It’s not just the lessons taught in the classroom that Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Mr Dave McGowen will remember from his recent exchange to Australia but those handed out on the football field. Mr McGowan was one of five students from CSU in Ontario who travelled to Australia to complete their final practicum for CSU’s Bachelor of Primary Education Studies. Mr McGowan spent three weeks at the Buninyong Public School in the regional NSW city of Dubbo. He said the experience has given him more examples of how to deal with different classroom situations. “The curriculum seemed pretty similar although I found the students were given more time to do the work and practise or think about things.” Mr McGowan also immersed himself in the local culture, playing a game of Australian Rules football. “The game was a lot of fun and much tougher than I had anticipated, as it was a full contact match against a good opponent,” he said. “Nonetheless I lived through it and have the battle scars to show for it. It was a truly authentic Aussie experience.”