In this role, you will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the high school, ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for our students. You will work closely with teachers, staff, and parents to promote academic excellence and student success.

Background

The Dipont high school program at Wuxi No. 1 School was established in 2008 and currently has over 400 students enrolled. Our goal is to develop in our students a balance between academic and extracurricular interests so that they are prepared for the demands of the 21st century.

Salary and benefits

About the School

Location
The school is located close to the center of Wuxi city, yet retains a natural ambience. Wuxi itself is a delightful city to live and work in, as it combines the amenities of a big city while maintaining a community vibe.

 Curriculum
In addition to our A-level program, students participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities while also being encouraged to work with NGOs, research institutes, charities and businesses to extend their academic and personal interests and potential.

Teachers and Staff
Our faculty includes teachers from all over the world, and this provides the school with a truly international environment. Our philosophy is one of shared experience and collaboration so that all staff feel a part of team success.

About you

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About you

• Able to engage and challenge high performing students.
• Recognized teaching qualification.
• Experience as an English Teacher (A-level) at high school level.
• Well-developed subject knowledge.

About Dipont

Dipont Education has been at the forefront of international education in China for over 30 years, managing high school programs within some of the most highly regarded schools in the country. We currently employ over 400 expatriate educators and have more than 6,000 students enrolled.

Professional development begins with thorough and supportive orientation for new staff. It continues with ongoing contact with experts in the field. Internal career path opportunities are open to capable and high performing staff. This includes the potential to move into curricula or program management roles.

The post English/ESL Teacher appeared first on Dipont Education.

Faye receives the award for Most Outstanding Panel Member, 2022, from Tanya Jordaan, Center Principal at Zhenhai High School, and Stephen Fulton, Director of Education for Dipont High School Programmes.

Here she talks about how she got involved with the Science Subject Panel, and why it is a great way for Dipont teachers to grow their knowledge base and expand their career horizons.

1. Can you tell me a bit about your background? Where are you from? What brought you to China?

I’m originally from South Africa. I grew up and went to school there, including completing my undergraduate degree at a local university. After graduating, I went to the US for eight years. I did my PhD there, and then taught at a college in Oregon for a couple of years. After that I returned to South Africa for a year.

The Zhenhai High School campus is renowned for its lavish gardens and ambient surrounds.

An opportunity came up for me to go to China, working with Dipont. I was in Chengdu for three lovely years, teaching AP physics with a great group of colleagues. After that I moved to Zhenhai, Ningbo. Since then I have made new friends, broadened my horizons, taught new curriculum, and thoroughly enjoyed living in another beautiful part of China.

2. What is the Science Subject Panel?

It is a selection of teachers from all the different science subjects and different curriculums. The primary function is to serve as a resource, providing materials for teachers as needed. It also works to establish Dipont-wide science initiatives, such as Science competitions, and gives advice to the wide community of science teachers in Dipont.

Science students in the Dipont High School Programme at Zhenhai High School are engaged, hard-working, and deeply inquisitive.

If teachers have any questions about equipment or curriculum, or even how to do labs, we are there to help. Every year the panel members are involved in presenting a live demonstration of subject labs and demos. You could say the main role of the science subject panel is to encourage and inspire.

3. How has the Science Subject Panel changed for you over the years?

The first year I was on the panel we all met in person in Shanghai. When we judged the posters, we had the finalists’ posters all spread out on a table for us to discuss and grade together. Due to the impact of COVID, we have had to meet virtually instead. We have had to perform tasks like judging poster competitions online.

An example of an entry in the Subject Science Panel Logo competition for 2022. Works are evaluated on the basis of creative merit as well as the reasoning behind their depiction of science related global concerns.

The members on the panel have also changed. It has been lovely to meet different people as time goes by. It is inspiring to be in a room of experienced science teachers and be able to bounce ideas off each other.

Students at Zhenhai High School proudly display the fruits of their intellectual and creative labours.

In terms of the competitions, the categories have been continuously evolving. For example, we added an artistic category to encourage the more “arty” students to get more involved with science.

We will also be doing a chemistry detective competition for the first time this year. In this event, students are given clues, and they have to use their scientific reasoning, especially their chemistry reasoning, to come up with answers to solve a crime.

