In this interview, Harry talks about teacher training, the induction process, and what makes Hangzhou DSAS a great place to develop and grow your education career.

1. What are some features of the school that make it unique?

The International School is easily one of the warmest environments I’ve worked in. Our staff have plenty of time to plan and deliver their lessons, which means we have high quality learning happening right across the school.

We’ve got very small class sizes with, on average, about 10 students per class. As a result of this smaller community, we have a very close relationship with our parents. Teachers know them by name and communicate with them on a regular basis.

This intimacy, warmth and congeniality is a palpable feeling that you can feel in your interactions with people.

This is also reflected in the student work that is displayed on walls in staff offices, classrooms, and corridors. We have a genuinely pleasant environment in which to work here.

2. In terms of teacher training, what are some areas that you find teachers need the most help with?

An area that keeps coming up is EAL provision. As we are a bilingual school, the level of English is quite diverse. While we have a big chunk of native level speakers, we also have students whose English is less advanced.

A big part of the professional life of our teachers is getting better at helping those students with the language support they need. This is an area that we continue to place time and attention on.

Finally, we have a twilight session program. During the first couple of weeks, when you are hearing about systems and policies, it can be quite overwhelming. For this reason, we have optional sessions that new teachers can attend in the latter two thirds of the first semester.

Staff can come and sit in on a very informal 45-minute presentation about the systems and operations that we have in the school. This is designed to consolidate any new information or instructions that new teachers may have missed out on in those opening couple of weeks.

4. How do you transition from induction to professional development? 

During the first half of semester, the focus for new staff, from their leadership, should be to not burden them with too much scrutiny or punitive monitoring.

Of course, if there is a major red flag, you can’t just sweep it under the table. But our teaching cohort is very solid this year – we are lucky to have some superb teachers here both in the International section and also in the school as a whole.

The approach that I advocate is to give new teachers every opportunity to get their feet under the table, to feel comfortable and at home. More often than not, that will be the biggest conduit to helping them do well in the classroom.

It is not always easy to transition into a new position in a school. Parents often compare the incoming teacher to the previous teacher, and sometimes that can create unreasonable expectations.

We want new teachers to feel supported by their managers through challenges like this. That can be a powerful message for the rest of the staff, and really permeate the culture of the school.

Feeling trusted and supported can really help teachers to adapt to their new work environment in the best possible way.

5. Why should a teacher in China choose to move to Hangzhou to work at Hangzhou Dipont School of Arts and Science?

Hangzhou itself is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in China. In addition to this, our campus is young enough to still feel state of the art.

Another advantage is our relative maturity. As we enter our fifth year, we’ve gone through those teething problems that a lot of the new startup schools often have. We have gotten to the stage where we have established practices, and established routines.

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

The staff and school community here is very warm and congenial. Many of our expat staff have not been home for the best part of three years. As a leadership team, and as a school, to try to fill that void a little bit.

Hangzhou Dipont School of Arts and Science has a comprehensive welfare program. This includes flexible half days a couple of times a semester. We also have a social calendar that has two social functions for the whole staff to attend every month.

We are always trying to create the feeling of “a home away from home” as best we can.

Finally, continuing education is an important part of the school’s culture. I’m just about to finish an NPQH, which the school have supported me in. Other people in the school are doing Masters or PGCEs. In many cases that have been assisted financially in completing these courses.

We invite great teachers to join us, and we want them to grow with us. We want them to enjoy working at this wonderful school, and become the best they can be with us.

The post Professional Life at Kings appeared first on Dipont Education.

William Arnold has proudly taught Mathematics in the Dipont High School Programme at Hangzhou Foreign Languages School (HFLS)since 2012. Here he talks about his inspiration for getting in to a career in education, as well as his thoughts on what makes Chinese students a pleasure to teach.

William Arnold, seen here reviewing the game schedule with a fellow official during a touch rugby competition.

1. What has kept you at HFLS for all this time?

The main thing has been the quality of the students. I’m very much a nerdy mathematician, and my students have just been really good. I have taught in good private schools in England, and this experience has just surpassed that.

Hangzhou is widely regarded as being close to “heaven on earth” in China.

Aside from that, Hangzhou is a really nice city. It’s close to other cities, and I’ve been able to pursue hobbies that I already had in the UK. I’ve been able to enjoy my life here, and enjoy my teaching.

2. How would you compare students in the UK with students in China?

I think the maths levels are much higher in China. I’ve given a lot of thought as to why that is. One possibility is maybe the counting system. Right at the beginning, in China, when kids start learning language, they get used to numbers very quickly.

For example, instead of saying 35, they are saying three times 10, and five times one. I think the structure of the language might make them better at math.

William Arnold wishing his students a “Happy New Year” in 2021 with maths.

They also have specialist math teachers when they are much younger than students in England. That might also be a contributing factor.

3. What has been your experience of student behavior at HFLS?

I think I’ve raised my voice about once in my 10 years in China! Back in the UK I worked in independent schools where the behavior was pretty good, but I’ve also heard from a lot of teachers who say that teaching in comprehensive schools in the UK includes a lot of crowd control.

