On the afternoon of November 19, the School of Geographical Sciences hosted a teaching salon in Room 208 of Zhiyuan Building, themed “Enhancing Teaching Capabilities Through Competitions: Using Competitions to Promote Teaching and Foster Student Development.” Ms. Sun Peipei, a university teaching supervisor, attended on behalf of the Academic Affairs Office. Nearly thirty participants joined the event, including members of the school's teaching committee, program directors, young faculty members, and teachers from sister schools.

The salon was chaired by Professor Wang Tao, a member of the School's Teaching Committee, with Professors Chen Shitao, Le Songshan, and Cao Xinyun serving as keynote speakers. Professor Chen Shitao, deeply passionate about undergraduate teaching and beloved by students, is a recipient of the university's “Teaching and Education Award.” He secured first prize in the Third National Teaching Innovation Competition for University Teachers, becoming the first faculty member from our university to achieve the highest honor in this competition. During the salon, Professor Chen Shitao provided a detailed overview of the Innovation Teaching Competition's significance and entire process, covering three aspects: competition introduction, track analysis, and achievement reports. He placed particular emphasis on how to innovate and write achievement reports. Drawing from his own profound experience in participating, he encouraged young faculty to embrace innovation, dare to compete, and challenge themselves. Professor Le Songshan, a First Prize winner in the Fifth National Teaching Innovation Competition for University Faculty (New Engineering Track), shared his experience titled “From Student-Centered Teaching to Instructional Innovation.” He candidly revealed his journey from initial participation to ultimate victory: the competition itself is a process of continuous self-reflection and renewal. Though challenging, it proved immensely rewarding and provided invaluable guidance for his future teaching. Associate Professor Cao Xinyun, winner of the provincial first prize in the Industry-Education Integration Track of the competition, also prepared thoroughly for today's salon presentation. The Industry-Education Integration Track demands seamless integration of theory and application. How to innovate within this integration, what innovative measures to implement, and how to reflect them in teaching methods and processes—these questions guided his entire competition journey. This experience deepened his understanding of industry-education integration courses and provided new insights and approaches to cultivating surveying and mapping professionals.

Following the presentations by the three speakers, they engaged in discussions with participating faculty members. Attendees actively posed questions, exchanged insights, and gained valuable knowledge. This event achieved excellent results, demonstrating that the Teaching Innovation Competition is not merely about winning awards. More importantly, it serves to enhance teaching through competition and foster student development, thereby elevating instructors' pedagogical capabilities. Only by delivering exceptional lessons in every class can we effectively teach a course, ultimately improving the quality of talent cultivation. The Teaching Innovation Competition acts as an engine for advancing teaching proficiency, and we hope more faculty members from the college will participate in this initiative.

Moving forward, the college will organize more similar teaching activities to attract broader faculty participation, ensuring sustained and long-term advancement in teaching excellence.