Embarking on a West-East Reciprocal Learning Journey

This book absolutely captivated my attention from beginning to end. It started with the traditional blending of soil from China with soil from Canada, and the creation of new fruit not solely attributable to either. In this volume, Chenkai Chi shares his research participants’ and his rich experiences of the Canada-China Reciprocal Learning Project through the lens of Mathematics generalist and specialist teaching in the two countries. What an incredible reciprocal learning achievement this volume is! — Cheryl J. Craig , Ph.D. Professor, Texas A&M University, USA. Chenkai Chi’s inspiring book  Embarking on a West-East Reciprocal Learning Journey: A Narrative Inquiry into Generalist and Specialist Teaching Models provides valuable, multi-dimensional and scholarly contributions to cross-cultural teacher education, curriculum and pedagogy through perspectives of narrative inquiry, West-East reciprocal learning and teachers’ personal and professional growth. — John Chi-Kin Lee , PhD, Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, President of the Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Drawing on narrative inquiry and years of fieldwork, this book compares the Canadian generalist and Chinese specialist teaching models, highlighting their strengths and opportunities for reciprocal learning. Through the Canada–China Sister School Network, it shows how cross-cultural collaboration enhances teachers’ knowledge and professional growth. Rather than relying on standardized comparisons, the study uncovers the cultural and historical narratives shaping these two models, offering fresh insights for teachers, researchers, and policymakers. By bridging Western and Eastern educational traditions, this book reimagines international collaboration in teacher education. Chenkai Chi holds a PhD in Education from the University of Windsor, Canada, where he is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow and Sessional Instructor. His doctoral research has been supported by the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and the Mitacs Globalink Fellowship. His research interests include teacher professional development, English language teaching and learning, sustainability and environmental education, and West–East reciprocal learning.