From left to right: Lanning Tian, BioManna International Inc.; NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle; NSTA President Pat Shane; Liu Shu, CACSI president; NSTA Retiring President Page Keeley; Yanku Wang, CAST; and Yanxiang Li, executive director of CACSI, after signing a collaboration agreement between NSTA and CACSI.
“NSTA defines international science education as any activity or learning experience involving science teachers from different cultures or countries communicating with and learning from teachers and other educators to improve the quality of science teaching and learning and to support a worldwide view of the global implications of science and scientific phenomena. Formal collaborations are one way to realize the goals of international science education.”
—NSTA International Science Education Position Statement, May 2009.
Nearly two years of planning and discussions culminated in a recent week-long exchange of ideas between Chinese and U.S. science education leaders. On August 18, NSTA President Pat Shane, Executive Director Francis Eberle, and I visited Beijing to begin a formal leadership exchange with the China Association for Children’s Science Instructors (CACSI), part of the government-led China Association of Science and Technology (CAST).
The invitation to visit China and explore ways to enhance international collaboration began with a meeting between a Chinese delegation and NSTA Presidents John Whitsett, Shane, and me, as well as then-NSTA Executive Director Gerry Wheeler, at the 2008 NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston. After that, a Chinese delegation attended NSTA’s 2009 National Conference in New Orleans. In return, Shane, Eberle, and I spent a week in China getting to know our counterparts and their culture. We exchanged information about the membership and governance of and opportunities provided by both organizations; discussed common issues, challenges, and successful strategies in supporting science education; and explored ways our two organizations could benefit from future collaborations and exchanges.
A joint Sino-American forum was held in Beijing for our NSTA leadership delegation and Chinese science teachers and university faculty. Assisted by a translator, Shane presented an overview of NSTA and professional development, Eberle shared information about science education policy and research in the United States, and I presented a session on formative assessment featuring the NSTA Press best-selling series Uncovering Student Ideas in Science. The Chinese panel presented sessions on outdoor environmental education, promoting understanding of China’s natural areas, and afterschool science programs. Chinese teachers were very interested in the underlying theme of sustainability.
After the forum, NSTA and CACSI formalized a collaboration between the two sister organizations. Each association appointed a liaison to communicate about common interests, provide information about conferences and activities, facilitate academic exchanges, and explore possible joint activities. Afterward, NSTA and CAST met with the Chinese media, who were interested in learning more about U.S. science education and potential joint activities.
On August 21, Eberle and I toured two science centers in eastern China, including an afterschool facility where students work on special projects such as building aeronautical devices and creating robots for the Lego Robotics Competition. While much of Chinese elementary science education has been conducted in afterschool programs and home settings, this is changing as China recognizes the critical importance of science education in all the grades leading up to specialization in high school. They are particularly interested in learning how the United States supports elementary science teaching.
When it comes to science education, we have as much to learn from our Chinese counterparts as they do from us. We hope this trip will serve as a bridge between our two organizations for exploring ways we can advance science education on a global scale. In the next few months, Shane and the NSTA leadership will make recommendations for strengthening our relationship with CACSI and sustaining our efforts to promote and support international science education.