating. The students were quick, eager to learn, loved working in groups and asked many questions," said Ms Wills.

"We covered so many aspects of the international fashion scene so quickly. By the end of my stay the students had designed patterns, sewed their pieces and then put on a professional fashion show at the end!"

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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