4. What are the unique challenges of teaching science classes online?

The biggest challenge is making sure the students are engaged. As a teacher you need to utilize and adapt the technology to make the transition from face-to-face to online as seamless as possible.

For example, I like to use Plicker cards in my classroom. Every student has to choose an answer from a multiple-choice question. As an online equivalent, there’s usually some sort of voting option or comment section that students can use to do the same thing. We know what works in the classroom. The challenge is how to carry what works into an online environment.

Screenshot of PhET, a virtual simulation website developed by the University of Colorado, in action.

Running labs online is an added layer of challenge. A good option is to use virtual simulations. PhET, a great website developed by the University of Colorado, has many interactive simulations of science topics. You can select a particular simulation from this website, design a lab or investigation objective on it, and then ask students to follow the investigation process and write a lab report just as if they were in a physics lab.

Of course, the challenges of experimental error are minimized due to the simulation design, but students still get to work through the lab process, albeit remotely.

5. What have you gained personally out of being on the science subject panel?

From the competition side, it has given me a lot of insight into the work that goes into creating a rubric for assessing the submissions, and the issues that can arise from certain wording. Having been a competition advisor before, I’ve experienced the challenges of interpreting the requirements and rubric firsthand.

While travel restrictions have limited the opportunities for the Science Subject Panel to meet face to face, they are still able to enjoy regular ZOOM catch ups.

Now, seeing it from a planning and coordination perspective, I can experience different challenges. For example, the need to accommodate different school calendars. You could say I am getting more experience with project management, and problem solving.

6. What would you say to someone to encourage them to join the science subject panel?

One great thing about being on the science panel is you are more up to date on current events. It helps you to get to know other experienced teachers that you otherwise might not have had the opportunity to speak with.

If you are in a room with four physics teachers and two chemistry teachers, and your time is limited, it is likely that teachers will gravitate to and talk with the other teachers of the same subject. The Science Subject Panel creates the opportunity to have conversations across disciplines, working together towards a common goal.

Faye has experienced the full gamut of opportunities provided by her involvement with the Science Subject Panel, from helping students as an advisor to directly contributing to the planning and implementation of Dipont-wide initiatives.

Sharing ideas helps you keep up to date in the  techniques involved in the teaching of different science disciplines. This in turn inspires you to be more knowledgeable in your own discipline, which makes you a better teacher.

The post Faye Wins Science Subject Panel Award appeared first on Dipont Education.

Presented by Brendan Law, Executive Principal, this will be a great chance for you to learn about their approach to teaching and learning, while also having the chance to speak directly with key representatives from the school.

Speakers at the event include the following:

Stefan Sjodin,  Head of Secondary School

Stefan is a career educator with a wealth of experience in education leadership. In his presentation Stefan will introduce the many Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for teachers there are at DSAS/KCIS.

CPD is a vital component of any school. These initiatives at DSAS are designed according to teacher preferences and needs with the goal of realizing their mission: to be a learning community aspiring to excellence.

Amy Loveday-Hu, Head of Kindergarten

Amy will share her wealth of knowledge in early years when talking about laying solid foundations for lifelong learning.  She strongly believes that initial school experiences are a particularly sensitive and important period for every child. In this must-see presentation

Amy will share her ideas on how key social and emotional skills are developed during these vital years. As she says, “Our goal of ‘fostering confident young learners’ takes us on exciting collaborative journeys every day.  What we do makes a difference, throughout children’s school careers.”

Yin Xie, Pastoral Assistant Head for the Lower Secondary School & Sophia Morling, Pastoral Assistant Head for the Primary School

Sophia and Yin share a deep dedication to student well-being, and will co-host a presentation on Pastoral Care at DSAS/KCIS. As Sophia says, “As educators, it is our duty to ensure the physical, social and emotional welfare of our pupils”.

The ideal of a fair, kind and responsible community lies at heart of the DSAS culture. Sophia and Yin look forward to talking about the school’s innovative and responsive pastoral care initiatives.

Magdi Elsayad, Head of ICT, Director of Co-Curricular Activities

Magdi has combined his passion for technology with his role as Director of co-curricular activities by introducing tech-related programs such as 3D printing to an already abundant and diverse roster.

