外教在天华（2）| Sterling Voortmeyer

【外教在天华】专栏介绍：

每年，天华学院聘请十余名常驻外教教授语言和国际通识课程；同时，外方合作院校派遣逾百名外教来天华教授专业课程。本专栏主要介绍在天华授课的外教风采，包括他们的学术背景、教学体会，以及学生的评价，带你一起认识外教。在校园里遇见“老外”，记得说“Hi”或“你好”！

Sterling 个人简介：

■ 国际通识课程专任教师，教授美国文学、世界历史、跨文化交流等课程

■ 哥伦比亚大学 文学硕士

■ 学生评教均分：4.9/5

■ 研究兴趣：社会学及人类学

■ 来自美国犹他州

■ 曾在韩国担任语言教师

01

星光熠熠，遇见天华

SPRING IS COMING

大家好，我是Sterling，非常荣幸能在此与大家相识。目前，我在上海师范大学天华学院执教，与众多优秀的学子们一同探索知识的海洋。在此之前，我也曾在不同的国家和地区积累了丰富的教学经验。在此次采访中，我将与大家深入分享我的教育理念与教学方法，探讨我对于教学的独到见解。同时，我也非常珍视与同事和同学们的交流与互动，在天华这个大家庭里，我结识了许多志同道合的朋友。期待与大家共同进步，共创美好未来！

我本科毕业于南犹他大学，主修人类学，辅修生物学。毕业后，我深深爱上了文学与文化，于是继续深造，在哥伦比亚大学获得文学硕士学位。教学对我而言并不陌生，早在十六岁时，我便开始接触授课。高中和大学期间，我进一步涉足了医学领域的相关技巧与知识，并积极参与美国的辅导与教学活动。怀着对中国的好奇与向往，我毕业后前往中国常州，在那里的一所幼儿园开始了我的职业生涯。之后，我又在韩国担任了两年小学文学老师。如今，我再次回到中国，荣幸地成为上海师范大学天华学院的一员。

02

跨国追梦，教学探索

SPRING IS COMING

我的教学理念大部分源于我对教育本身的认识。我认为教育是我们最宝贵的东西，不管是正式教育（如上大学）还是非正式教育（如为了尝试新的东西而去学习一种工具）。教育之于我，是做人的核心根本。我们通过教育去学习、去改变。

我的课堂始终以学生为中心，且形式多样、灵活。在备课的时候，我会根据学生的水平和能力作出相应调整。比如，学生们能迅速了解某一个话题，那么我会进行总结并迅速进入下一个话题。如果学生在某一话题理解上的耗时超过了我之前预估的时间，那么我会和他们进行深入讨论。此外，我始终致力于根据学生的兴趣定制课程，并提供丰富的例子和话题，旨在吸引他们从不同角度参与讨论。在文学课上，我们共同研读来自不同国家、时期和主题的诗歌、小说及短篇故事，旨在拓宽学生的视野，促进深入而富有意义的交流。我鼓励学生培养质疑精神，形成独特的见解，期待他们能在课堂讨论中畅所欲言，碰撞出思想的火花。

03

文化交融，视野拓展

SPRING IS COMING

在游历不同国家的过程中，我深感文化的多元与交融。部分的我融入美国文化，部分的我适应韩国风情，而再有一部分的我则与中国文化息息相通。与同龄人的交流中，我意识到尽管文化各异，但人类之间的共性远多于差异。流行文化常让我们用二分法来区分“我们”与“他们”，然而，深入了解不同文化后，这种划分显得苍白无力。世间并无绝对的“我们”与“他们”，这是我在跨文化教育中的宝贵发现，它让我更加开阔视野，理解世界的整体性。

对我而言，跨文化教育不仅是传递知识的过程，更是从学生身上汲取灵感、共同成长的旅程。在中国教学的日子里，我不断收获，不断学习，享受着与学生一同进步的快乐。中国学生的观点和视角与美国学生截然不同，这为我带来了无尽的灵感和喜悦。这份工作不仅挑战和磨练了我的教学方式，更让我对世界和文化的理解焕然一新。

