Patricia Joan Sikes, famous professor of University of Sheffield, is a senior expert on education and social
studies. Her research on the life history and educational activities of teachers in educational environment has
offered a helpful reference for British government in the process of making educational policies. Professor Sikes
came to Hangzhou to attend an international exchange activity about lifestyle and democratic participation
at the invitation of “2009 Life & Development International Forum” which was operated jointly by Hangzhou
Municipal Government and Zhejiang University. Being invited by Professor Zhou Xing, Zhao Hongqin and Huang
Jianbin from Institute of Foreign Language Teaching, SIS, Professor Sikes paid a five-day academic visit to our
school.
First, Patricia Joan Sikes gave an academic lecture intitled “Life History Resesarch and Social Justice” on 11, Nov.
She reviewed the development of life history as a research approach in the field of humanity social sciences
and how she has been studying the interrelations in educational environment between educators selves and their
socio-cultural background and working conditions. She believes that in a certain socio-cultural background, life
history research of individual can explore how the socio-cultural background impacts personal career and
behavior and discover how individuals influence and motivate the sustainable and fair development of society as
innovation power. During the intercourse, Socialist Feng Bing, Linguist Wang Xiaolu, young scholar Sui
Hongsheng and PhD Candidate Yu Hua had conversations with Professor Sikes. In the afternoon, Professor Sikes
had a friendly talk with Professor He Lianzhen.
Professor Sikes attended the program co-organized by SIS and the Bureau of Education of Zhenhai from 11th to
13th, November. She gave a report named “Life History Research of Teachers and Their Vocational Development”
in Ying Xingjiu Foreign Language School for the teachers form the school and Zhenhai District. This activity
provided another chance of conversational interaction for native teacher in an international environment.
(Translated by Li Jiaona)
