Quinnipiac University Professor Cindy Kern, center, recently spent three days in Egypt educating teachers about the Next Generation Science Standards. Kern is pictured with Cairo American College teachers Charlie Saunders, left, and Gaby Morales, right. Photo courtesy of Cindy Kern.
Cindy Kern of North Haven, director of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Science Teaching and Learning at Quinnipiac University, recently spent three days in Egypt educating teachers about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Kern and Heather Toothaker, a Clinton resident, New Haven middle school teacher and adjunct professor at Quinnipiac, visited Cairo American College from Sept. 13-19 to conduct professional development workshops on NGSS.
The standards, which are nationally recognized, are focused on stimulating students’ interest in science through three-dimensional learning.
Cairo American College, an international school in Maadi, Egypt, provides education to more than 800 students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.
“For me, the highlight is being able to take really hard-working teachers who care about science education and give them the experience of a lifetime while, at the same time, impacting students learning,” said Kern, who also served as an NGSS consultant for Cairo American College. “It allows us to do something we love, which is helping people understand science education.”
Kern, who joined the School of Education faculty at Quinnipiac in 2015, earned her doctorate in science education from the University of Nevada, where she also earned a master’s in science education and a bachelor’s in secondary education and teaching.
Quinnipiac’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning, funded by Bristol-Meyers Squibb, is a network of scientists, engineers and educators collaborating to advance the art of STEM education from kindergarten to the university level. The center hosts monthly workshops offering strategies to support pre-service and in-service teachers in the STEM field.