Camtree-NENU Partnership: Innovation and Inquiry

Mar 7 / Camtree Team
Camtree and North-East Normal University (NENU), Jilin Province, People's Republic of China have been working together in a unique partnership to develop dialogic classroom practice in Chinese Primary Schools.

The Camtree team has been working intensively with NENU colleagues and teachers in primary schools in Changchun and Panshi, Jilin Province, to implement and evaluate the practices set out in the Think-Talk Toolbox (authored by Dr. Ji Ying and Prof. Sara Hennessy and published by Camtree).  Teachers are now publishing accounts of their innovations and inquiries in the Camtree Digital Library.

Camtree and Northeast Normal University

The Campus at Northeast Normal University

The Institute of Teacher Education of Northeast Normal University was established in 2009. It serves as a practical educational institution focused on teacher education and is responsible for the development of this academic field. The institute is tasked with planning and constructing the teacher education discipline on behalf of the university. Its responsibilities include training talent, conducting scientific research, and building teams within the field of teacher education. Additionally, it engages in academic exchanges and social services related to teacher education.

Camtree's partnership with the Institute began in early 2024 and by the end of the year, the first teacher reports from the Primary School Affiliated to NENU and Panshi Experimental Primary School were published in the Camtree Library.

Camtree team members meet with staff from the Primary School Affiliated to NENU

The NENU Digital Library Collection

The collection provides insights not only into existing primary school practice but also evidence of the rapid impact that changes in practice can have.  Teachers describe how encouraging and supporting classroom dialogue leads to increased engagement, improved learning outcomes, and pupils' demonstration of broader competencies such as collaborative learning and critical thinking.