NTNU APATE International Conference Explores Regional Cooperation and Educational Innovation
On November 1st, the College of Education at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) hosted the APATE International Conference with the theme 'Transdisciplinary Research and Practice in Teacher Education.' The two-day event was met with the challenge of Typhoon Kong-rey, but under the emergency response led by APATE President and Dean of the College of Education, Prof. Hsiu-Lan Shelley Tien, the conference was held in a hybrid format with both online and in-person sessions. The total number of participants for the two-day conference was 281 in-person and 276 online, attracting scholars from 12 countries, including Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, U.K., China, and Australia, to discuss regional educational cooperation and future prospects.
NTNU President Cheng-Chih Wu stated that the conference aimed to deepen the exchange and cooperation in Asian education by sharing experiences and insights to promote mutual understanding and collaboration in the education sector. President Wu pointed out that Taiwan's education system has traditionally been influenced by Western models, but in the current global context, it is essential to enhance cooperation with neighboring Asian countries. He also mentioned that NTNU has offered over 900 EMI courses to elevate Taiwan's education standards and internationalization. President Wu expressed his hope that universities in the Asia-Pacific region can join hands to drive educational growth and development while addressing current challenges.
In his address, Executive Vice-President Yao-Ting Sung highlighted the challenges faced by the current education system, including declining birth rates, aging populations, and digitalization. He emphasized that with the trend of declining birth rates, education must be more targeted to address the growth needs of young people and strengthen the focus on elderly education to cope with demographic changes. Faced with the digital wave and rapid development of AI technology, Executive Vice-President Sung called on the education sector to innovate teaching methods, address ethical and privacy issues, and jointly construct appropriate education systems to meet future challenges.
The conference featured three keynote speeches. The first was delivered by Dr. Bruce Macfarlane, Chair Professor of Educational Leadership at the Education University of Hong Kong, who discussed 'The Leadership of University Internationalisation and (Re)defining The ‘International Academic’.' Dr. Macfarlane pointed out that global university internationalization strategies are influenced by the North-South divide and market competition. The current definition of 'international academic' is narrow, often referring only to scholars from the Global North, neglecting the contributions of scholars from other regions. He emphasized that the identity of international academics should be based on academic contributions rather than nationality, which would promote academic diversity and encourage broader academic exchanges. When analyzing the key metrics of university internationalization, Dr. Macfarlane mentioned ranking systems like QS and THE, which have significant impacts on university marketing. He also stressed that true internationalization involves deepening curriculum content with multicultural and non-Western knowledge to avoid a single Western-dominated perspective. This is particularly important for the decolonization process in higher education, requiring schools to reassess their internationalization strategies to adapt to diverse academic environments.
Professors Dr. Wei Loong Hung and Dr. Azilawati Jamaludin from the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, presented an online lecture on 'Bridging the Research-Practice Divide: Leadership from the Middle in the Translation of Science of Learning in Education.' They emphasized the importance of bridging the gap between educational research and practice, noting the complexity of education systems and the need for non-linear approaches in research translation. They introduced 'Leadership from the Middle' (LftM) as a key mechanism, using the Science of Learning in Education Centre (SoLEC) as an example. They discussed the challenges of translating research into practice through a master's program case study and advocated for creating a 'third space' that integrates diverse perspectives, recognizing the contextual features of educational practice in research.
Dr. Sangmin Lee, Professor of Department of Education at Korea University, also delivered an online lecture on 'Deliberate Practice in Action: Enhancing Therapeutic Alliances Through Client Feedback.' Dr. Lee explored deliberate practice in school counselors' development, focusing on using client feedback to refine interventions. His research examined how counselors interpret and implement changes based on feedback, employing principles of deliberate practice and therapeutic alliances. Using phenomenological research methods, the study analyzed counselors' experiences in session evaluations. The results showed that counselors who actively engage with feedback and adjust their approaches significantly improve client outcomes. The study highlighted the importance of deliberate practice and client feedback in counselor education, providing practical insights for training programs and practitioners.
In addition to the keynote speeches, the two-day conference included two Dean’s Forums, two cross-national panel discussions, and nine scholarly individual paper presentations. The Dean's Forums invited scholars from five countries—South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Japan—to exchange and discuss academic research. The cross-national panel discussions involved scholars from Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, and Thailand to discuss the topics 'Transforming Education with Innovative Technologies' and 'Focus on Achieving SDGs through Local Education System.' Furthermore, there were two special interest meetings, with themes 'Respond to CRPD: The Policy and Practice of Special Education Teacher Education' and 'Bridging Educational Practices: A Taiwan-Singapore Exchange on Digital Transformation and AI,' inviting experts from Taiwan, Nepal, and the Philippines, along with Singaporean educators, to discuss policies and practices related to the CRPD and share experiences in digital transformation and AI in education.
Despite the challenges posed by the typhoon, APATE remained committed to providing an in-depth academic exchange platform for participants, promoting thoughtful discussions on current educational challenges and future directions, and creating new opportunities for educational cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.