Date: June 26, 2007
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
GSU Professor Shares Knowledge on Three Continents
University Park, IL, June 26, 2007 – This summer, Dr. Pamela Guimond will leave her home in Crete and her work as Academic Advisor and Assistant Professor of Biology Education at Governors State University to visit two different continents. She will experience traveling the world, learning and sharing knowledge, a bit of culture shock, and a lot of jet lag.
While in Asia, Guimond will tour China as a student. In Europe, she will be the educator when she presents a paper at the Oxford Round Table at Oxford University, England.
The two weeks Guimond will spend in China include visits to colleges and universities, rural and urban high schools and elementary schools, and meetings with professors, students, and parents.
“I will learn about science education in China and how it differs from the United States,” said Guimond. “Specifically, I am interested to learn about their philosophy of education and strategies they use to teach science.”
Guimond notes that there are real advantages to the science education programs in the United States. “In the U.S., there is a focus on helping all students learn. The needs of the individual student are very important. Also, instruction in science strives to be inquiry based. That may be different to what we find in China. I am interested to know why Chinese students score higher on standardized tests than U.S. students and what strategies can be used to help make our students more competitive.”
Guimond’s presentation at the Oxford Round Table in England this August is part of a conference, “Women’s Rights and Leadership: Regaining the Momentum.” Her paper reflects her research into the factors affecting the career choices of women in higher education.
“I am very interested in gender equity in education. Currently, there are few women in the physical sciences and engineering. I hope my research and what I learn at the conference will help explain the reasons and perhaps offer some solutions,” Guimond said.
Besides the pictures and souvenirs Guimond will bring back from her extensive travels, she hopes to return with valuable information and insight.
“I hope to use what I learn in my advising role at Governors State University and in the science education classes I teach. Increasing the effectiveness of science education will be a great benefit to our students and community as a whole.”
For more information about the Secondary Education Science programs at Governors State University, call (708) 534-4546, or visit www.govst.edu/cas.
