Keene State Exchanges Ideas with Chinese Educators

Six teachers from six different kindergartens, serving students from 3 to 6 years old, in Gulou School District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, visited the Keene area for a week of professional development. The group, which arrived on October 20, spent time at the Child Development Center at Keene State College, the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, and the Keene Montessori School. According to Dottie Bauer, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Deirdre McPartlin, Associate Director of the Child Development Center, and Yi Gong, Associate Professor of Education, the group observed classroom teaching, participated in field placement activities at each of the educational sites, shared ideas, and discussed current practice with members of the KSC faculty and students. Keene State College has previously hosted educators from the Nanjing Experimental Kindergarten, and Keene State faculty and administrators have visited Nanjing in the past two years.