The Creative Teaching and Cooperative Learning Delegation, sponsored by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the Republic of China (Taiwan), visited Boston from April 3 to 8, 2017. The group was led by Dr. Chang Shin-Jen, President of National Taipei University of Education, and included principals and teachers from Longtan Junior High School, Qingnian Junior High School, and Kaixuan Junior High School. All had received Best Cooperative Learning Performance awards from the MOE in 2016.

The group visited the headquarters of the Boston Public Schools and met with Dr. Tommy Chang, Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, Dr. Karla Estrada, Deputy Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, and Dr. Jonathan Landman, Assistant Commissioner for Teaching and Learning at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. They learned about the Boston Public School’s education policies, and how the City of Boston and the Commonwealth Massachusetts provide assistance to help students improve their academic performance.

The delegation also visited Josiah Quincy Upper School, which was ranked as Gold Medal from U.S. News and World Report and Best High School in 2015. They joined classrooms in school, and observed different teaching techniques, some of which might be suitable to use in Taiwan. The group also participated in a Differentiated Instruction workshop, organized by Dr. Lin Yu-Lan, where they had opportunities to exchange educational ideas, and share details of their teaching experience with teachers from other Massachusetts public schools.

The Education Division of TECO-Boston, representing the Ministry of Education, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston, welcomed the delegation on April 3. Director Cynthia Huang expressed appreciation to these outstanding teachers from Taiwan, for their devotion to high quality education and their interest in supporting students’ learning by using a range of different instruction techniques.

Photo: Tommy Chang, Superintendent, Boston Public Schools; Karla Estrada, Deputy Superintendent, Boston Public Schools; Richard Chang, principal of the Josiah Quincy Upper School; Chang Shin-Jen, President of National Taipei University of Education; Cynthia Huang, Director, Education Division, TECO-Boston, and the delegation.