He looks forward to sharing his ideas on the value of co-curricular activities, including how the fields of student interest are developing as technology becomes ever-more embedded in our lives.

Coco Fan, Director of Teaching and Learning (G1 – 9)

Coco has taught a broad range of grades and ages in her over twenty years’ experience in education. She will share her thoughts on the current state of education development in China.

Her presentation will be about blending Chinese Bilingual Curriculum with best international pedagogical practices, a stimulating and timely topic in tune with the evolving teaching and learning landscape in China.

Mike Hindle, Head of King’s College International School

Mike is a vastly experienced educational leader. He firmly believes that learning should be engaging, challenging and rewarding, and that every student has the capacity to excel. Mike  will draw from his broad experience to talk about overcoming cultural and language boundaries in a happy international community.

As Mike says, “Happy children learn better, whatever their cultural heritage and background. By celebrating the diversity of our school community we can joyfully prepare all our students for their future lives.”

Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science educates students to be well-rounded, innovative and collaborative individuals. It’s goal is to help students to appreciate their own, and others, cultures and traditions.

The school was founded with the strong support of the Wuxi local government, and through a partnership between two world-leading schools – Nanjing Foreign Language School, China and King’s College School, Wimbledon, UK.

The post Wuxi Dipont online recruitment open day appeared first on Dipont Education.

Brenell Ferguson, head of Science in the Dipont High School Programme at Wuxi Tianyi High School, won first prize in the best advisor category. Here she shares her experience of this event, as well as her original inspiration to become a science teacher.

Brenell Ferguson recerntly entered her third academic year as a key member of the Science department at the Dipont High School Programme at Wuxi Tianyi High School.

 1. What events are included in the Science Olympics?

The Science Olympics includes different activities that explore a range of science disciplines and approaches. For example, there are the engineering challenges, which were about launching projectiles, or dropping eggs from a great height. There was also an upcycling event, which explored the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value. Another new category was the Science Jingle, which was a lot of fun too.

2^nd Place in the Science Jingle category went to Wuxi Tianyi, represented by Stephanie Zhou, Eazin Xingyue, Esther Tianyu and Henry Xu. Advisor: Brenell Ferguson

The event has grown over the three years. In the first year the focus was just on the poster competition, which challenges students to respond to a real world problem with an informative poster or artistic poster, like a public service announcement. Students need to think about how to express the issue in an efficient and engaging way, and also include potential solutions in this message.

2. How did students go about choosing their poster theme this year?

The science panel first prepared a list of 10 topics related to what’s important in science today. As a designated advisor for the competition I visited every homeroom in my school to introduce the competition and to give examples. At the end of each presentation we would have ten minutes to talk about ideas.

1st Place in the Poster Competition (Artistic Expression Category) went to Frank Fang Chengdu ShiShi; 2nd Place went to Carol Wang, Wuxi No.1 High School

Some students chose to explore AI in the medical field, while others chose to look at electronic currency, and what that could look like in the future. Another hot topic was the environment, looking at what’s happening globally. Vaccines were another topic that got a lot of interest this time around.

3. What was the upcycling competition about?

The idea was for students to take something that is old, and make it new. One of our buildings was getting renovated at the time, so we were able to do a walk around to look for materials that were going to be thrown away.

Nancy Pan (Wuxi Tianyi) took out 3rd Place in the Upcycling category for this cat princess dress made from discarded gauze found in a construction site.

I told my students, think outside the box. I don’t care if you want to make a pin with it. It’s your idea. Even if we don’t win, nobody can tell you that your design or your creative idea wasn’t good enough. So what if nobody else sees your vision? If you look at this piece of rock and you believe that you can make it into whatever, so be it. I will help you and we will figure out how to get you there.

4. What was the challenge in the egg drop category?

The egg drop was an engineering challenge. Students had to drop an egg from as high as they could without it breaking. They were given a limited amount of resources and some everyday materials, like some straws, some popsicle sticks, and some string.  to do this with.

1st place in the Engineering Challenge, Egg Drop category, went to Mycroft Hua from Wuxi Tianyi.

