Author Archives: Alex C. Pan

About Alex C. Pan

Dr. Alex C. Pan was born in Taiwan and received his master and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He is currently an associate professor at The College of New Jersey, where he teaches a broad spectrum of courses in subjects ranging from future teacher development to the impact of globalization. For over twenty years he has collaborated with public school programs and advised elementary and early childhood student teachers. He has published dozens of articles and given numerous talks and workshops on the topics of globalization, education, and technology-enhanced instruction. Most recently he has focused on teacher’s action research as well as the economic and cultural impact of globalization.

Anti-bullying

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

As a result of the Suicide of Tyler Clementi, the NJ State pushed for the law to practice anti-bullying in the school. Although Clementi’s death brought national and international attention to the issue of cyber bullying and the struggles facing … Continue reading →

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Environmental Education

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

We are very lucky to have Ms. Lindsay Harrington and Ms. Stephanie Fox from the NJ State Department of Environmental Protection to conduct the Project Learning Tree (PLT) workshop for our junior Advanced Core Block students. Students got the first … Continue reading →

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Exercises for teaching philosophy

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

One of the crucial elements in a given teaching portfolio is teaching philosophy. From what I reviewed in the past, I found many teacher candidates simply search online and find other people’s ideas and incorporate bits and pieces of information … Continue reading →

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Let computers talk

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

Can computers help students learn better? Ever since the fashion of computer-assisted instruction emerged in the late 1970’s, people viewed computers as a potential tool to change education, and some even imagined that someday teachers will be replaced by computers. … Continue reading →

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Differentiated Instruction (DI)

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

“Differentiation in instruction” had become a hot topic recently. Different teachers will interpret it differently. How should we differentiate instruction for students? Here are a couple examples of lesson plan that try to address the differentiated instruction: 1) When student … Continue reading →

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What makes a good lesson?

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

This is a silly question to ask: what makes a good lesson? I have many experiences teaching the same lessons to different groups of students in the same semester, using the same strategies/ methods, while getting different results. Some lessons … Continue reading →

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Can anyone teach?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

When I was a college student in Taiwan, I used to seize whatever opportunities I could get to practice English with foreigners. I would hang out with missioners, foreign travelers, visiting staff/faculty in the university, and also some friends/ relatives … Continue reading →

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Appropriate learning and teaching

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

Amy was one of my former students. She was bright and hard working. She was a new teacher in a school and she learned a good lesson about teaching during her first observed lesson. Off and on, she heard of … Continue reading →

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A tiny effort may help enrich the class atmosphere.

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

It’s Ashley’s birthday today. I learned about it in my ACB class yesterday. I was planning to make or buy a cake to celebrate in the classroom today. However, I was too busy to do it and the weather was … Continue reading →

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Whew! It’s well worth our time and effort.

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Alex C. Pan

I Just finished teaching the first blended learning course (entitled Teacher’s Action Research and Academic Performance) for the J-term (January term for the winter 2013 session). This course was a challenge in two ways: 1) Getting enough students to meet … Continue reading →

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