**1. Introduction**

The benefits of cross-cultural learning are two-fold: first is recognizing the practices and foundations that build education in another country. The second is reflecting on and analyzing the educational practices within one's home country. Cross-cultural learning also allows one to put the practice of education into perspective by comparing methods. "When researchers from two countries collaborate on research involving teaching and learning in two countries [such], research not only provides a researcher with an understanding of science education in another country but also sharpens insights into science education in his or her own country" [1]. In addition, using cross-cultural experiences as comparisons for pedagogical research can help in-service teachers evaluate their teaching styles and philosophies. This reflective practice works to strengthen the practice and effectiveness of educators

in the classroom. Viewing education as a social construct that is not bound by geographical limitations provides educators who may have never had the chance to learn about classroom practices in other countries an opportunity to do so.

This research is a narrative, inquiry, case study of the experience and Canadian perspective of two in-service science teachers who visited sister schools in China. The case study explores Canadian teachers' perceptions of teaching science, what inquirybased teaching looks like, what equipment aids in the process, and what experiences and teaching methodologies can be shared between Canadian schools and the Sister Schools in Chongqing, China. When looking at China and Canada, there are foundational, curricular, and cultural differences that affect how teachers convey information and how students are expected to learn. This study highlights connections between Canadian and Chinese teachers and teaching practices to identify similarities and differences within the two countries' educational systems and the best practices that can be adopted from Chinese teaching into a traditional, mainstream Canadian classroom and vice versa.

Reciprocal learning is a process that can improve the practices in two areas or countries by introducing one participant's best practices to the other and vice versa [2]. Reciprocal learning is beneficial to both parties, as each side is able to take strengths from outside programs, in order to make connections to their own. For example, due to the Reciprocal Learning Partnership between the University of Windsor, in Canada, and Southwest University, in China, teachers are provided with opportunities to share experiences and learn from one another. This partnership aims to share knowledge, appreciate cultural and educational differences, and learn from one another. By opening the lines of communication and inviting teachers with varying experiences and perspectives into one another's classrooms, educators in both countries can draw upon each other to improve their practice. Specifically, reciprocal learning in science classrooms is important as it provides educators with opportunities to draw upon the experiences of teachers from varying backgrounds, in educational systems with potentially different values [3].

In the context of this research, reciprocal learning can and has occurred between Canadian and Chinese classrooms concerning instruction, planning, and student learning, leading to the improvement of student engagement, lesson delivery, and learning. As a result of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant, two Canadian science teachers visited Chinese science classrooms to explore and investigate standard Chinese educational practices and compare and analyze findings based on similarities and differences that can be used to strengthen science education in Canada and China. Using cross-cultural experiences as comparisons for pedagogical research can help in-service teachers to evaluate their teaching philosophies.
