The internationally distinguished scholar Sato Manabu was invited to deliver lectures at Beijing Normal University by the Center for Teacher Education Research from September 11th through 13th.
Sato Manabu is the former president of the Japanese Education Association, a foreign academician of Institute of Education Science in USA. Now he is Emeritus Professor of the University of Tokyo, professor of Gakushuin University, visiting professors at both Harford University and New York University. His books Pleasure of Learning: Toward Dialogic Practice, A Quiet Revolution and Curriculum and Teachers are well-known among teachers in China.
Since Sep. 11th, Professor Sato has been employed as a member of Academic Committee of the Center for Teacher Education Research. The ceremony of appointment was hosted by Dr. Song Huan. Then, Professor Sato delivered his first lecture, “Schools throughout the Changing World: Curriculum Reform in the 21st Century”, presided over by Professor Zhu Xudong, the Dean of Center for Teacher Education Research. Professor Sato argued in the lecture that educational innovation should respond to the demands and challenges of society in the 21st century. Based on the evidences from classroom observations in many countries of North America, Europe and Asia, he vividly displayed “the quiet revolutions” in schools around the world. Then he explained the philosophical foundation, principles and strategies of “learning community”, as well as the basic strategies of school reform.
The next morning, Professor Sato gave his second lecture under the title of “Theory and Practice of Collaborative Learning: Toward Learning Community”, presided over by Dr. Song Huan. The lecture suggested that Collaborative Learning is the core of curriculum reform. He redefined “learning” as learning is “encounter” and “dialogue,” learning is the “rebuilding of meaning and relationships,” and explained the theory foundation of collaborative learning in depth: zone of proximal development theory, internalization based on imitation, scaffolding theory. Finally, he introduced the collaborative learning strategies of learning community from a practical perspective. Following the lecture, an open seminar was presided over by Professor Hu Yan as the in-depth discussion on the previous lecture and academic growth experiences.
On September 13th, the third lecture from Professor Sato, “The Professionalization of Teaching and School-based Teacher Development Reform: Collaboration based on Action Research”, was hosted by Professor Zhu Xiaoman. Professor Sato justified that teachers should transform from “experts in teaching” into “experts in learning” in the 21st century. He pointed out that more than 4,000 schools in Japan are under the reform of learning community, and he showed us the unique teaching and training methods of a key experimental school in Japan. In addition, he explained the conditions of modern experts, and Schön’s views on experts who known as “reflective practitioners”. He also introduced approaches of teachers professional development, and their knowledge foundation of them.
The three lectures and a seminar from Professor Sato are inspiring and successful, which were popularly attended by the teachers and students of BNU and other universities. The event was covered by media, such as China Education Daily, Chinese Teacher, and Educational Science Publishing House, etc.
Center for Teacher Education Research
October 24, 2013