Advocacy for innovation education in China through Intel Schools of Distinction project

Advocacy for innovation education in China through Intel Schools of

Distinction project

Enshan LIUBeijing Normal University

May, 2011

Agenda• The Program Background

• SODA program in China

– Goals of SODA in China

– Criteria for SODA School in China

– Judge Procedure

– Training & Exchange

• Next steps

Background 1 School Education Reform launched in 2001

• Nationwide science education reform focus on developing students’ scientific literacy.– To develop students' curiosity, interest and desire for

science & engineering;

– Refresh course content on science subjects

– Develop & implement new teaching materials curriculum focus on inquiry activities.

– PBLs (problem-based learning & project-based learning) as a part of curriculum in many schools.

Background 2 CASTIC & Intel ISEF

• CASTIC (China Adolescents Science & Technology

Innovation Contest) is the highest level national science fair for students, which had been held from 1982 to 2010.– About 10 millions students take part into CASTIC related

science fair every year.

– CASTIC became affiliation of Intel IESF from 2001.

– CASTIC Recognition just focused on students & teachers, not involving schools before 2010.

Innovation Country

Capable Human Resource

5

Innovation Education in China

179 million students

in elementary, junior & senior middle school

Education

10 million teachersin elementary, junior & senior middle school

350 thousandschoolsfor elementary, junior & senior students

Intel Schools of Distinction (SODA) Background

• US based program. • Recognizes schools for implementing innovative math and

science programs in K-12 school:

• USD 1 million in grants and awards to winning schools • 6 winning schools selected out of 18 finalists

• Gala event in Washington, D.C. in October to recognizes top winning schools and honors the top winning school, the “Star Innovator”

Goals of SODA in China

• Drive the development of nationwide innovation of science education focuses on school practice.

• Recognition and encourage school science and technology education practice in PBLs.

• Offer more opportunity for:– exchange ideas and experience on science teaching

between SODA and other schools;– science teachers for professional development for SODA

schools. – Other school principals & administrators to concern

different way of improving science education;

Criteria for SODA School in China• All of criteria focus on:

– Students’ performance on PBLs

– The quality and variety of science and technology courses valuable to students

– Inquiry and PBL Teaching strategy

– Professional development for science teachers

– Leadership

– Infrastructure & investments for STEM.

Criteria for SODA School in China

Students

Teachers Principals

Curricula

Activities

Teaching

strategy

Professional development

Infrastructure

Investments

Performance

LeadershipImplementation

Judge Procedure

Application material judge

School visit

Final judge

144 schools from different provinces

candidates list involving

33 schools in order

Top ten

Province judge

Visit the 1th to 10th school of the list, & also other

candidates if necessary

Rubric for application materials

Visit checklistInterview outline

All criteria

step1

step2

step3

Step 1 ： Application materials judge

• According to the rubric, science educators judge the application materials from the candidate schools.

• Priority give to:– Students’ & teachers’ performances in PBLs and science

fairs;

– STEM curriculum & teaching materials developed by school.

Step 1 ： Application materials judge

• We consider following:

– Awards earned by students and teachers;

– Curricula and activities implemented in the school;

– Curricula and activities beyond classroom are the most indispensable.

Step 2 ： School Visit• To see what is reality happened in the classroom,

• Receive qualitative data about the school innovation education and its impacts on students, the learning outcomes.

• During this step, experts give more priority to:

– For each curriculum and lesson plans, how does the process of development, implementation, reflection, and revise keep going on?

– Students’ reflection on science courses and their projects,

– Is there a meaningful experience available for other schools.

Step 2 ： School Visit• Data collection mainly from:

Curricula documents

Students’ interview

Teachers’ interview

Principle’ interview

Policy/regulations documents

Step 3 ： Final judge & Recognition

• Organize all the material & data collected

• Choose two stars school in top ten

• Summary characteristics & replicable

well mechanism of each winning school

& afford feedback to these schools.

Improvement and InspirationImprovement and Inspiration

Training &

Development

Exchange Program

Case Study

국가 지식정보 자원관리의 비전과 목표Beyond the Recognition

Training• Inquiry workshop for teachers from elementary

and secondary schools• Focus on : teaching science through inquiry and

PBLs approaches

Exchange

• Communicate with U.S. SODA winning school

• Focus on : instruction mode for excellent students in innovation

education.

Case Study• Share successful experiences among domestic

winning schools• Focus on : how to guide students doing

science and engineering projects.

CAST Study: Yuxin Elementary School

School Background

• A Rural school with 110 years history. 1883 students and 98 teachers;

• Innovate in technology · Dream the future• Conduct Science Education in 3 ways:

– Effective classroom teaching – Fruitful afterschool science and technology

related activities;– Fostering scientific research talents

Effective Classroom Teaching • Integrate the education of

STEM with the Curriculum Reform;

• integrate the four areas of work skills, social investigation and social practice, and research-oriented learning in integrated practical activity;

• Integrate the science concept into other courses

After school Activity

• “afterschool activities”: scientific inventions and papers that must be achieved through investigation, visit, research, experiment and creation out of class.

• Integrated practical afterschool activities are the main source of innovation with the knowledge learnt from classroom

Fostering scientific Research Talents

• Focus on the development for both teachers and students;

• Solve the problem in real life through the scientific thinking;

CASE: HIGH SCHOOL ATTACHED TO RENMIN UNIVERSITY

School Background• The tier 1 school in China;• 4750 students, 400 teachers;• Science education philosophy: Cultivating the student’s

innovation consciousness and skills has to be prescient and of high quality from the start. Equip today’s students with tomorrow’s technologies and give them access to the leading-edge technologies during the years when they have the strongest desire for knowledge and enthusiasm for innovation.

STEM is

• An important means to foster innovation awareness and special skills

• An important part of curriculum reform and teaching quality improvement efforts

• An important way to drive the growth of the school and its faculty

The STEM curriculum

• Curriculums are used as the vehicle of science education ,offers nearly 90 national optional courses and over 210 school optional courses, 80 of which are science or technology-related.

• Unique curriculums: invention and creation, popular science, scientific research, intelligent robots, astronomical observation and practice.

• Leverage resource from the community, parents and alumni;

Through the STEM:

• Self-motivated and exploring learning • Rationale and procedures• Communication skills

Looking forwards

• Enhance the program awareness to more schools;

• Influence other schools through the case studies and sharing from winning schools;

• More exchanges with US SODA winning schools and other schools;

Questions & Answer.

Contact information

• Enshan LIU: liues@bnu.edu.cn• Yubin ZE, Principal of Yuxin Elementary

School: sy3xzyb@sohu.com;• Hailing WANG, Deputy Principal of High

School Attached to Renmin University: wanghl@rdfz.cn

Thank you!