From 8th to 12th July 2025, we hosted a dedicated group of English teachers from Sichuan, mainland China for an intensive professional development programme. The teachers attended multiple seminars conducted by Canadian teachers, gaining insights into Hong Kong’s educational approaches while experiencing the city’s rich culture through visits to the University of Hong Kong and the city centre.
The programme effectively balanced formal learning through structured seminars with professional development via lesson observations and peer discussions. This created valuable opportunities for deep educational dialogue and authentic cultural exchange.
The success stems from the exceptional dedication of Lucy and Andrew, the two volunteer Canadian English teachers. Their expertise, patience, and genuine care for the mainland teachers shone through every interaction, effectively bridging cultural and educational differences while maintaining high professional standards.
Based on the analysis of the teacher exchange programme survey results, the programme demonstrates success with remarkable outcomes across key metrics. The survey of 30 teachers participating in the Professional Teacher Exchange Programme reveals a 100% recommendation rate, indicating universal endorsement of the program’s value. Participants showed outstanding satisfaction levels, with 96.7% rating the programme as highly effective for cultural understanding and 93.3% finding it very useful for professional development. The programme successfully engaged highly experienced educators, with 76.7% having over 11 years of teaching experience, validating its quality and relevance. Key insights reveal that participants particularly valued practical teaching methods over theoretical content, with strong preferences for hands-on classroom applications. The most significant recommendations include extending programme duration and incorporating real classroom observation sessions. These findings demonstrate that the teacher exchange programme has achieved its core objectives of facilitating meaningful professional and cultural exchange, while providing clear direction for future programme enhancements to maximize participant value and learning outcomes.
