By Brittany Krasutsky , Owen Middle School Science Teacher

The Summer of 2016 was busy for Owen Middle School ( OMS ) science teacher Brittany Krasutsky . She , along with 10 other middle and high school educators from around North Carolina , traveled to Singapore in mid-July . Their mission was to learn about the best practices of teaching science and mathematics from their counterparts in one of the world ’ s mostacclaimed education systems . She tells us more about her trip and how she is applying this experience to her classroom lessons .

Singapore is a relatively young nation , having established its independence in 1965 . Once a small fishing village , today it is a bustling multicultural and cosmopolitan city-state that commands a strong presence in the world with its free trade economy and highly efficient workforce .

Singapore ’ s leaders very quickly recognized that education would be crucial to its cultural and economic success as a nation . Thus , Singapore ’ s leaders implemented an innovative education system to bolster one of its greatest resources — its people . The system has further evolved as the needs of the nation have grown .

Today , only 50 years later , Singapore ’ s students consistently rank near the top in international comparisons of performance in mathematics , science , and literacy .

Go Global NC ( an educational nonprofit that funds

School of Science and Technology Singapore student shows Stefani Joyner how to use the robotic hand he built in class .

various global outreach programs ) has found that increasing teacher knowledge about the world helps increase teacher confidence and competence in providing students with the skills to navigate successfully through a globalized and interconnected world .

NC educators who have participated in past professional development programs have collectively created over 400 lesson plans that help bring a global perspective into the classroom . In addition , teachers have gained the increased ability to view issues and problems from multiple perspectives , have increased their commitment to teaching , have gained exposure to best practices and new teaching methodologies , and have increased their comfort level in using cutting edge technology applications in the classroom .

I ’ ve been able to weave in many of the things I observed into class instruction for seventh-grade