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At UTS, students on the Bachelor of Education in Primary Education can teach in an overseas school for their second or third year prac. We asked two students who travelled to China to teach – to talk about their experiences, in their own words.

‘It was exciting, exhausting, fun, bizarre, crazy – worth doing.’ – Rebekah

‘I have gained more confidence, especially in terms of being able to “think on my feet”.' – Kim

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Rebekah’s experience

China is not a country I had thought of travelling to, but the opportunity to teach overseas was too good to pass up. I also liked the idea of the challenge and of stepping outside my comfort zone, but with the added security of travelling with a group of other uni students.

It was exciting, exhausting, fun, bizarre, crazy – worth doing. It was challenging to put together lessons with limited (or no) resources. Sitting up late at night drawing up flash cards with my co-teachers was tiring but fun. It was frustrating at times but it really brought me back to the core of what teaching means: you need to employ the simplest, most basic methods to communicate. I have also discovered a new talent – in role-play! With team-teaching you can use each other to show the children what you are trying to say. It worked most but not all of the time. Sometimes you need to know when to pull the plug and try something else… My confidence grew with each lesson and by the time it was over I felt like I had gained a lot of experience teaching English to non-English speakers.

I was concerned that with so many different personalities in our group, and as I am a lot older than most of the other students, there might be a few problems, but I was wrong. I roomed with a 20 year old (I turned 39 on the trip) and we got along brilliantly and formed a good friendship. We all got along throughout the trip, including a weekend in Kunming; we all travelled to the Stone Forest together which was breathtaking.

Eight of us travelled on to Beijing after prac finished. We saw the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, acrobat show, Beijing Zoo, and did a 10km walk along the Great Wall of China – definitely too hard unless you are an experienced hiker. If you want to see the wall just go to one section!

I would definitely recommend the international prac to other students.

Kim’s experience

I have always wanted to visit China, and the chance to undertake teaching in another country does not come along very often. The experience gave me a unique insight into China – the culture of the people and the school system – a very different experience to visiting the country as a tourist.

We were accompanied by a lecturer from UTS (our prac supervisor), who gave us feedback after lessons.

It was a fantastic experience – like no other teaching I have done before. At first, the prospect of team-teaching with classes of 70 students was daunting. However when we arrived at the school, both staff and students welcomed us warmly. The children were friendly, and responded enthusiastically to our lessons, which was very encouraging. Also, the fact that we were team-teaching made the process a lot smoother, as my partner and I were able to demonstrate what we wanted the students to do in order to make tasks clearer.

We also used music extensively in lessons. Music is a universal language, and through its use in the classroom, we were able to connect with the students on a different level. I was able to draw on my musical background, bringing my saxophone into the classroom each day and writing songs that my partner and I could teach the children. The children enjoyed singing songs (reinforcing new vocabulary) and listening to the saxophone –most had never seen a saxophone before.

Working with very few resources and facilities made some aspects of lesson planning a bit difficult. For example, we couldn’t rely on the use of a photocopier or overhead projector. In dealing with such challenges, you become more flexible in terms of being able to devise alternative solutions and in being able to adapt existing resources.

I feel that my skills as a developing teacher have been enriched greatly through this experience, and in ways that I would not necessarily have anticipated. I have gained more confidence, especially in terms of being able to 'think on my feet' and plan lessons with few resources at hand. I have also realised that I can use my abilities in particular areas to strengthen learning experiences, e.g. using music as a vehicle to enhance language learning.

Apart from the teaching side of things, an enjoyable aspect of the trip for me was the opportunity to get to know everyone in a friendly, informal setting (outside of uni classes). We had a lot of laughs, and came away from the experience greater and closer friends.
Some of us went to Beijing together for a few days, following the teaching in Kunming. We went on a tour of the city, went to the silk markets and (of course) climbed the Great Wall. To paraphrase Chairman Mao's words: until you climb the Great Wall, you haven't really lived. Photos don't really convey how impressive these places are.

I would strongly recommend others undertake an International Prac Experience. I found the teaching to be both challenging and very rewarding, and the opportunity to travel to another country, immerse yourself in the language, culture and society, is an invaluable experience.

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