The Master of Education (Teaching and Learning) program, created by the University of Buckingham, has invited a team of top experts to be responsible for the development, delivery and evaluation of elective course modules. Among them are professors from Cambridge, Durham, Tübingen, representatives of professional educational institutions, and even top education experts who advise the British government. Depending on past qualifications, it takes one and a half to three years to complete the degree.

Recently, we interviewed a student studying the program, Teacher Yu Shunji (Fisher). Fisher is currently teaching biology in a bilingual school. This is his fifth year of teaching, and his second as a student in the MA Education (Teaching & Learning) program. Find out more about Fisher’s story in his recent interview with BISE.  
 

"I think teachers are life-long learners. In addition to the usual teaching and research in school, I also want to understand the concepts, methods and practice of European and American countries in a more systematic manner, to improve myself further as a teacher. There are six modules in this programme. All strongly relate to classroom practice and pedagogy. Its study has benefited my teaching greatly so far.”

BISE: Please introduce yourself, your career so far and why you chose this course.
Fisher: My maths teacher in grade 7 had a big influence on me. It was his guidance and encouragement that made me, who failed often at the subject, become one of the top five students in all of grade 7. I deeply feel that the interaction between teachers and students has a great influence on students’ learning. Therefore, I wished to become a teacher one day, to be a role model who can also inspire others. I majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for my Master's degree in Fudan (University). After some brief work experience in a government agency, I felt that my desire to be a teacher was getting stronger. When Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science (previously Wuxi Nanwai King International School) started to recruit back in 2018, I became a biology teacher there. Earlier this year, I returned to Shanghai and I am currently working in a bilingual school as a high school biology teacher.

BISE: Why did you choose the Master of Education (Teaching and Learning) out of the 13 programmes we’re offering? Fisher: For young teachers like me, each and every lesson requires careful planning. The design of a lesson reflects your thoughts on teaching. To get the key points and challenging parts across in a way that students can understand, while at the same time, making the lesson lively and interesting, this is no easy task. It requires thinking and additional learning. I wanted to understand the concepts, methods and practice of European and American nations in a more systematic manner. There are six modules in this programme. All strongly relate to classroom practice and pedagogy. Its study has benefited my teaching greatly so far.

I considered the Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) as well. But in my opinion, the MA program is not only just as closely integrated in practical terms as the PGCE is, but also richer in course content and theories. This programme suits my needs better.

"The modules require students to form study groups and communicate regularly. I have a team of three. One teaches in an international high school in Beijing, and the other is a PE teacher in London. We e-meet once every two weeks. I find it very inspiring. Teachers from different disciplines bring fresh perspectives.”

BISE: Something special about this programme is the involvement of outside top-tier experts in the development and delivery of elective course modules. Which modules have you selected so far?
Fisher: I have completed two modules, and I am currently studying the third one. I chose the module The Science of learning. The module explores how to make learning more effective. Not only effective, but efficient. For example, I teach 9th and 10th grade biology. Students study for two years, and then take a global exam. I have learned a lot of theory and practice in this module on how to help students remember what they’ve learnt and improve the effectiveness of their learning.

I also selected the module Classroom Behavior Management. This topic is huge, and the module leader tries to explore the issue through multiple perspectives, social psychology, children's psychological development and pedagogy. We try our best to manage classroom behavior while ensuring that students can express themselves. In this module, I learned a variety of methodologies and a lot of theories. Although it only took 3 months to complete this module, I did a lot of assigned reading during the process. This has helped me develop a broader perspective on this issue.

The module I'm currently doing is Effective Assessment. I received traditional public education in China. During my primary and secondary education, teachers simply gave grades to assess a student’ s performance. Maybe teachers of liberal arts will give some written comments, but others often give a score and that’s it! In the past, I thought mistakes were just mistakes, but now I want to analyze the reasons behind them. There are only two reasons for giving the wrong answers in my perspective, either you don’t understand the knowledge behind it, or you didn’t understand what the question means. Mistakes should be dealt with differently to really help students improve their learning.

The modules require students to form study groups and communicate regularly. I have a team of three. One teaches in an international high school in Beijing, and the other is a PE teacher in London. We e-meet once in every two weeks. I find it very inspiring. Teachers from different disciplines bring fresh perspectives.

"Most teachers teach following the arrangements of textbooks, but this programme enables me to jump out of the box of daily teaching and examine from a broader perspective whether there is a better way to improve the effectiveness of my teaching."

BISE: Which course module do you like the best? Why?
Fisher: All modules have greatly benefitted my teaching. But personally, I prefer modules that are more evidence-based and more closely integrated with practice, such as the Science of learning module. The module is highly-structured, and each class will assign you a task, tell you what to do and give you chances to reflect upon your own practice. I'm a bit socially phobic, but the module requires me to step out of my comfort zone and communicate with colleagues and leaders in order to make change happen.

When we learnt Content Sequencing, I found that when students studied Digestion, the order of content in the textbook should be changed to make learning easier.  I talked to my colleagues about the necessity of changing the order and the best way to do it. I also won the approval of the subject leader of the school. In the end, this change in the order of textbook content was applied to classrooms throughout the whole school. I’m thrilled to see that students' understanding of ‘Digestion’ was improved, compared to that of the previous cohort!

You see, most teachers teach following the arrangements of textbooks, but this programme enables me to jump out of the box of daily teaching and examine from a broader perspective, searching for a better way to improve the effectiveness of my teaching.

"If a member of the Senior Leadership Team studies this programme, it will not only improve one teacher’s classroom practice, but better the teaching quality of the whole school."

BISE: The programme is for on-the-job teachers, which means balance of work, study and even family must be achieved. How do you feel about this so far?
Fisher: Modules are different. For example, I started to study the Classroom Behavior Management module in April this year. In May, the IGCSE exam began. As the end of term approached and other school obligations started, I became very busy, so I took May and June off. All coursework was done later in July, during my summer vacation. This reflects the flexibility of the programme. For some modules, you can be quite self-paced, and for others, team members will drag me along with them when I’m preoccupied with work. From my perspective, the university's support team is also very efficient. Be it a technical problem or confusion about studies, there is a dedicated person to get in contact with. My emails are replied within 24+7 (China-UK time difference) hours.

BISE: Further plans after graduation?
Fisher: I chose this programme to become a better teacher. It exceeds my expectation in my so many ways. Sometimes, what I have learnt from it can be shared with students directly as we’re all learners, and even shared with parents. As for the future, I certainly have a plan to pursue an EdD in 5-10 years’ time.

BISE: What tips would you give to teachers who are also exploring training opportunities? Who else do you think should take the programme?
Fisher: I believe this program is suitable for teachers who have a couple of years of work experience, leaders of teaching affairs and even members of the Senior Leadership Team. If a member of the SLT studies this programme, it will not only improve one teacher’s classroom practice, but better the teaching quality of the whole school.