Hi, I am Zhou Jie from School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University. In 2024 summer, I was very lucky to attend the Asian Education Leader (AEL) Summer course at Tohoku University in Japan. During this period, I had a rich and colorful learning experience, which not only enabled me to acquire valuable knowledge in my professional field, but also enabled me to have a deeper understanding and experience of Japanese culture.

The summer program features a number of challenging and inspiring topics, each course is taught by renowned professors in different fields, who not only bring the latest research from academia, but also deepen our understanding of each topic through practical cases and interactive discussions.

In addition to the curriculum, the course also arranges cultural experiences such as traditional costume experiences and natural scenery Tours of Songdo. These activities let me have a more intuitive feeling of Japan's traditional culture and natural landscape, and also enhance our friendship with students from other countries.​ We came from different backgrounds, but our passion for education and thirst for knowledge quickly bonded us. Through group discussions, project cooperation and daily communication, I not only improved my cross-cultural communication skills, but also learned how to work as a team in a multicultural environment.

This overseas study experience has made me gain a lot in terms of professional knowledge, cultural understanding and personal growth. First, I have gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities of education in the context of globalization, which provides new ideas for my future research direction. Secondly, by communicating with students from different cultural backgrounds, I learned to look at problems from multiple perspectives and developed an open and inclusive mind.