I bought a bunch of eggs to school, and I told my principal in advance that most of these eggs probably wouldn’t survive, and that he might see random eggs falling from the second floor. Students tried out a multitude of ways to make this work, and then we would talk about it. It was fun, but it was also very much a scientific process. Exploring an idea and then testing it. Often failing, but always learning, then cleaning up and trying again.

5. How do you think the Science Olympics benefited your students?

For my students, the biggest benefit is the spirit of inquiry. For any science student, anywhere in the world, the biggest struggle is always how inquisitive are you, and how you’re able to take what you believe, or what you know, or what you see, and actually apply it to something.

Equal 1st Place in the Poster Competition (Informative Category) awarded to Daisy Wu from Ningbo Zhenhai

Especially with my Grade 10s, this was the first time that had been in an international setting where they needed to be creative and think outside the box. I always tell my students: the point is to have fun. I simply give the topic. It’s up to the students where they want to take that topic. I tell them I could care less if you win, you will still be number one in my eyes.

6. What were some of the comments from your students about the Science Olympics?

Especially with the poster competition, students would come to me and say, I didn’t know that much about this topic. For example, on the topic of vaccines, it’s on the radar now because of Covid, but students became aware of the science and history behind them, and were genuinely amazed.

Equal 1st Place in the Poster Competition (Informative Category) awarded to Laurie Song from Nanjing FLS.

Many of the students experienced that Aha! moment as a result of their independent research about a topic. As a teacher, and as their advisor, that was really satisfying to be a part of, especially as it reminded me of my own experience when I was a student, just realizing the incredible potential in science.

7. What did you enjoy the most personally about the Science Olympics?

My first grade teacher, Mrs. Ferguson, has been a life-long inspiration for me. It’s largely thanks to her that my career now is in science education. She did what I think, unfortunately, many primary teachers do not do. She allowed her students to explore. I did not fall into science education. It was a path I was inspired to take by educational experiences I was fortunate to receive.

Amber Zhng, Davario Saunders, Justin Linfeng and Brenell Ferguson make up the Science team in the Dipont High School Programme at Wuxi Tianyi High School.

Seeing the love that these students get for the scientific process has been my biggest reward. I’m a female in STEM. There are not many of us. One of the first things I say when I step into my classroom is: anybody can do science, look at me. Anybody can do it. It’s about your ability to remain steadfast on your journey.

When you see the accomplishments of the students, and when their faces light up in the realization of that, it’s a proud moment for a teacher.  That is when you can say to your students: You have everything it takes to be anything that you want. Who knows? You might be the person to cure cancer one day. The possibilities are endless.

• Please note that the images selected to accompany this article are just a small representation of the tremendous work produces by participants in the 3^rd Annual Dipont Science Olympics.

The post Science Olympics Gold for Wuxi Tianyi appeared first on Dipont Education.

Here Anne talks about her journey to CACS, the key skills needed to be a successful education consultant, and the most satisfying aspects of her job.

1. When did you first become interested in living and working in China?

I wasn’t really interested in China when I was younger, but I did like to travel. After spending a year working on the French island of Corsica I wanted to go to Asia next, so I applied to three different teaching jobs, one in Korea, one in Japan, and one in China. The job in China replied first, so that’s where I went.

Anne’s interest in the traditional folk art of leaf blowing marked the start of her deep dive into Chinese culture.

I started out in a regional city in Fujian Province, which I chose because I wanted to go to a smaller, more traditional place. Playing violin had been an interest of mine from a young age and wanted to get involved with classical music in China. I went to a music shop and started playing a violin that was hanging on the wall, and soon struck up a conversation with a fellow patron who happened to speak English. He introduced me to another instrument in the shop that I’d never seen before called an erhu. Before I knew it, I was learning how to play that as well as how to make music by blowing on a leaf, a traditional folk art which has a rich heritage in Fujian.

While living in Fujian Anne developed such a fascination with Chinese tea culture that she stopped drinking coffee. Photo by Sergey Norkov on Unsplash

That was in 2009, and I’ve been in China ever since. In addition to spending several years as an college counselor, I’ve also worked as a program manager for global study abroad programs and done SEO and digital marketing for a Chinese language school in Guilin.