William Arnold coached the HFLS touch rugby team, the mighty Orcas, to first place in a Hangzhou Schools championship.

I think if you come to teach in China, the students respect you. They might test you out with your subject knowledge sometimes, but they rarely misbehave. If they don’t like you, they might just give you the cold shoulder.

4. What was your initial inspiration for moving into a career in education?

I started out in a very strict Catholic primary school where things like multiplication tables were drummed into you. Then I had quite an eccentric teacher in my first year of secondary school. I still use some of his silly puns, I’m sorry to say.

Refereeing rugby has been a passion of William’s for many years, seen here officiating in a game between Hangzhou locals and expats.

My A-level teacher was also very encouraging. I’m sure that these role models had a big influence on my choice of career.

5. Do you encourage your students to take part in maths competitions?

Yes. They differ from regular maths classes in that they give you a chance to work on slightly more imaginative questions. Often it’s the same math theory, but they are not standard examples. They give you a chance to show a little bit more initiative.

William encourages his students to extend their already strong math ability through after school maths clubs and by taking part in high level maths competitions.

The majority of our students have great scores, but, if they do something like entering a Euclid competition, it helps with my reference writing. I can not only say, oh, they got an A for a level, but I can also say they have got this score in Euclid. It will impress some universities. If you’ve got 70 something percent in Euclid, that says something very special about how good you are as a mathematician.

6. How have you grown professionally in your time at HFLS?

I have had the opportunity to be a head of department, which I wasn’t in the UK, but my main role is still as a teacher. I think my problem solving skills have gotten better because I’m working at a higher level. I’ve become a better mathematician during my time working at HFLS.

HFLS regularly hosts cross departmental events, such as Sports Days, to bring teaching and administrative staff together in a spirit of fun and community.

I’ve also had the opportunity to work with more people within the wider Dipont community. I have had such a wide network of other teachers to communicate with, and that has been really good. I have really missed the annual teacher conference this last couple of years, but those events will come around again. It will be great when they do.

7. What would you say to encourage a teacher to come and join the team at the A-level Center at HFLS?

I think if you don’t enjoy teaching maths, you won’t enjoy it anywhere. Regarding working at this school in particular, the admin is not too demanding, and you will get a chance to really develop yourself professionally.

Sport is a big part of William’s lifestyle at HFLS, seen here after enjoying a few games of racquetball with friends and colleagues.

The students are the highlight for me. A lot of them will be applying to Oxford, Cambridge, or the top American universities. Working with students like these will absolutely make you a better teacher.

8. You have had some success in referring teachers. How did that come about?

That was just a really nice string of coincidences. At the time we were looking for an economics teacher to join our team, and I just happened to bump into one in Starbucks! I invited this fellow in to do an interview, and then he did a demo class. That all worked out, so he got the job. Eventually, after he passed probation, I got a nice referral bonus for that.

William Arnold has been a mainstay of the HFLS Mathematics department for many years.

I’d recommend any teachers to do the same. Apart from any financial reward, which can differ from place to place, it’s a good feeling to know that you’ve helped someone else find a good school to work for. Your school gets a new teacher if they need one, and you get a colleague that you, hopefully, enjoy spending time with. It’s a win-win situation.

The post Teacher’s Day Special: Meet William Arnold appeared first on Dipont Education.

The event was intended to bring teaching and administrative staff together for a fun afternoon of team building and exercise. It was a chance for them to take a break from teaching and to get moving in the fresh winter air.

Activities began after a good warm-up of jogging and stretching. Eight large groups of staff participated in a run mat race, team jump roping and a dryland dragon boat race.

All challenges focused on testing participants’ coordination and teamwork skills, often with hilarious results! Applause, laughter and cheering soundtracked the afternoon – the whole competition was full of joy.

Prizes were awarded to winning teams – the administrative teaching assistants (art psychology) group won first place for their total group score, the mathematics group won second place, and the Cambridge high school group won third place.

A representative of the school’s labor union, who organized the sports day, said: “The event not only enhanced team cohesion and the sense of collective honor amongst staff, but also created a positive, healthy and harmonious campus atmosphere, and further enhanced the happiness and sense of achievement of the teachers and staff.”

Hangzhou Foreign Languages School is among the most-respected secondary schools in Zhejiang province and beyond. It is one of Dipont Educations’s partner schools in the delivery of international high school programs.

The international center at HFLS offers the A-level program to hardworking, intelligent and highly motivated students. Center results at AS- and A2-level have been excellent year on year, while graduates have outstanding foreign language skills, solid academic knowledge and creative ability.

Dipont is seeking international teachers for our international curriculum centers around China. If you’re a teacher and have a passion for international education, we want to hear from you. Please search through our available jobs.

The post Fun staff sports day at HFLS appeared first on Dipont Education.

Executive Principal, Stuart Walker, and students introduce RDFZ King’s College School in the dynamic city of Hangzhou:

We’re seeking inspiring educators to join RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou for August 2021. If you’re interested in joining this exciting new venture, visit the independent school jobs pages to browse the current vacancies. 

The post [VIDEO] RDFZ King’s College School in its third year appeared first on Dipont Education.