04

学生为本，智慧育人

SPRING IS COMING

在教学过程中，我发现了一个值得关注的点：中国的学生们往往在教育决策上拥有较少的话语权。相比之下，美国的教育环境则呈现出更为开放的特点，为学生提供了更广泛的自由选择空间。在美国的大学课堂，少见30人以上的大班课程，学生们通常能够根据自己的兴趣和技能水平，自主选择每学期的学习内容以获取学分。因此，美国学生在教育上展现了更高的自主性和责任感。而许多中国学生在管理日程和提高作业质量方面面临困难，这很大程度上是因为他们可能更倾向于优先处理其他事务。这一现象值得我们深入思考和探讨，以寻求更适合中国学生的教育方式和策略。

与此同时，美国学生在团队合作中往往显得不够和谐，容易出现工作分配不均和表现差异等问题。他们更倾向于与水平相当的同学合作，这使得课堂合作在美国较难实施。而中国学生则更擅长团队协作，在我的课堂上，小组讨论和协作通常进行得很顺利。我深知课堂讨论的关键在于学生自由表达观点，这有助于他们深入思考并掌握知识。因此，我鼓励学生积极参与讨论，希望他们能在交流中不断进步。

每次测试前，我总会给学生发一张“速写纸”，简单来说就是一张白纸，学生可以在上面记录任何他们想要的知识点。因为中国学生很擅长复习，当我为他们提供这样一张“速写纸”时，他们反而会沉浸在复习的海洋中，扎实地理解每一个知识点，为即将到来的考试做好万全准备。这种方法，对于课外作业同样奏效，它像魔法一样，激发了学生们的学习热情与努力。然而，在布置作业时，我时常陷入纠结。如今的学生，往往容易依赖网络资源，这让我在布置作业时倍感犹豫。面对这一现状，我暂时放下了布置作业的念头，转而深入思考如何更好地引导学生们珍视诚信与努力。毕竟，在作弊的诱惑面前，诚信与努力显得尤为珍贵。我期待通过我的引导，能够让学生们深刻认识到这一点，从而以更加积极、诚实的态度去面对学习和生活。

05

  美景与学韵共融  

  梦想与才华共舞  

SPRING IS COMING

每日漫步在天华校园，或是归家的途中，我常被其美景深深吸引。优美的校园环境无疑有助于提升我们的专注度和教学成效。我喜欢打开窗户，聆听悦耳的鸟鸣，欣赏那些被精心修剪和维护的树木。我衷心希望学生们也能像我一样，心怀感激，沉浸在这美丽而宁静的校园中，感受它带来的放松与宁静。这里，无疑是一个理想的求学之地。

在天华，学生们拥有众多展现自我、实现梦想的舞台，这正是天华独特的魅力所在。学院不仅积极推动国际合作项目，还成立了诸如“英语第二课堂”等丰富多彩的社团组织。学生们不仅可以参与海外交流，还能得到专业的指导，帮助他们更好地学习英语。这里汇聚了众多聪明且勤奋的学子，他们对待学习的态度让我深感欣慰。无论是哪个班级，我所教过的学生们都展现出了对学习的热爱和追求卓越的决心。

06

  青春筑梦扬帆起  

  砥砺前行破浪行  

SPRING IS COMING

最后，我想对天华的学子们说，能够在这里与众多母语为英语的外籍教师交流，实在是一种难能可贵的幸运。这种机会在众多高校中并不多见，天华正是因为拥有这样宝贵的资源，才成为你们学习英语的理想之地。在我所在的国际交流处，每一位中国教师都拥有海外留学的经历，他们的英语水平同样卓越，这无疑将为你们的学习提供极大的帮助。此外，我们部门乃至整个学院的老师们，都保持着对知识的热切追求。据我所知，国际交流处就有几位老师正在攻读博士学位，这种浓厚的学术氛围不仅为教师们提供了良好的工作环境，也让学生们能够从中受益。

作为教师，让我深感幸福与自豪的是，我拥有足够的自主权，能够根据每位学生的个性化需求灵活调整我的教学方案。在诸多教育体制中，这样的自由并非普遍存在。有时，教师会被束缚于既定的教学框架内，但在天华，我们被赋予了选择的权利——有权决定以何种方式对学生最为有益，进行最为恰当的教学。这种自由，使我得以发挥自己的专长，同时深入了解每位学生的学习习惯与需求，从而为他们量身定制最适合的学习路径。这，正是天华的独特优势与无尽魅力。

01

02

看看学生怎么说

我非常喜欢Sterling老师的上课风格，她会和我们一起讨论知识点，而且她上课的时候为了照顾我们还会刻意放慢语速，而且在课后当我有不懂的问题，她都会耐心回答。除此以外，我还会问她一些课外的问题，比如如何提升英语以及国外生活及饮食习惯，她都会很详细地告诉我，为我即将在国外求学的生活打下基础！

