Ahead of presenting at the Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science Online Recruitment Open Day on Saturday, November 5 , we spoke with Amy about how early years education can change the world for the better.

1. What first attracted you to the field of early years education?

I studied to be a music teacher and, during my studies, I had an experience that really shaped my future direction.

I had a placement in an outreach program for young offenders. That was challenging, inspiring, and also a little confronting.

It was inspiring because there was just so much talent and energy in the room. But it was also confronting to be working with these young lads, 18-21 year olds, and realizing that my music class really wasn’t going to make a big difference to them, to their lives, and to the world.

They enjoyed the class, but there was little chance that it was going to make a real difference to the cycle of reoffending and bad choices that had put these unfortunate guys in this position.

That is really what turned me on to early year’s education. I did some research and realized that it’s in the early years that important skills like self-regulation really develop.

If you can help children to understand who they are and what their strengths are, and how they can understand themselves and others better, then you can really make a huge difference to their lives and improve their chances of success in adulthood.

2. Is self-regulation just about stopping yourself from doing bad things, or is there more to it than that?

It is a lot more than that. It includes how you think about yourself, how you manage yourself, and how you control yourself.

You might have to perform a task that you don’t like. How do you apply yourself to tasks like that? Can you say to yourself, “Come on, let’s just do this, it needs to be done”? Sometimes you’ve got choices, and sometimes you haven’t got choices.

Another example is when you are placed in situations that you don’t like. Are you able to get yourself out of it? Do you throw a tantrum, or are you able to control your response?

Self-regulation means something different in every space, and in every different age phase.

A lot of our high school students are good examples of what happens when good habits of self-regulation have been instilled at a young age.

Often if they do well on exams, it’s not just because they’re naturally wildly gifted. It’s because they work hard and manage how much time they spend on their study.

Self-regulation just trickles up into so many things.

In every six months of your life, it will be relevant in a very different way. You develop the foundation for this in your early years.

3. How does working in early years here compare to working in early years in the UK?

I think early years programs here are often a lot bigger, particularly if you’re in a local environment. Our early years department here has 300 students, which is way more than you would expect to find in the UK.

The best part about that is that our building is so beautifully designed that you almost don’t notice that there are so many kids in it.

There are also about 50% of parents who are really fixated on the academic assessment of their children, and then you’ve got the parents who are just like, well, it’s just playing, and it really doesn’t matter.

I think that’s more common in parents in the UK. They tend to be more relaxed about it. The ideal is somewhere in between, with parents realizing the importance of early year’s education while at the same time not being so over-zealous about strictly academic results.

Looking ahead, China is working hard to incorporate more experiential learning and active learning in schools, which is great.

It’s about students from a young age learning about working together and controlling their own destiny. These are exciting times to be working in early year’s education in China.

4. What are the characteristics you need to be a successful early years teacher at Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science? 

I think you need to have a fairly open mind. I don’t think there’s anybody in our school who is doing everything the way that they would have done it in a previous environment.

We are not here to colonize as international teachers. Neither are we here to do things exactly the same way that a large majority of local kindergartens would do it.

What we do as a department is find the approach that we think is developmentally appropriate for our students. That takes a lot of conversation.

People don’t always agree with each other, but it’s really interesting to watch people have these conversations, then step away from them, and then go back to them with a totally different mindset about the issue.

5. What do you find most satisfying about your work?

I think hearing that kids you taught before are going well. It’s great to see that what you are doing is making a difference.

I recently had a grandmother of one of my former students call me to say that her granddaughter got Star of the Week. She was really excited about that. It was just so nice that she thought to share her excitement with me.

I’ve also been contacted with news that a former student had been successful at a high school fencing tournament, or big life events like the first day of university. When parents share these important moments with you, you realise how much your work is valued by them. More than that, though, you realise the difference your efforts have made to improving your student’s lives.

As an early year’s teacher, it’s important to try and find meaningful ways to connect with the whole school. We do what we do so that everything that comes later is easier for these children.  I think that’s just really fulfilling.

You see our students having a great time. You see their parents feeling comfortable and safe. And then you watch them go on in their studies and continue to have a great time. That’s all you need, isn’t it?

The post Exciting Times for Early Years 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 Nuala reflects on her time working with Dipont, including her experience of 21^st– century learning, harmonious bilingual education, and shaping the future of student well-being in China.

What has been the most memorable thing for you about working for Dipont?

Dipont has contributed a lot to my educational development and growth, so it is hard to choose what to mention. I joined the company in 2017, and I have never looked back. Dipont has a very ‘can do’ approach. The company acknowledges the value of trying new ideas and thoughts and learning from mistakes to move forwards.

My experience has included teacher training, curriculum writing, textbook writing, developing and delivering professional development, academic quality management, coaching and mentoring.

If I must choose one experience to highlight, it was developing and creating a teacher training course for bilingual teachers. I felt this particular aspect of my work was the most rewarding. I also developed strong friendships with the very first cohort of teacher trainees.

Which achievements are you most proud of from your time with Dipont?

Working with teachers in Dipont’s Independent schools, building strong relationships and working collaboratively with teams to view teaching and learning from different perspectives.

I truly enjoyed sharing early learning theories and approaches with new early years teachers. It was enlightening and encouraging to see teachers embrace theories of play, child development, SEN and observe them applying these theories through the early year’s national standards.