2. What are the key skills you need to succeed as a college counselor?

You need to be able to help students articulate what they are most interested in, and also help students to see that certain aspects of their lives that they might think are uninteresting are actually very relevant when it comes to explaining who they are. This is especially important when helping students brainstorm ideas for their personal statements, which are a very important part of their applications to US universities.

At the beginning of the brainstorming process, it’s common for students to have difficulty thinking of compelling personal stories. They often don’t realize that some experiences they’ve had that they think are super boring can be really unique or interesting to someone from outside their cultural background.

Mind mapping is one approach Anne takes when helping students identify the interests and activities that express their unique personalities. Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash (edited)

A good example of this is a student I once worked with who had spent time learning traditional Suzhou opera with her grandmother. She thought this was a relatively common and dull experience, but I was able to help her to see how cool it was and to understand how the experience had helped her learn more about her own identity. Helping students realize the unique aspects of themselves is an important, and really satisfying, part of this job.

It’s also important to be patient, to have a passion for teaching and learning and to enjoy working with students. Since we help students select which universities they will apply to based on their abilities and interests, it’s also helpful to have a strong knowledge of US universities, but this is something that can be developed over time.

A strong knowledge of US universities is desirable, but it is also something that can be developed over time. Photo by Tim Alex on Unsplash

When I started out in this field years ago, I just had a passion for teaching and learning. Over the years, I’ve taken advantage of various professional development opportunities by doing things like getting a Certificate in International College Advising through UPenn’s Graduate School of Education and by joining professional organizations like the International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC). These activities have definitely given me a better understanding of how the admissions process works. They have given me the skills to counsel my students more effectively.

3. What are some of the challenges you face in your work?

All students applying to US universities need to write a personal statement as part of their college applications. This essay is basically a personal narrative and it requires story-telling skills. Students need to find a way to make their readers feel like they are there with them in the moment.

Writing personal narrative essays can be challenging for students who are unused to talking about their thoughts and feelings. Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

Students who have only studied in China don’t have much experience with this writing style, so it can be very hard for them at first. They may not be used to talking about their thoughts and their feelings, and it can be hard for them to understand why universities would even care about an essay like this. So that can be a big hurdle. It’s necessary to introduce them to this kind of essay and also help them to discover the possible stories they could tell about themselves.

Another challenge is educating parents about the concept of holistic admissions. Parents in China are used to college admissions being based solely on test scores. However, US universities also want to know about students as people. They want to know about students’ interests and character traits as well as about the unique aspects of their personalities. They are always trying to build a well-balanced class. A particular school might not even be looking for the same student profile every year.

The admission process can be confusing for parents who think of test results as the main criteria for academic success. Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash

This unfamiliar admissions process can be confusing and difficult to navigate for parents. Oftentimes their mindset  is that test scores are the key to their children’s educational future. It’s important to be able to educate the parents and adjust their expectations if necessary.

4. What do you find most satisfying about your job?

Definitely the feeling of helping students find direction in their academic lives. An example of this was a student I once worked with who had no idea what he wanted to study. His dad was a chemical engineer, so he thought, maybe I’ll do chemical engineering. He wasn’t strong in that subject, however, and he really was unsure about where his interests lay.

We started exploring different majors. Since he had done some volunteering work in the past that he had really enjoyed, I suggested sociology. He had never heard of sociology before, so I introduced him to Fei Xiaotong, who is a famous Chinese sociologist. I encouraged him to do more related volunteering and research projects. The more he found out about it, the more excited he got. In the end, he was admitted to Cornell as a sociology major, which was a great result for him. He absolutely loves the program. I’m still in touch with him. He recently told me that he is getting ready to apply for PhD programs in sociology. It’s tremendously satisfying for me to know that I helped him discover this interest.

From no clear direction to sociology at Cornell. Helping students discover and cultivate their interests is the aspect of the job that Anne finds most satisfying. Image by Guillermo Galmes from Pixabay

I really enjoy keeping in touch with all my students and seeing how they are continuing to pursue their dreams. Helping students discover an interest they might not have had, or realized they had, is very rewarding.

If you would like to join Anne in the CACS team follow this link to read more about the position and to apply.

The post Meet Anne: Mentor and Inspiration appeared first on Dipont Education.

