Zhan Qifang, a teacher, with senior-levelprofessional qualification, at Shanghai Luwan Senior High School, is a member of Shanghai Association for the Advancement of Science for Youths (SAASY). In 2023, she was named one of "10 outstanding scientific instructors" during the 37th China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest. 

Zhan has been a biology teacher for 18 years. She believes science education is a long process, and that it is sometimes dull, but sometimes interesting. "The process should involve good interactions between teacher and students, so both sides achieve self-improvement," Zhan says. 

She recalls how her students helped her improve a classic experiment four years ago. The experiment demonstrated how to verify the law of segregation, discovered by Austrian botanist Gregor Mendel. The experiment was simple, but it required the students to repeat the procedures at least 50 times. The experiment took more than 20 minutes. 

"This experiment takes too much time. Why don't we use a computer program to finish it?" a student asked Zhan, one day after class. 

Zhan was inspired by the student, and she worked with him, and some of her colleagues, to develop a computer program. The program simulated the procedures used in the experiment, and it helped improve the efficiency of teaching. 

After the program was used in several classes, another student suggested it would be better if the program directly generated a graph, rather than a number. Zhan and her colleagues managed to achieve that result, after improving the program. 

"As time changes, teachers can improve classic experiments, from new angles. New technologies and students' ideas are important for teachers," Zhan says. 

To improve as a teacher, Zhan has continued to learn new digital technologies. She has worked with teachers, of various subjects, to develop courses, and she has guided her students in using cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills to solve practical problems. 

In 2023, Zhan developed a semiautomatic teaching aid that demonstrates the protein-translation process. Operating the tool helps students understand the process. The tool earned Zhan first prize, for science instructors' innovations, during the 37th China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest. 

"Many students are curious about some phenomena in nature. Due to lack of knowledge and skills, only a few students will take action to discover the secrets behind the phenomena," says Zhan. She believes teachers should encourage their students to ask questions, and to share ideas about how to find the answers. Also, she adds, teachers should create the conditions to help their students adopt scientific methods to transform their ideas into practical solutions. 

Zhan sometimes asks her students to complete questionnaires, so she can learn what topics interest them. She will choose topics that have practical meaning, and then she will explain how the students can research the topics. She will help her students conduct document research, consult teachers of various subjects, and design and implement action plans. 

Zhan encourages her students to design demonstration models by themselves, and she gives them class time to explain their concepts, and how to use the models. This gives her students opportunities to participate in scientific and technological innovations, and, by extension, to enhance their scientific literacy. 

As a member of SAASY, Zhan has helped adolescents solve problems related to biology. In 2020, she produced more than 300 video clips to help students study online, and she produced some short videos to disseminate basic biological knowledge. 

Zhan believes popularizing science is a challenging, yet meaningful, cause. "The core of science popularization is stimulating people's interest in science. To achieve this, it's necessary to translate complicated scientific concepts into understandable words for the public. 

"It is wise to use new-media formats, such as short videos, cartoons and games, and new technologies, including virtual reality and augmented reality, to broaden communication channels," she adds. 

Zhan suggests various methods should be used to popularize science among different groups of people, and she believes science is a lifestyle. 

"We must make a sustained effort to improve scientific literacy ... and we should contribute to the building of an innovative country," she says.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly March 2025)

Editor: Wang Shasha