Professor Smith to Gain Pedagogical Insights on Teaching Science

Dr. Walter Smith, Helen DeVitt Jones Professor of Professional Education, Texas Tech University, will be attending the 2010 Sino-U.S. Science Education Forum, taking place Nov. 15-18 in Shanghai, China.

Smith will travel with a group of prominent science educators from around the nation for the week-long forum, which is being co-hosted by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the China Association of Children's Science Instructors (CASCI). Educators from both countries will meet to share information on science education trends in the United States and China, and will discuss professional development for science educators, the design and implementation of science curriculum and lessons, educator training, informal science education, and science education resources.

“Learning more about the science education provided in other countries is important to today’s teachers and to the National Science Teachers Association,” says Francis Eberle, Executive Director of the NSTA. “We are living in a ‘global society’ and teachers need to think about themselves, about their students, and about teaching and learning in a global context. These international collaborations can only help to improve the quality of science teaching and learning in our country.”

“With this forum, I hope to learn more about the education system and the students in China and about their effective teaching practices in science, bring that information home, and share it with colleagues,” says Smith. “It is important to know and understand more about different world cultures and to understand how other countries teach scientific issues and concepts.”

The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), www.nsta.org, is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.  NSTA's current membership includes approximately 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.

Reprint of November 4, 2010, Press Release of National Science Teacher Education (NSTE)