Bridging Continents: C&I Students Engage in Global Virtual Exchange with Japanese Educators

This Spring, students in CI 5307-Technology for Teaching and Learning, taught by Curriculum and Instruction  Lecturer Catherine Clements, experienced a significant expansion of their classroom, extending its reach well beyond Minnesota's borders. Students participated in a Virtual Exchange with experienced, in-practice teachers from Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS) in Chiba, Japan. In the second half of the semester, our future educators engaged in a series of structured dialogues focused on the evolving role of technology in global pedagogy. The project followed a three-step progression:

• The Virtual Handshake: Students began with emails to introduce their teaching philosophies and describe the current digital landscape of U.S. PK12 classrooms.
• A Deeper Dive: The teams met live to discuss how to integrate tech into lessons to boost student engagement. This session was possible due to the time difference between Japan and Minnesota; we met during our class on Monday night, which was Tuesday morning in Japan. 
• Future Trends & Resource Swaps: The exchange concluded with an additional Zoom meeting to look at Generative AI, and a “resource gift” exchange, where students and teachers traded their favorite digital strategies. The experienced teachers in Japan also shared their wisdom about tips and tricks to thrive in the classroom as a new teacher. 

Insights from the Field

The reflection from our students has been profound. One of the most striking takeaways for many was the realization that, despite the geographic and cultural distance, the trials and triumphs of teaching remain universal. Elementary Education major Madison McConley (BA ‘27), who is one of our participating students, noted, “Yes, there’s differences between the education in Japan and the U.S., but there’s also surprisingly so many similarities... we talked so much about how shocked we were on the similarities between our education systems.”. McConley noted that both systems are moving toward more informal, laid-back classroom environments compared to old school practices, which she believes helps reduce overall student anxiety. She learned that despite the rapid development of educational technology, teachers in both countries still find immense value in reliable, "classic" tools like Kahoot. Phillip Bennett, one of the participating teachers in KUIS in Japan, echoed this sentiment of shared professional reality, "A few takeaways from the experience was that despite the differences in environment, educational policies, and learning culture/norms... technology in the classroom seems to have the similar benefits and drawbacks."The exchange provided a space for both pre- and in-service teachers to think about their practice. Emily Marzin, a teacher at KUIS, shared how the collaboration sparked a personal reflection, "Hearing their perspectives and engaging in dialogue with them made me reflect on my own teaching practices, and even more fundamentally, on why I chose to become a teacher in the first place. It also reminded me that technology in education is not something we can take for granted... we have a responsibility to help students develop a more critical and informed understanding of how to use it effectively."

A Global Foundation

This brief collaboration yielded big results. Our students learned about educational technology and gained pro-tips necessary to lead the classrooms of tomorrow, and their collaborating teachers benefited from the discussions as well. We are incredibly proud of their efforts in this international partnership.