Five Experts from UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning Visit Tinglin Town in Jinshan District and Shanghai Municipal Institute for Lifelong Education

On June 15, Ms. Rakhat Zholdoshalieva, head of the Quality Learning Ecosystems team at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and coordinator of the Global Alliance for Literacy (GAL), along with Ms. Annapurna Ayyappan, assistant projectspecialist at UIL, Mr. Douglas Andrews, chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Teacher Education for Diversity and Development, Mr. Timothy Ireland, chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Youth and Adult Education, and Ms. Ximena Rubio Vargas, projectofficer at the Secretariat of the UNESCO Teacher Task Force (TTF) and the Section for Teacher Development, visited Tinglin Town in Jinshan District and the Shanghai Municipal Institute for Lifelong Education (SMILE) of East China Normal University. They were accompanied through the whole tour by Professor Li Jiacheng, executive vice president of SMILE, Ms. Zou Wen, director of the Administrative Office, Professor Zhang Yong, deputy director of the Institute of Vocational and Adult Education of ECNU, PhD candidate Zhang Lingli, and Ms. Kuang Ying, a teacher from the Community College of Jing’an District.

In the morning, under the guidance of Mr. Hu Weidong, director of the Moral Education Development Center at the Jinshan Education Bureau, Ms. Wang Yajuan, director of the Social Development Office of Tinglin Town, Ms. Zhang Beilei, party branch secretary and principal of Tinglin Primary School, and Mr. Yuan Shijun, principal of the Community School at the High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, the UIL expert team and the research team of SMILE visited Tinglin Primary School, the Hongyang Village History Museum, the Hundred Herbs Garden, and the cultivation base of Dendrobium and Ganoderma lucidum in Tinglin Town. They participated in intergenerational and family learning activities with strong local cultural characteristics, such as silk flower making, paper cutting, and mugwort incense making. They held further discussions and exchanges on topics such as intergenerational learning, lifelong learning, and family-school-community collaborative education.

Through the visit and exchanges, the UIL expert team gained a more comprehensive understanding and deeper appreciation of the intergenerational learning and family-school-community collaborative education projects led by Professor Li Jiacheng and his team of SMILE.

Ms. Rakhat Zholdoshalieva said, "This was a truly unforgettable experience. Not only did we see primary and secondary school students and community elderly as lifelong learners, but also felt their sense of mission as cultural inheritors. Moreover, this experience gave us a clearer picture of how such vibrant practices are organized, operated, and secured." Ms. Annapurna Ayyappan noted, "The practical experience of family and intergenerational learning gained in community learning centers in Shanghai is exemplary and very inspiring. I will bring the valuable experience back to my country, India, for hands-on application."

Mr. Douglas Andrews said, "We observed many unique highlights in these practices: first, not only teachers but also students, their parents and family members are the main body of lifelong education and learning; second, it’s not just peer interaction and learning but also vivid and diverse intergenerational learning. All these left a deep impression on me and were highly inspiring."

Mr. Timothy Ireland showed great interest in the practice of using community resources as a carrier to develop relevant learning projects and stimulate dynamic intergenerational learning. Ms. Ximena Rubio Vargas conveyed her research expectations for the core focus of family-school-community collaborative education，which wasembedded and demonstrated in the project itself, and extended sincere gratitude to all researchers, practitioners, and participants involved.

In the afternoon, UIL experts Ms. Rakhat Zholdoshalieva and Ms. Annapurna Ayyappan visited the Putuo Campus of ECNU and SMILE, where they engaged in discussions and exchanges with Professor Li Jiacheng and others. Also present at the seminar were Ms. Zou Wen, director of the Administrative Office of SMILE, Professor Zhang Yong, deputy director of the Institute of Vocational and Adult Education of ECNU, PhD candidates Zhang Lingli, Liu Dengke, and Li Shuhan, and Ms. Kuang Ying from the Community College of Jing’an District.

During the seminar, both teams exchanged updates on current research progress and future plans and discussed the ongoing in-depth collaboration in fields of common concern such as family learning, intergenerational learning, and climate change education. Ms. Rakhat Zholdoshalieva, head of the Quality Learning Ecosystems team at UIL and coordinator of GAL, expressed high appreciation of the consistent devotions, proactive contributions, and practical guidancein relevant research fields to the research team of SMILE. She looked forward to establishing a closer partnership with the research team, leveraging the professional strength of SMILE and the Institute of Vocational and Adult Education to serve the governance of global lifelong education.

Professor Li Jiacheng and his team of SMILE also expressed gratitude to the Quality Learning Ecosystems team at UIL and the GAL expert teamfor theirlong-standing and robust support.. They pledged to continue building on their existing research foundation, professional strength, and collaborative networks to jointly advance researches in family learning, intergenerational learning, and climate change education, striving for sustainable and high-quality development at both global and local levels.

Contributed by: Zhang Lingli

Reviewed by: Li Jiacheng