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Sino-US symposium showcases innovation in STEM education

english.jsjyt.edu.cn| Updated: July 10, 2025 L M S

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US educators visit the Primary School Attached to Nanjing Normal University. [Photo/WeChat account: jsjyws_jeaie]

The 2025 Sino-US Symposium on Science Education and STEM Teaching Research, alongside the "US National Teachers of the Year" China Talk, was held at the Primary School Attached to Nanjing Normal University on July 7.

Before the event, guests visited the school's Dewey Institute, where rare historical documents and exhibitions revisited the century-long history of China-US educational exchanges. They then toured the STEM Innovation Lab to observe demonstrations of the school's self-developed STEM curriculum.

During the symposium, 10 representatives from China and the United States delivered presentations on STEM education practices. Nancy Parra-Quinlan, the 2022 Arizona Teacher of the Year, gave a speech titled From the Zoo to Space: Designing Interdisciplinary Aerospace STEM Curricula in US Schools. She stressed the importance of considering "practice, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts" in curriculum design, while integrating the 5E model — Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate.

Brittany Bonnaffons, the 2023 Louisiana Teacher of the Year, delivered a presentation titled Applications of Exponents and Logarithms in Real Life: A Numerical Modeling Project from Salary Calculations to Mortgage Planning. By simulating real-world home-buying scenarios, she guided students in applying mathematical modeling to financial calculations, prompting them to reflect on career choices and economic planning, and helping them develop sound financial literacy.

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US and Chinese teachers pose for a photo at the event. [Photo/WeChat account: jsjyws_jeaie]

The event underscored the promising future of China-US educational cooperation, with both sides showing remarkable alignment in leveraging technological innovation to empower education.