SCEN Conference 2013
As a SCEN ambassador, I had the honour of attending the most recent SCEN Conference which was held in the Playfair Library at the University of Edinburgh on Friday 14 June. The main theme of this event was Learning in China and in Scotland.
In general, the conference was very successful and beneficial. The objectives of this SCEN Ambassadors' Conference were:
To look at learning styles in China and in Scotland and to learn from each other
To find out why and how individuals have chosen to learn Chinese
To promote collaboration in learning Chinese and about China
To give a voice to SCEN Ambassadors
A number of leaders, teachers and SCEN ambassadors gave us presentations on their experiences or opinions about learning in China and in Scotland. The one I enjoyed most was a presentation by Head Teachers from three different Scottish high schools who shared with us their experiences of visiting China in April 2013. The memorable trip to Tianjin and Beijing provided them with an excellent opportunity to learn more about the different educational system in China compared to that in Scotland, and the rich culture of China. Through this presentation, we could see clearly the effort that Scottish educationalists are making to strengthen the relationships between the Confucius Classroom Hubs in Scotland and their partner schools in China.
In the afternoon, Catriona Oates showed us the new SCEN Learning Community on GLOW, which aims to provide more opportunities for everyone to communicate with each other. Louise Rossiter, SCEN Music Ambassador, gave a presentation about her trip to China and her attempts to capture sounds which represent the country. There was an interesting talk about the Giant Panda Project at Edinburgh Zoo. Finally, Cathy He from the British Council explained about Generation UK, a project which provides the opportunity for around 15,000 British students to study or find an internship placement in China.
The conference ended with a presentation of certificates by Lord Wilson of Tillyorn to our SCEN Music Ambassador, SCEN Piper, SCEN photographer (Megan Hammell, L6 from St George's), and to new SCEN Ambassadors.
Nan Liu