——22汽车服务工程专升本1班 郭文俊

我非常喜欢Sterling的课堂！在她的课上，我有机会接触到很多优秀的文学作品，通过自主阅读和她课堂上精彩的讲解，使我的文学素养得到了明显的提升。Sterling也总是会以各种生动的形式来教授我们文学知识，在她的课上我完全感受不到枯燥，每节课都能乐在其中。

——21英语（国际课程合作）1班 裔秉鑫

Sterling老师非常的敬业，能有效地指出我们作业中的问题，同时认真批注需要改进的地方，并且课堂内容丰富有趣，能把生涩难懂的专业知识用很有趣的方式表达出来，在口语表达上明确易懂，也很耐心地听我们的回答，是位非常好的老师。

——22视觉传达（国际课程合作）1班 严语

我特别喜欢Sterling老师的课。我上的是Sterling老师的批判与写作课，我觉得很实用。老师很认真，每一位同学的论文报告，老师都会仔细打磨。对于我来说格式要求是最头疼的，Sterling老师会很细心帮助我们每位同学进行修改并给予反馈。对于论文内容老师也会讲的很细，这也给我以后写论文打下了坚实的基础。 

——21学前教育（国际课程合作）3班 陈俞莹

Sterling以她独特的上课风格备受称赞。她在文学课上生动活泼，深入浅出，让我们爱上文学之美；在英语角的活动中，她富有创意，引人入胜，带动着课堂氛围。她不仅博学多识，而且对学生理解透彻，时刻给予鼓励和支持，深受我们喜欢！

——21英语（国际课程合作）2班 林渝茜

Sterling老师是我大学生涯以来非常喜欢的一个外教老师，她上课非常的亲切有活力，让我们都有动力参与进来！！我现在还非常清楚的记得她带领我们一起学习“Animal Farm”，批改作业也非常的认真，能够仔细耐心地指导出我的不足之处。在课下我在校园里碰到她的时候她还会热情的和我打招呼！我非常喜欢这位老师！!

——21英语（国际课程合作）1班 汪涵清

附英文采访：

（上下滑动查看更多）

Hi, I'm Sterling. I'm so excited to introduce myself to you in this way. Currently, I am a faculty member at Tianhua College of Shanghai Normal University. Before that, I also gained some teaching experience elsewhere. In this interview, I will share with you my educational philosophy and teaching methods, and share my personal insights on teaching. At the same time, I also attach great importance to the communication and interaction with colleagues and classmates. I have made many friends here.

I'd say most of my teaching philosophy comes from the fact that I think education is the most valuable thing that we have, whether it's formal education, like university, or it's casual education, like learning a new instrument for trying new things. But education to me, is the core of being human, like learning and changing.

My classroom is usually student-centered and also very flexible. So, when I do the lesson plan, I always adjust it to the needs of my students. For example, if there's a topic that the students can understand quickly, we will move through it. If there's a topic that students don't understand and they have to spend way more time on it than I'd originally planned, we will have some discussion-based classes. I try to align my classes with student interests quite a lot. We have a wide range of examples and topics. I want my students to have lots of different ways so that they can engage with the topic. So, in our literature class we look at so many different types of poetry over the semester and full books and short stories and authors from many different countries and many different time periods and many different issues. So, I’m trying to give them lots of access to different learning materials. There’s a high level of questioning in my classes, because I want students to question things. And what I want is students to think independently. 

I have lived in many different countries till now. And what's interesting to me is that there are parts of me that fit better in the US, and there are parts of me that fit better in Korea. And there are parts of me that better in China. We can see things differently from our peers’, through which, we realize that most people in the world are similar. Not only Americans. Chinese people are way more similar than they are different. And that's the case for most people were very similar globally. In our popular culture, we often have this idea of us versus them. Our country versus their country, or our people versus their people. And when you learn more about different cultures and different countries and different languages. You realize that that idea is nonsense. There is no such thing as us versus them, and I think that's one of the most valuable things we get from an intercultural education. Widening our perspectives and having a better understanding of how connected the world is.

