On Friday, Jan. 23, a group of educators from South Korea visited Bethlehem Central Middle School to observe teaching and assessment practices across a variety of subject areas.
During their visit, the group — five faculty members at Kang-Dong High School in Daegu, South Korea, along with a translator who is a graduate student at UAlbany — spent time in classrooms observing lessons in art, social studies, science and engineering, ELA and Spanish. The observations focused on instructional strategies, student engagement and assessment approaches used to support learning at the secondary level.
The visit was coordinated by Deputy Superintendent Dr. David Hurst, in collaboration with “Classrooms Beyond Borders,” the organization sponsoring the international visit, and the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education.
The Korean educators visited six classrooms at the middle school, and were able to observe hands-on learning that featured students:
- Using computer-aided design (CAD) software to create unique 3D-printed keychains (Engineering Basics 2 with teacher Tim Connelly)
- Learning about air pressure, temperature and convection using a two-liter plastic bottle and a balloon (Science 8 with teacher Todd Tyler)
- Engaged in a “Look Through the Keyhole” a creative drawing project (Studio in Art with Gwen Kovacik)
The group also visited sixth-grade social studies with Khalan Micieli, English 8 with Chris Holoday, and Spanish 8 with Rebecca McIlvain, and got a tour of the BCMS TV studio from Mr. Connelly.
The visit concluded with a meeting that brought together all K-12 academic supervisors for a cross-cultural professional exchange.
Thank you to our BCMS teachers, staff and students for inspiring people across the globe!
