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Representation of Teach Unlimited Foundation at the Asian Conference on Education in Tokyo
By Addi Chung, TUF alumnus
It was my great honour to participate in the Asian Conference on Education 2018 on behalf of Teach Unlimited Foundation (TUF) in Tokyo from 13 to 15 October. The conference was organized by the International Academic Forum (IAFOR), a research organization, conference organizer and publisher dedicated to encouraging interdisciplinary discussion, facilitating intercultural awareness and promoting international exchange, principally through educational interaction and academic research.
The theme of the annual conference is ‘Surviving and Thriving: Education in Times of Change’. Since its inception, TUF has been advocating education change through dynamic personalized mentoring. At this conference, the dynamic learning experience of our signature “English mentoring program” was highlighted. The strategic establishment of rapport between mentors and mentees leading to the enhancement of learning motivation and self-esteem of the unmotivated students unexpectedly rang a bell among the audience. Incidentally, the key message responded to the keynote presentation delivered by Dr. Zachary Walker, Associate Professor of the University College London Institute of Education, who reminded educators once again in his speechthe importance of relationships in making changes.
The most memorable part of the conference for me was an interaction with a college professor from Canada. She has been teaching Chinese students who lack of English proficiency and learning motivation for some time. In the hope of helping these students adapt to the English-rich school environment, the college launched a mentoring program to provide additional language support but the impact has not been satisfactory. After sharing our mentoring experience, I was glad that she was inspired to focus on not only the relationships between mentors and mentees, but also the bonding between mentees. This encounter reveals the power of being generous and sincere in sharing experience as it could spark new ideas.
To sum up, the presentation in this international conference not only help to spread the spirit of TUF but also is a fruitful learning experience conducive to my professional development. I appreciate very much the support and encouragement of the TUF Board throughout my participation in the academic conference.