Dr. Jorge Delgado invited visiting scholars at the Institute for International Studies in Education (IISE) to sit in his class of Social Foundations of Education (ADMPS 1001) this Fall term. The classroom visits are a part of academic and professional engagement activities under the IISE Visiting Scholars Program. The goals are multifold. It is to have the scholars observing and analyzing various elements of the class from course design, activities, to the student’s interactions, whether for their research projects or for professional interests. For students in the class, having international scholars as both audience and discussion counterpart allow them to learn comparative contexts, cultures and policies in education in other countries.
”They are welcome to visit and participate in my classes. This term I taught Social Foundations of Education, which gave them an idea of the US education system. Students also benefit from having international scholars because they learn about education in other countries,” Delgado said. “We study several topics in my class, from sociology, history, politics, and policy of education, to social justice and civil rights from race, socio-economic, ability, gender, LGBTQI, and cultural perspectives. One of the goals of my foundations class us to give students the opportunity to practice teaching and reflect on the experience. Also, their final projects were about their ideal schools. This term they received feedback from the scholars.”
Professor Maureen McClure, the Director of IISE, commented, that having international scholars came and engaged in our classrooms will and can enhance everyone’s learning experience through exposures of different perspectives. “This is one of the key hallmarks of IISE, that is about presenting multiple perspectives, about mapping different ideas, practices and insights. Whether those perspectives or ideas are aligned or extremely different, they must be on the map, be identified and acknowledged.”
From left to right: Weizhong Cai, Xia Wang, Jorge Delgado, Yushan Zhu, Yaqun Chao.
For those who are unfamiliar with natures of American classrooms in higher education level, the visits are a chance to observe and compare educational best practices.Dr. Yushan Zhu, Visiting scholar from the Jiangsu Normal University, found the classroom visits rewarding. “I really appreciate the opportunity to attend several classes this term. I must say I learned much more from Jorge and his students through this course. Jorge’s design of the course and organization of teaching greatly inspired me.” Dr. Yushan is currently serving as a Senior Visiting Scholar at the IISE. His faculty counterpart at the University of Pittsburgh is Professor Jean Ferketish and his current research project is “A Comparative Study on Social Participation in University Governance between China and USA.”
Dr. Xia Wang, from Mudanjiang Normal University, added that, through these visits, she discovers a glimpse of American education as reflected in the classroom, “I learn how the classrooms are arranged, the types of assignments. I found that the interaction between professors and students is informal, very casual but still active and educational. These are daily things in the American education I see from the class.” Dr. Wang is the IISE Visiting Scholar with current research project on “A Comparative Study of General Education between American and Chinese Colleges and Universities from the Perspective of Pathways, Contents and Policies.” Her faculty counterpart at the University of Pittsburgh is Professor Linda DeAngelo.
Both Dr. Yushan and Dr. Wang attended the class during a poster presentation and praised the students. “What impressed me most is the students,” said Dr. Yushan. “They’re so bright, like a sunshine. The participation of class discussion, the action of group teaching, and the illustration of the final project showed that they are smart, diligent, progressive, and creative.”
Dr. Yushan, a very observant educator, is eager to share many best practices to his colleagues and students in China. “Today I took some pictures of these guys, and I will show the pictures to my students and tell them the story about your class.” Classroom moments like this are a micro event in education that eventually will reshape the philosophy and culture of teaching at both sides.
Learn more about
IISE Visiting Scholars Program
Research and make impacts with IISE