At 8:00 a.m. on June 2, 2024, the first online workshop of the Brazilian Senior High School Gold Medal Mathematics Teachers Exchange project—commissioned by Brazil’s leading think tank Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and hosted by the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre—was successfully held. Professor Zhang Minxuan, Director of the Centre, Professor Huang Xingfeng, Dr. Ding Ruoxi, Dr. Shen Yihua, and master’s and PhD students majoring in Comparative Education participated in the workshop.
At the beginning of the event, Professor Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira, a senior expert at FGV and founder of the Brazilian Mathematics Teachers’ Olympiad, first represented the Brazilian side and introduced the basic information of the Brazilian senior high school mathematics teachers participating in the project to the Centre’s team. He then invited Professor Huang Xingfeng, the chief Chinese coordinator of the project, to briefly introduce the Centre’s team. Both sides expressed high expectations for the upcoming in-person training program for Brazilian mathematics teachers in Shanghai. Professor Huang Xingfeng and Professor Jose also had a short exchange on the future implementation plan of the project.
Professor Jose and Professor Huang introduce each other and have a brief exchange
Subsequently, focusing on the theme Better Teacher, Better Mathematics Education, Professor Zhang Minxuan gave a lecture to the Brazilian teachers. Taking the China-UK Mathematics Teacher Exchange Program as an example, he demonstrated the remarkable achievements Shanghai has made in the field of education to the Brazilian side and shared the successful experience of Shanghai’s mathematics teaching, including the implementation of mastery learning methodology, the use of high-quality textbooks, and the development of teaching and research activities. In addition, Professor Zhang Minxuan introduced the comprehensive system for the professional development of Shanghai’s teachers from three aspects: social status, salary and benefits, and career development path. He emphasized the important role of teachers in education reform and discussed the challenges facing future education and corresponding strategies, providing valuable insights and references for the Brazilian teachers.
Professor Zhang Minxuan gives a lecture to Brazilian teachers on the theme Better Teacher, Better Mathematics Education
The lecture aroused a warm response among the Brazilian teachers. Through the chat window of the online meeting room, they actively raised questions to the Centre’s team regarding issues such as Shanghai’s basic education policies, the current implementation of mathematics classroom teaching in Shanghai, China’s National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) system, and student emotional support. Professor Huang Xingfeng, Dr. Ding Ruoxi, Dr. Shen Yihua, and the participating master’s and PhD students jointly participated in the Q&A session. Finally, Professor Jose expressed sincere gratitude to all participants and, on behalf of the Brazilian teachers, conveyed their expectations for subsequent exchange activities. The online workshop concluded successfully.
Members of the Centre’s team answer questions for Brazilian teachers
