On March 27th, the first international teacher training event of the Global Teacher Development Institute was held in Beijing. Guided by the Ministry of Education and organized by Beijing Normal University, this event involved 114 international students and teachers from over 50 countries around the world. The SHNU Vice President Li Ye, Director of the UNESCO Teacher Education Center Professor Zhang Minxuan, Associate Professor Song Jia, and an international student Albert Kissima were invited to attend the conference.
In the expert report section, Professor Zhang Minxuan, the director of the center, as the only specially-invited expert, delivered a special report titled “School Teachers: New Expectations of the World”. He outlined the global picture and local characteristics of teacher development from the aspects such as teachers’ digital transformation, learning science, social emotional support, and being a knowledge producers. He pointed out that the future is a society full of changes, and lifelong learning is crucial for teachers. The report triggered in-depth thinking among the trainees and trainers on-site.
The Global Teacher Development Institute is jointly established by 21 universities led by the Ministry of Education and is located at Beijing Normal University. Its aim is to break the limitations of scattered and fragmented international exchange activities in the past, integrate international exchange programs and teacher training resources from various universities, and promote the standardized and systematic development of international teacher exchanges. Shanghai Normal University has long been committed to international teacher education cooperation and development, and is one of the first 21 member units of the Global Teacher Development Institute.
