CDRF Launches "Tech for Teaching: Empowering Rural Teachers with ICT" Program in Inner Mongolia
On 27 September 2023, China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) held a
launching ceremony for " Tech for Teaching: Empowering Rural Teachers with ICT"
program at No. 1 Middle School in Qingshuihe County, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.
Qingshuihe, Wuchuan and Zhijin in Guizhou participated in the launching ceremony
as the first pilot counties of the program, with a total of more than 300
teachers from Qingshuihe and Wuchuan attending the ceremony. Teachers from
Wuchuan and Zhijin who were unable to attend the ceremony watched the live
broadcast online.
Gong Huiyang, deputy director of Hohhot Municipal Education Bureau, chaired
the ceremony. Wang Junwei, director of the Office of Teachers' Affairs of
Department of Education in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, delivered a
welcoming speech. Fang Jin, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CDRF,
delivered an opening speech. Zhao Jun, a member of the Party committee and
vice-principal of Beijing Open University, made a speech on behalf of partners
of the program. Zhang Keling, secretary of CPC Qingshuihe County Committee, and
Yun Xiaomin, Deputy Mayor of Wu Chuan County, made a speech on behalf of the two
pilot counties respectively.
Cai Jianhua, senior advisor of CDRF's Child Development Research Institute,
Cao Yan, Assistant Director of Child Development Research Institute, Wei Xuezhi,
Deputy Director of Training College of Beijing Open University, and relevant
personnel from Hohhot Education Bureau, Qingshuihe and Wuchuan’s education
departments attended the ceremony.
Appointment certificates were awarded to the representatives of the program's
chief expert and Director of the Teacher Workshop, the representatives of the
part-time teaching researchers, and the members of Teacher Workshop.
Representatives of the teaching researchers of Wuchuan and of teachers in
Qingshuihe made speeches.
Afterwards, CDRF signed program cooperation agreements with Beijing Open
University, Qingshuihe County People's Government and Wuchuan County People's
Government respectively.
After the launching ceremony, Tang Liang, Deputy Director of the Information
Center of Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences, delivered a lecture on
"Digitalization of Education: Vision, Concept and Practice".
Jia Hongbin, expert Chinese teacher from Beijing, exchanged with the Chinese
teachers of elementary schools in the two counties, conducted a demonstration
lesson for fifth grade students, and gave a lecture.
The event helped teachers in the pilot counties gain a deeper understanding
of the program and awareness of the significance of digitalization for teaching
and national development, laying a foundation for the program.
In order to explore ways to improve the competency of rural teachers through
technology, with the support of Apple, the "Tech for Teaching: Empowering Rural
Teachers with ICT" program plans to conduct county level trials for teachers of
core subjects such as Chinese, mathematics and English, as well as for teachers
of IT courses to improve their digital literacy, with the aim of improving rural
teachers' ability to leverage ICT to improve the classroom teaching, explore
innovative education and teaching methods, and improve the quality of rural
education.