Here Ally talks about her time in the Dipont team, and how the bilingual education landscape has evolved in recent years.

What attracted you to join Dipont?

First, the headquarters are in Shanghai. Before, I worked in Guangdong. They say the education revolution in Shanghai is 4.0, while in Guangdong we are still doing 3.0, so I wanted to work in Shanghai!

I also knew that Dipont was a mature company with a lot of experienced staff, so I thought it would be a good place to develop myself professionally. I had also heard that it was a very multicultural company that treated employees well, so that attracted me as well.

What was your role at headquarters?

I worked as Primary Academic Manager. I visited schools to observe lessons and do QAs, and coach teachers. That gave me a good idea of how the different schools work. We also worked on integrating national and western curricula for Grades 1-6. The material we made is still being used now!

▲ Ally’s current role is Head of Grade at RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou

What are the unique challenges of working in a bilingual team?

Most expat teachers come from a background focused more on encouraging inquiry-based learning, and teaching students as lifelong learners. However, our local teachers also need to focus on short-term outcomes, to show the school, the local education bureau, and the parents the progress of the students. So the long- and short-term goals can sometimes be in conflict.

An example of this is assessment. Local teachers are focused on summative assessment so that they can communicate with parents better with data, while expat teachers consider formative assessment as being more important. They think we should communicate more about students learning habits and so on, rather than on marks, or levels. Because expat teachers don’t have as much direct contact with parents, they sometimes may not be aware of the parent’s perspective or of the pressure local teachers are under to show results.

On the other hand, the expat teacher’s philosophy also impacts on local teacher’s vision of education. Although we argue quite often we are always able to understand each other eventually. This can help everyone grow and become more flexible and adaptive. We learn from each other all the time.

You often hear expat teachers say: “The parents don’t know what their kids need, we know what they need!” How do you deal with that statement?

I think Hangzhou is unique in that, even in one class, there is a lot of diversity in the backgrounds of parents. Some of them have studied abroad, and all of them are very successful in their own career paths. I would say sometimes we can learn from the parents.

I always say to expat teachers that, not only can we learn from each other, but if we listen to parents maybe we can also get a better understanding of what they need, and what our school can do for students. Even though we are professional in teaching, there are always ways that we can improve.

▲ At Dipont, Ally has worked in supportive and close-knit multicultural teams

In your career, what changes have you noticed in international education?

Five or 10 years ago, or even still now in other schools, I think local teachers were considered simply as support to expat teachers. But at Dipont there is more of an understanding that expat and local teachers need to work together as equals to achieve the best results.

At Hangzhou this awareness makes people think in a more independent way because everyone can recognize themselves as great teachers. It’s not that only expat teachers are great or local teachers are great. Both of us are great. We consider each other as peers, or partners, instead of “I’m an assistant to you” or “You are an assistant to me”.

How have you developed professionally in your time with Dipont?

I’ve been lucky to work with great people, both at head office and here in Hangzhou. I’ve learnt a lot from high-level education professionals like Peter Derby-Crook and, before him, John Birchall. Working at head office really gave me a bigger vision of how we, as educators, can make changes for education in China.

Working at Hangzhou I’ve become better at communicating, and I’ve always felt like I’ve had support and guidance. Everyone is so transparent and willing to share their thinking and their resources. We can talk to anybody we want to, about support, how we can improve in our roles, or even how we can get to the next step in our careers. There is a lot of cooperation and empathy here, I’ve found.

▲ Ally feels she has become better at communicating since joining Dipont

What skills do you need to succeed at Dipont?

Be confident. Always try to communicate, instead of hiding, because everyone will listen to you if you want to be heard. Be open-minded. Be courageous. Have the courage to make mistakes and learn from them. Be bold, and you will be rewarded. That’s always been my experience!

What would you say to a Chinese education professional to encourage them to join us?

Dipont is a great company to work for. It is stable yet dynamic in its vision for education in China. Working here is challenging, but rewarding also. Dipont really cares about its staff. This is a great place to grow your skills and advance your career.

If you would like to follow in Ally’s footsteps, you can start by heading to our careers section to learn about Chinese Bilingual Teaching positions open for an August 2022 start.

The post Meet Ally Chen: A bilingual success story appeared first on Dipont Education.