Joetsu Exchange
Yamaguchi Makiko, a Joetsu University of Education teacher and a master student, teaches a Weber Elementary School student how to play with kazaguruma, a pinwheel, during a previous visit.
Every 2 years, a group of Japanese students from Joetsu University of Education will spend several days visiting local attractions and offering an exchange of cultures at local elementary Schools in Iowa City, and Hoover Elementary and West Branch Middle Schools in West Branch. The group also takes part in several events on the University of Iowa campus.
This educational experience provides a short immersion into international education, and engages American students in Japanese language and culture through presentations and classroom observations by the teachers-in-training.
A teacher from Joetsu University of Education and a local student have fun learning together.
The students from Japan take the responsibility as serving as cultural ambassadors very seriously. They prepare their lessons on traditional stories, kimono culture, traditional Japanese toys and sumo wrestling for months.
The exchange is part of a global collaboration between the UI and the Japanese teaching university, a relationship that spans 10 years. This connection is one of more than 60 formal partnerships between the UI and international institutions.
Photos!
View all of the pictures from the Joetsu Exchange photo album.
