"Rosie's Walk": Reciprocal Learning Between Canadian and Chinese Kindergartens

• In Event: Cultural and Ethical Dimensions: Exploring Narratively

Abstract

This narrative inquiry is contextualized in a Canada-China sister school network. Through the telling and retelling of the “Rosie’s Walk” story, this study explores Canadian and Chinese kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of inquiry-based teaching and learning. The field texts include observation notes and follow-up interviews with kindergarten teachers. The results suggest that long-standing teacher-centered pedagogy in China was perceived as the main obstacle to the implementation of inquiry-based learning. The Canadian kindergarten teachers appreciated the artistic presentation of the Rosie’s Walk story by the Chinese children guided by their teachers. This study can help Canadian and Chinese kindergarten teachers understand and appreciate the strengths of inquiry-based pedagogy in each local context, which can help them think from different cross-cultural perspectives.

Authors

• Shi Jing Xu, University of Windsor

• Chenkai Chi, University of Windsor