China visit an eye opener

Te Tari Awhina lecturer Marcus Henning's professional development trip to China provided opportunities for spiritual, cultural and academic learning

A three-week professional development trip to China has given Te Tari Awhina lecturer Marcus Henning a new appreciation of the country, its people and its customs.

A psychologist and senior lecturer in the learning development centre, Marcus (below) says his visit to present a paper at a Beijing conference and give three lectures at a Shanghai university was “an eye opener”.

“[Being there] you not only get the pictures, but you get the idea of the smells of the country, the sounds of the country and the things you can’t get from a book or documentary – all that non-verbal information.”

Touring Shanghai, a city of 17 million people, Marcus was struck by the poverty.

“I was shocked by the extreme poverty of the city, like the beggars without limbs. It was a learning experience for me, a reminder that some people have an extremely harsh existence.”

Marcus lectured at the East China University of Science and Technology, which has an affiliation with AUT and Te Tari Awhina.

In Beijing he presented a paper at a diversity issues conference on a transition programme for disabled students at AUT.

As a psychologist, Marcus uses intervention strategies to help students with learning disabilities. He has also taught Tai Chi as a stress management technique for students at AUT for six years and on his trip learned more about the discipline.