On Tuesday, January 29th, the ILKIS team presented to a group of students visiting East Carolina University from Shaanxi Normal University in China. The presentation introduced the 16 students to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, data about children aged 0-5 in Pitt County, and early literacy concepts. Dr. Swaggerty and Dr. Atkinson also discussed the Early Literacy Coalition of Eastern North Carolina and the role of the ILKIS team in researching the impact of Imagination Library in Pitt County. Additionally, the students were shown an assortment of Imagination Library books and Dr. Swaggerty read “Philomena’s New Glasses” aloud. The presentation concluded with a group discussion about early literacy and family reading behaviors in China and the United States.
Following the presentation, Dr. Atkinson and the students joined Greg Needham, Director of Pitt County Libraries, on a tour of Sheppard Memorial Library. On the tour, they were able to learn about the history of the library, visit each section of the library, and explore some of the titles on their own.
Throughout their time in Greenville, the students will tour local schools, visit classrooms at ECU, and learn about a broad range of topics related to the United States education system. The students will be in Greenville until February 16th, hosted by the ECU Office of Global Affairs and the College of Education.
