With the goal of converting public schools into laboratory schools, a group of educators from Seoul National University toured Florida State University Schools (FSUS) Sept. 15 and 16 to learn more about the general operation of laboratory schools and Florida State University and the College of Education collaborate to administer the FSUS.
Seoul National University has four affiliated public schools — an elementary school, one middle school for boys and another for girls, and a high school. That university is working toward restructuring them to function as laboratory schools in collaboration with SNU’s College of Education.
Lynn Wicker, FSUS director, played host to the group that was led by Seungho Maeng, a researcher with Seoul National University’s Center for the Advancement of Education and Research of Affiliated Schools.
“After researching lab schools in America, Dr. Maeng felt that Florida State University Schools and Florida State University had the relationship that SNU was looking to replicate, and that visiting with our staff and faculty would be invaluable in helping them pave the way for a successful transition,” Wicker said.
The Seoul National contingent began their first day meeting with Wicker, Director of Research and Teacher Education Suzanne Wilkinson and Associate Director Steve Bowen. Afterward, they attended the weekly meeting of the administrative staff and toured the FSUS campus with visits to arts and music classes, the media center, a computer lab and academic classes. They also had an experiential introduction to the flight simulator and the STEM program that it is used to enhance.
On the second day, the group toured the College of Education where they experimented with cutting-edge technology in the “Technology Sandbox,” were treated to a TeachLivE demonstration and met with Patrick Malone and Jessica Waters in the Office of Academic Services and Intern Support (Oasis) regarding the field placement experience.
The group concluded their visit by accompanying Wicker, Wilkinson, Assessment and Accountability Director Megan Brink and FSUS K-12 Principal Elvis Epps to a collaborative meeting at the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering.
Laboratory school influences international education: Five educators from Seoul National University visited Florida State University Schools in September to gain insight into restructuring Seoul National’s affiliated elementary, middle and high schools into laboratory schools. Pictured from left are Hojun Lee, SNU researcher and doctoral candidate; Keunsoo Kim, chief of school affairs at SNU Girls' Middle school; Suzanne Wilkinson, director of FSUS Research and Teacher Education; Jaeyeop Lee, vice principal of SNU High school; Lynn Wicker, director of FSUS; Seungho Maeng, researcher with the SNU Center for the Advancement of Education and Research of Affiliated Schools; Steve Bowen, associate director of FSUS; and Yungdong Lee, chief of curriculum development at SNU High school.