students spent a night sleeping on the floor of an airport due to delayed flights . Despite these difficulties , everyone remained in good spirits .
U of R study tour students , UCLL students , a teacher educator from Bhutan , and facilitators at the Flemish Ministry of Education and Training in Brussels STUDY TOUR TO BELGIUM
In July , five B . Ed . students , eight M . Ed . students , and one professor boarded international flights and converged in Belgium for a 10-day course exploring the theme of Social Justice and Globalization from an Educational Perspective . Students spent time in Leuven and Brussels for the course . Leuven is a university city in the Flanders Region , a region established mainly along ethnolinguistic lines . In Leuven , the dominant language spoken is Dutch ( Flemish ), and in Brussels , just a 20 minute train ride away , French and Dutch are spoken . Brussels is the capital city of Flanders , Belgium , and Europe . Belgium has three official languages , Dutch , French , and German . Belgium students learn , as part of their core curriculum , four or five languages . All of the UCLL students in the summer institute spoke fluent English as well . Fittingly , in this multilingual context , the U of R course was offered in both of Canada ' s official languages : French and English , and students could use any language of choice for their assignments .
Dr . Heather Phipps , Assistant professor in the Bac program , spent many hours over the past two years organizing the course in partnership with the UC Leuven- Limburg ( UCLL ) University colleagues . She says , " We aimed to connect students internationally in a bilingual course that focused on global citizenship . As a language education professor interested in social justice , the whole experience was both rewarding and transformative , from planning the course to travelling with the students in Belgium ."
For undergrad students , the experience included volunteering for one full day in a summer language camp for young Flemish-speaking children who were learning French and English . ​Dr . Phipps says , " It was a very memorable day as the students worked alongside camp monitors from Italy and Turkey who spoke many languages . The students gained confidence through this experience and also made new international friends !"
As part of the course , the University of Regina students joined with five undergraduate students from UCLL and a teacher educator from Bhutan for a 4-day institute on global citizenship , which explored UNESCO ' s key concepts for a sustainable future , and was facilitated by UCLL ' s Katrien Goosens and Leen Alearts . This diverse community of learners and educators generated international and even intergenerational perspectives on current global issues . Ashley Churko , a teacher working in French and a graduate student , found the diversity of perspectives a highlight of her time in Belgium . She says , " The class was not simply a master ’ s class , but was combined with undergrads as well . I found that the undergrads from both the University of Regina and those we connected with from Leuven gave very interesting insights and perspectives ... I very much appreciated the mixture of people that we had in our group as it always led to fascinating conversations ." Erika Baldo , also a teacher working in French and a graduate student says , " I thoroughly enjoyed this cultural , educational , and bilingual experience . In addition , I appreciated meeting wonderful people and making new friends ."
Leaving one ' s country , one ' s comfort zone , and exploring another country takes courage , requiring one to meet new people , and navigate new cities and multilingual contexts . There were many ' firsts ': for some students this was the first trip overseas and for many of the students , the tour was their first time staying in International Youth Hostels . Discomforts were met with courage by the students . For instance , one of the Canadian student ' s luggage didn ' t arrive with her and she only received it when she got back to Canada . And , two
Walking and talking , and at times jointly solving navigational problems , was a big part of the learning experience . Professor Phipps says , " I learned alongside my students as we explored the goals of the course through experiential learning , local visits , and workshops on topics related to social justice and global education . Being in Europe , we spent a lot of time walking and having conversations along our walks . One evening , a student pointed out to me that we had walked over 15 kilometres that day in Brussels . Walking and taking public transit was aligned with the course focus on sustainability and global citizenship education . Importantly , those long walks enabled deep conversations , often sparking a desire to make changes in society . From my perspective , it was refreshing to take learning outside of the classroom , to a new context , and to see the professional and personal growth occurring during the course . I am also filled with hope about the positive changes that the students and teachers will make in their own classrooms ."
Math teacher and graduate student Mike Stumph , reflecting on his experience and study tours in general , says , " We often hear in Education how concepts and ideas come ' full circle .' As a grad student , the pursuit in making connections between theory , practice , and experience is one of the key features of these programs . This course reminded me of the full circles that are continuously happening within my own teaching experiences . For me , this course was different in so many ways . Firstly , it happened in Belgium . Secondly , it required an urgency to understand , to communicate , to question and to listen that is indicative of study tours that lead to impactful learning . I couldn ’ t help but be reminded of my experiences with Canada World Youth many years ago , traveling and living in South America where my desire to become a teacher began and where the learning was profound . Spending time in Leuven , Belgium , our traveling group and hosts were incredible , adding so much to the experience . We shared ideas on social justice , oppression in education , multicultural viewpoints , immigrant perspectives , and global issues within the classroom ." Erika Baldo , also reflecting on the value of the study tour , says , " As a student , I look for new opportunities to acquire more knowledge with different people in new environments . As a traveller , I seek out new places to explore and new adventures to embark upon . Finally , as a lifelong learner , I try to push my boundaries to challenge myself . I am thankful that this study tour gave me
Page 14