School of Ed delegation participates in international forum on teacher education in Shanghai

School of Ed delegation participates in international forum on teacher education in ShanghaiNovember 07, 2006Patrick Farrellpmfarrel@syr.edu

A delegation of School of Education faculty members, lead by Dean Douglas Biklen, took part in the Second Annual International Forum on Teacher Education, held Oct. 25-27 at East-China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai.

The SU team joined about 20 other teams representing institutions from around the world in presenting a series of roundtable and panel discussions that focused on teacher education and preparation. In addition to Dean Biklen, the School of Education team included Jing Lei, assistant professor of instructional design, development and evaluation; Sari Knopp Biklen, Laura and Douglas Meredith Professor of Cultural Foundations of Education; and Louise C. Wilkinson, Distinguished Professor of Education, Psychology and Communication Sciences.

SU’s presentation, “The Syracuse University Inclusive Education Model: Lessons for Practice, Research and Policy,” covered four distinct themes, all of which reflect cornerstone elements of the School of Education’s approach to “Education for All” and are reflected in its teacher preparation programs.

“A Disability Studies Approach to Education for All,” presented by Dean Biklen, examined Syracuse University’s experiences with the inclusive framework, focusing on several core findings, such as how an inclusive model suggests the importance of examining and refashioning broader social contexts of education.

In “Teachers and Technology and Professional Development,” Lei examined how the increasing presence of information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools has been accompanied by a growing demand for teachers who are capable of using these supposedly powerful tools in order to realize their educational potentials.

In “What Does It Really Mean to Be Practical? Sociology of Education in Teacher Preparation,” Knopp Biklen addressed a concern common among preservice students that educational foundations courses are not as practical as methods-focused courses. Knopp Biklen demonstrated how the sociological imagination is in fact very practical for teacher education and makes significant contributions to addressing social inequalities.

Wilkinson’s presentation, “Integrated Literacy Learning for Inclusive Education,” explored what it means to achieve proficiency with the multiple dimensions of literacy, particularly for those students who have been identified as language learning disabled.

While in Shanghai, Dean Biklen met with Yu Li-zhong, president of ECNU, to discuss future collaborative projects between the School of Education and the Shanghai institution. Yu also appointed Wilkinson as a visiting professor at ECNU. Wilkinson is one of only four professors so honored and will lecture at ECNU during the Spring 2007 semester. ECNU, one of China’s top three teacher training universities, is known for its international initiatives and its programs in school leadership and special education.

This summer, the School of Education is sponsoring a special program called Chinese Lessons for American Schools (EDU 500/, PAF/400/600), with classes in Beijing and Shanghai. The course, under the direction of Lei and Wilkinson, will compare how the education systems of China and the United States prepare the next generation of workers to be competitive in a global economy.