Teachers Model Best Practices for Beijing Educators

Parker’s Science Department recently hosted a cohort of math and science teachers from Beijing’s Teacher’s Training School through a program operated by the heads of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Math and Science Education Department, Drs. Norm and Judith Lederman.

As part of this program, the Ledermans work in collaboration with visiting teachers to incorporate Inquiry and the nature of science into the national education models in China. In working with the Beijing Teacher’s Training School, the Ledermans have helped to shape education in China from the other side of the world. They recognize that science programming at Parker represents an example of what these practices look like in the classroom and frequently bring visiting educators to our school to see learning in action.

During their visit, guest educators had the chance to observe several of our science teachers in action. While observing the 10th grade chemistry course, they watched Mr. Zaremba use manipulatives and kinesthetic learning to illustrate the process of balancing chemical equations for his students. In Ms. Druger’s biology class, they listened as students engaged in discussion about the evidence for evolution and manipulate interactive technology focusing on the history of the Earth. Later in their tour, they got a chance to witness Ms. Zerega leading her 6th grade students through a hands-on learning experience; the students were witnessing the creation and impact of convection currents using Bunsen burners and colored wax. Finally, over in the math wing, the cohort had a chance to observe Mr. Wilson using light to demonstrate the form of parabolas, mimicking historic experiments with conics. In addition to seeing the many ways in which we creatively instill our lessons to our students, the cohort toured the new Kovler Family Library and our Lower School laboratory space.

The school is proud of its global reputation as a curricular leader, and we welcome experiences to share the work we do with educators near and far!