Student Highlights
Combining teaching and culture

Starting his university journey in 2016, Liam found himself following friends rather than his interests. After taking a different career path, Liam enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Secondary), realising he wanted to pursue his interest in helping others learn.

“I really reflected inwardly to figure out what I liked, and what I wanted to study. I concluded that with my interest in helping others learn, as well as Japanese society, I started a Bachelor of Secondary Education, with a major in Japanese, and English additional,” he said.

Reflecting on what inspired him to study, Liam was drawn to teaching and the potential it provided in encouraging future students to enrich them, learn, and grow.

“I am drawn to the various processes and psychology behind how we learn new information, the various pedagogies we can use to further enrich the teaching environment and experience of students,” he said.

During his studies, Liam was successful in gaining a place in the New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship, regarded as the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in Australia.

“Being accepted and becoming a scholar for the New Colombo Plan has given me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally realise my goals and enable me to study a new culture and understand a new educational paradigm,” he said.

Excited for this opportunity, Liam is looking forward to experiencing the differences in culture and learning compared to Australian schooling.

“What an amazing opportunity it would be to study overseas, and see how different cultures and societies employ pedagogy to teach their students? The similarities, and the differences are fascinating to me,” he said.

Using the application process to fully understand what he wants from his career, Liam found the process to be a wonderful experience to find motivation.

“The application process for the NCP was quite an inspiring experience, it required me to reflect on my own aspirations, goals and exactly why I wanted to become a teacher in the first place,” he said.

Liam has begun collaboratively working with academics to create useful teaching experiences to understand and improve teaching pedagogy.

“I am working on a project to film a virtual school experience overseas in the context of a Japanese classroom,” Liam said.

Liam’s advice to students considering applying for the NCP scholarship is to “have a clear goal in mind, and a great reason as to why the scholarship can help you to attain those goals. You should try your best to reach out and take your best shot!” he said.

Find out more about the New Colombo Plan Scholarship here

Liam Bowman

Liam Bowman realised a passion for education and the language and culture of Japan. After receiving the New Colombo Plan Scholarship, Liam has been able to incorporate both his passion for education with his interest of Japan.