As spring brings warmth and brightness, all things thrive in full vigor. On April 18th, subject groups in the middle and primary sections held vibrant activities centered around “improving classroom instruction, refining Open Day lessons, and fostering students’ competencies and literacy.” The PD Day activities not only showcased each subject group’s research style but also built an exchange platform for teachers’ professional growth, assisting in the continuous improvement of teaching quality.

Middle School Chinese Group: Focusing on Mind Growth, Exploring Classroom Transformation

The Middle School Chinese group delved into discussions on “how to observe the development of students’ IL thinking ability in class.” Ms. Chen Fan reviewed a series of activities from this semester that revolved around four key focuses: creative expression, deep reading, media literacy, and personal experience. These included activities like “Creative Writing in the Library,” “Shangsi Festival Cultural Practice,” and “Writing Poems for You.” Ms. Liu Dong used the “Outdoor Experimental Class” activity as an example to discuss how to integrate Chinese learning into campus cultural practices. Ms. Kate shared strategies on encouraging active student participation in interdisciplinary teaching contexts. Finally, Professor Chen Jingjing from the School of Education at Shanghai Normal University gave a presentation titled “Classroom Transformation Based on Student Learning Evidence,” highlighting the importance of the “key event” observation method to reflect on teaching practices, promoting mutual growth in the teaching-learning process.

Primary School Chinese Group: Refining Open Day Courses, Integrating Morality and Quality Cultivation

The Primary Chinese group adopted a hybrid approach to meticulously refine the teaching content for this semester’s open day. Teachers combined CME and IL frameworks to optimize their teaching design, aiming to showcase innovative achievements in Primary Chinese teaching during the open day. The cross-campus collaboration not only enhanced teaching consistency but also promoted resource sharing and experience exchange.

Middle School Math Group: Diverse Teaching Models, Joint Research on Teaching Optimization

The Middle School Math group focused on “lesson sharing + peer evaluation” during their session. Mr. Zhou Shengyuan used gamification to guide students in deriving mathematical rules through experimentation, induction, and strategy optimization; Ms. Wu Wenyi designed exploratory activities with rigorous course logic to deepen concept understanding; Ms. Duan Xiaoqian combined “teacher demonstration + student practice” to cultivate mathematical inquiry skills. During the evaluation session, teachers engaged in lively discussions around case studies, reflecting on their own teaching practices and extending discussions on teaching methods.

Primary School Math Group: Precise Analysis of Student Performance, Optimization of Tiered Teaching

The Primary School Math group focused on midterm exam analysis and specific lesson case studies, assessing students’ understanding of key concepts and identifying areas for improvement. Strategies were proposed to address weaker areas, including using mind maps to reinforce concepts, designing real-life application problems to enhance problem-solving and analytical skills.

Middle School Science Group: Strengthening Contextual Teaching, Promoting Continuity Between Levels

The Middle School Science group worked to optimize assessment and question design, focusing on question construction, key teaching points, and follow-up instructional strategies. Subsequently, teachers engaged in collaborative discussions with the High School Science group teachers on topics such as experimental teaching, special subject activities, and innovation projects – aiming to enhance curriculum coherence and build a systematic approach to developing students’ scientific competencies.

Primary School Science, Social studies, Geography and IT Group: Course Outline Review, Innovative Teaching Practices

Teachers from the Primary School Science, Social studies, Geography and IT Group centered their session on “Curriculum Mapping and Teaching Practice Sharing.” They conducted a systematic analysis of learning objectives, key challenges, and student feedback. Drawing on the most updated textbooks, teachers refined instructional content and actively shared innovative practices—such as interdisciplinary integration and project-based learning—to support future curriculum development.

History and Geography Group: AI-Assisted Teaching, Optimizing Classroom Interaction

The History and Geography Department held a focused discussion around Ms. Yu Shuting’s demo lesson on the Demographic Transition Model (DTM). Teachers provided feedback and suggestions on various aspects, including lesson introduction, activity design, and time management.  They also explored how AI tools—such as DeepSeek and Python—can be used to generate visualizations, highlighting their supportive role in enhancing classroom teaching.

Middle School Physics Group: Precise Diagnosis of Student Performance, Optimizing Experimental Teaching

The Middle School Physics group centered their session on “targeted diagnosis and instructional optimization.” Through data-driven analysis, teachers identified common student issues and proposed 21 practical suggestions covering homework design, experimental teaching, and evaluation mechanisms, with the goal of better fostering and evaluating students’ scientific literacy.

This PD Day event effectively consolidated institutional knowledge and collective expertise, enhancing teachers’ collaboration and professional competence. Interdisciplinary exchanges not only optimized teaching strategies but also promoted a virtuous cycle of teaching and research, laying a solid foundation for sustained improvement in teaching quality. Teachers will continue to promote teaching through research and learning through teaching, collectively writing a new chapter in education.

Written by Subject Groups, MPTC

Pictures by Subject Groups, MPTC

Edited | Reviewed by MPAC