The rewarding thing is: I continue to harvest, while teaching knowledge, while drawing inspiration. While teaching, I am constantly learning, and I enjoy growing with my students. I especially enjoy communicating with Chinese students, whose views are completely different from those of American students, which brings me a lot of new inspirations and makes me feel very happy. In this job, my teaching style has also been challenged and honed. It updates my view of the world or culture, and I think that's a good thing.

The challenging thing is that perhaps because the education system here is so structured, students have less autonomy over their education than in the United States, where students feel less responsibility for their education. In the United States, if you are a college student, you don't usually take a class with 30 peers. You will usually take your own classes each semester to pursue your degree, and you will usually take different classes than your friends. You will choose a course that suits your interests and your skill level. As a result, American students will have more autonomy in their own education and take more responsibility for learning. Many Chinese students sometimes struggle to manage their schedules or produce quality work, perhaps because they prefer to prioritize other things.

Compared with Chinese students, American students are often less harmonious in teamwork. It is often the case that in a team, there is always one student who takes on more work, while the other student takes it easier; or one student performs exceptionally well while another performs relatively poorly. In the United States, there are often uneven work distribution or obvious differences in performance, and this imbalance and difference within the team often become a problem in the team cooperation of American students. American students like to work together only when they are at the same level, so classroom cooperation is difficult to implement in the United States. But I think Chinese students are more collaborative and better at working together. Group discussions, group work, I think it works well in my classroom. It will be difficult at first because this method of teaching is not common in China. But in my classes, class discussions or class seminars, etc., this style of teaching usually goes very well. Students' free discussion of ideas is the key to classroom discussion, which helps students to think deeply and master knowledge, which is exactly what I hope. So it really works.

By the way, if there is a test, I always hand out a “cheat sheet”, which is a piece of paper that students can bring any notes they want. Chinese students are very good at reviewing, and when I provide them with such a "cheat sheet", they will immerse themselves in the ocean of reviewing, firmly grasp every knowledge point, and be fully prepared for the upcoming exam. This method, for extracurricular homework also works. It is like magic, to stimulate the enthusiasm and effort of students. I often hesitate to assign homework. Because today's students tend to rely on the Internet. Faced with such a situation, I have to temporarily put aside the idea of assigning homework and think about how to better guide students to value sincerity and effort. In the face of cheating, sincerity and effort are especially valuable, and I look forward to making them realize this through my guidance.

Every day when I come on campus and when I leave campus, I admire how beautiful it is. I think the environment at the campus promotes attention and education. I love that I can open the windows and hear the birds and see the trees and that the campus is always well maintained. I hope it's something the students also appreciate is that you have a really beautiful and really relaxing campus. It's a good environment for education.

There are many opportunities for students to grow in advance, which is also really special at Tianhua. Tianhua has a lot of international partnerships and lots of clubs and things like this. You can study abroad, and you can get help in studying English. There are so many things that the university offers that not all students have access to, but you do because you're Tianhua student. So that's a really good thing about it. There are lots of clever and really devoted students here, which I also really appreciate. I have a whole bunch of students that actually care and actually do their best. 

I would say that it's a major privilege for students here to have access to so many native speaker teachers. It's very uncommon. At quite a lot of universities, you will have one or two native speakers. So if you want to study English, it's actually like a pretty good place to do because you have lots of resources available to you. And even in our department, all of our Chinese faculty have studied abroad. So they are also excellent speakers. It's really helpful if you're a student that wants to study English.  Also a lot of the teachers in our department and other departments are always pursue to continue education, and get more degrees or more certifications. I know that there are several teachers in our department who are getting their PhDs right now. So that type of thing is a good environment for teachers, but it's also really helpful to students. It means your teachers are always improving and are trying to get better at their jobs too.

As a teacher, something that I love and that benefits students is that I have the flexibility to adjust my classes to my students’ needs, which is not always how education works. Sometimes teachers are told to teach class in this way or that way. But for us, teachers at Tianhua, we are given a lot of freedom to teach the students how we think is best for us and for them, which is very lucky. I like my literature class. I pick all the books and texts we read. I'm not told what we have to teach or what we don't have to teach. I can use my own knowledge of myself and of the students to help them learn the way that they need to, which is a big benefit here.

审核部门 | 宣传部

文字撰写 | 国际交流处

图片来源 | 国际交流处

版面设计 | 校大学生记者团 常晶悦

更多精彩

天华对你说早安 | 人间四月，欣喜于春

读书节 | 春风四月暖，读书正当时

天道酬勤，我校学子考上上海交通大学！