Isabella Liu brings emerging technology to science education: A YWiB Role Model Interview
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Young Women in Business Toronto (YWiB) aims to provide our diverse community of young, self-identified women with genuine career advice, encouragement, and examples of local role models. That's why, for the next few months, we’ll be interviewing both career professionals and entrepreneurs that our community can be inspired by and learn from.
Isabella Liu, Science Educator, Edtech Consultant, Workshop Leader
Isabella, tell us more about you and your career path!
While working on my honours project in green Chemistry at McGill University, I had a part-time job where I was helping students with learning difficulties, specifically, reading and writing skills.
Through this tutoring job and my own mentorship experience, I saw the positive influence that teachers have and how I am able to help my own students. So, I decided to pursue a Master’s of Education from the University of Toronto.
I then taught abroad in China and Hong Kong. I leveraged my multilingual skills to teach the Ontario high school diploma and the International Baccalaureate programs to local students. During this time abroad, I started documenting on Twitter and my website my learning journey with educational technologies.
It was through Twitter that I expanded my Professional Learning Network virtually and was fortunate to be accepted to present in several educational technology conferences!
I have since re-located back to Toronto and am currently teaching science and Chemistry in high school.
You’re passionate about emerging educational technologies. Can you say more about this, and how you bring this passion to your educating role?
Honestly, the content that I teach hasn't changed that much over the years. Yes, I can bring in relevant news or research into my classroom, but at the end of the day, the content is the same.
This is why I shifted my focus towards learning how to leverage the tools my students are using (e.g., cell phones and laptops) so that their learning experience can be more meaningful and authentic. That's why I started playing around with various educational technologies.
I love learning about new things, and I love seeing that spark in my students' eyes when they are able to access information in a different way making it more fun for them. Fun is such an important sentiment in a classroom and is conducive to learning.
I also use many emerging educational technologies in my position as IT integrator in my current school. Part of my duties are to share tips and tricks on educational tools to help my colleagues' teaching be more effective.
I’ve led workshops at education conferences and shared my experiences for teachers to know what to expect when learning something new, while demonstrating new ways to use existing technologies.
Read more: Bhairavi Shankar on why there's 'space' for everyone in the STEAM sector.
How do your personal values show up in your work?
I believe in the phrase “investing time to make time.” I put in a lot of effort in the beginning designing and creating resources , because I know that further down the line I can save time by re-using those resources.
I also believe in tailoring my lessons to suit the needs of my students. I do this by regularly hosting 'Chemistry Parties,' which essentially are extra help sessions. Our department calls them ‘parties’ because we recognize that Chemistry is a difficult subject, and we want students to enjoy themselves while learning new concepts.
I believe that maintaining boundaries is very important and communicating those boundaries to students is essential. I tell them that I don't expect them to be working on homework until late at night, and to prioritize what should be done or completed - which also helps as a time management practice.
I always emphasize that I will only respond to emails until 6/7pm, because I want to prepare my students by providing similar behaviour and expectations as they would experience in university.
What would be your advice for members of our community who may be considering a teaching career?
Go for it! Teaching is the most rewarding career ever; however, know that learning how to become a teacher is difficult. For example, learning what pedagogy really means and going through practicum as a student teacher is challenging. But, you’ll find yourself referencing those experiences when you start teaching and they'll help you become a better teacher.
Another advice is: find a teacher mentor. I had a teacher mentor at the beginning of my teacher career who gave me invaluable advice on what to expect and how to handle situations in the classroom. I’m paying that experience forward with new teachers through my current mentorships. Because it isn’t all about content area and pedagogical expertise! It’s also about leadership and guidance. In fact, through my mentorship, I help my mentees to develop their educational voices and teacher identities.
The pandemic has had a massive impact on teachers and virtual education has been challenging for many. What has your experience been like?
It definitely has been difficult transitioning from in-person to virtual. I don’t think anything we learned at Teachers’ College really prepared us for this model of teaching. There are so many executive decisions that you have to make as a teacher now (in addition to the regular ones) because you don’t know what’s working and what’s not through traditional in class communications.
I constantly ask for feedback from my students so I can change the lesson to best suit their needs. I also do regular check-ins with my students to see how they’re feeling and how they’re finding the course content. Check-ins are important as they help me form connections and community despite not being in the same place at once. It’s difficult for the teacher, the students and parents. However, there’s also a lot of positives that came out of this.
Teachers are allowed to be more creative, because there was no template on how to effectively teach online courses or hybrid models. For example, I have streamlined my resources so that everything can be found in one single HyperDoc. This is so that students can have a one-stop-shop to find everything they need in the lesson: textbook, contact information, slides, notes, everything! My experience in educational technologies has also helped me tremendously, because I can use the tools that I already know without learning them first.
How do you practice self-care?
I meditate regularly. A lot of meditation apps are free for teachers, which is great because it means there is recognition that teacher burnout is real.
Regular physical activity is important, so I make sure that I schedule little breaks for myself like walking or doing a short yoga routine.
Self-care doesn’t have to cost anything. We just need to find a moment to do things that make us feel better and more connected to ourselves. Sometimes, doing nothing is also a form of self-care, especially now that work and home life is completely blended with one another.
Whether it is catching up on a TV series or reading a book, self-care takes on many forms. A 'well classroom' starts with 'well teachers,' so I put in extra effort to make time for myself so that I can show up for my students and colleagues.
Read more: Resilience, Compassion, and the Pursuit of Education: A YWiB Role Model Interview with Shamim Ahmadi
Who or what is your biggest source of inspiration?
My parents are my biggest source of inspiration. As a first-generation immigrant, I saw how hard my parents had to work to be recognized in their fields. That perseverance and hardwork is what inspires me and I truly believe that if you work hard enough, you can do anything.
What excites you about the future?
I’m so happy to see the increase in the number of women in STEM! As I I connect with more like-minded educators and scientists around the world, I’m able to demonstrate to my students that there is a future for them by showing them real-life examples.
Furthermore, the pandemic has created a shift in education, and I’m excited to see where this is going. With emerging technologies and the changing views on education, I can’t wait to see what the new future brings!
Isabella Liu is a chemistry teacher with a demonstrated history of working in the secondary education and non-profit industries. She has taught students with diverse backgrounds in three different countries. As a recognized Apple Distinguished Educator and Google for Education Trainer, she is skilled in educational technology, curriculum design and assessment delivery. Through her platform, she hopes to share her expertise with other educators in using technology to help engage students in new ways.