It is always encouraging when your audience takes the time to send an email of appreciation as well as photographs to show how they apply the theory in their learning environments. Those occasions make me proud and make the job worthwhile, but even more so when it is clear that the children benefit most from the experiences.

What challenges do you see in creating a harmonious bilingual working environment in schools?

Most parents want their children to engage in learning a new language. The challenge can be finding the balance between the use of the native language and the new language. The learner’s mother tongue and local culture have to be valued.

Language and communication are strongly linked with identity and emotional development. For this to happen, there must be mutual respect between all parties. Supporting the native language through communication and literacy development is essential for academic achievement. Sharing thoughts and school policy on the bilingual approach can help diminish challenges as they arise.

How has Dipont changed over the last five years?

There is more of an understanding and recognition of the importance of developing 21^st Century skills such as collaboration, cooperation, creativity, questioning, use of technology, active and project-based learning.

I’ve always felt that Dipont is a pioneer in the field of education in China, introducing these skills through its teacher training, support in schools and provision of high-quality professional development. We are now reaping the benefits if the training we started five years ago. That has been very satisfying.

What progress have you made regarding student well-being and pastoral care in the past five years?

Firstly, I believe that kindness, understanding and passion for your learners are essential. When working with people of all ages, we do not know what emotions, troubles, and burdens they bring to school daily. Therefore, I believe that PSHE (Personal Social Health Economics) education should weave into every aspect of our daily teaching.

We need to allow learners opportunities to share, discuss, collaborate and cooperate, but we also need to develop their sense of empathy and teach both teacher and learner to empathise. Teaching is no longer about purely academic achievement. It is about viewing all aspects of learning holistically. This approach helps children to experience joy in learning.

All our teachers are required to undertake safeguarding training. Our teachers are fantastic at coming up with innovative and caring ways to care for our learners’ wellbeing in safe, warm, caring, and holistic environments, both indoors and outdoors. Some examples include

• Development of sensory gardens
• Friend spot in the playground- a child, can go here if looking for a friend with whom to play.
• A reflection area- a quiet space to calm down, be quiet, be reflective.
• A safe environment for letting off steam

I know we’ve made a difference when I see a four-year-old child approaching another child and wiping away their tears.

What would you say to encourage a professional educator like yourself to leave their home country, journey to China, and work for Dipont?

You are better equipped to educate learners about various cultures when you have truly experienced a culture by living within it. By sharing cultural experiences, children learn about diversity and become culturally aware, have better social skills, increase confidence and are often more accepting of people who are different from themselves.

China is a beautiful place in which to work. Dipont offers various opportunities for those willing to embrace all that China and its learners have to offer. Come with an open mind and a willingness to make a difference, and you will be enriched by the experience.

The post Education in China: Five years at the frontline appeared first on Dipont Education.

Yang Jixuan, Yang Lingyi and Yuan Zihan join Wang Kangcheng, Hu Chuqi, Feng Zejun and Zhaoi Xingzhi, fellow students at Xi’an Gaoxin who received offers from Oxford, in a blockbuster month of top tier admissions.

In recent years Xi’an Gaoxin No. 1 High School has received 10 Oxford offers and 10 Cambridge offers, a great achievement among many others within Dipont Education’s large network of partner schools.

Through the international high school programs that Dipont provides, our educators instruct, guide and challenge the next generation of thinkers, makers and leaders of global change.

Boom time for offers

The sheer volume of Chinese students traveling to the summit of international academia speaks to the rapid advances that China has made in global education. To take the University of Cambridge alone as an example, the number of Chinese mainland students getting accepted into undergraduate courses has almost tripled in the past ten years.

Cambridge admissions (Chinese mainland students, 2010 – 2020). Source: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

Over this same period, admissions of students from the US to Cambridge have fallen from a similar starting point, while China’s climb has accelerated.

China vs US Cambridge admissions (2010 – 2020). Source: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

Meeting the Cambridge 3

Getting accepted into a top-ranking university in the world is an incredible feat. Every student who has reached this rich reward has a story of hard work, perseverance and determination.

As Brigu Shankar Deka, Center Principal of Dipont’s international curriculum center at Xi’an Gaoxin No. 1 High School, says: “Courtesy, confidence and courage are the three Cs for getting into your dream college.”

These traits are evident in the following stories from the Cambridge 3, high school graduates from Xi’an with the world at their feet.

Yang Jixuan

When describing her journey to receiving her offer, Yang Jixuan cites Wang Guowei, Chinese historian and poet, who wrote that scholars must pass through three realms. The first, corresponding to the start of her application cycle in the winter of 2020, was one of ambition and courage in the face of uncertainty and the hard work to come.

“Last night the westerly wind withered the green trees. Alone on the tall buildings, looking at the end of the world.”

The second period, corresponding to November 2021, the mid-point of the application season, reminded Yang of the second realm. This is a time where perseverance is key, and no regrets are permitted to distract oneself from the final goal.

“The clothing becomes wider and I finally don’t regret it, and it makes people haggard for Yixiao.”

Finally, upon receiving the offer in late January 2022, Yang was put in mind of the third realm, when the view from the mountain peak obscures thoughts of the hardship of the climb, yet still, there is the memory of the many people who supported her along the way.

“The crowd looked for him a thousand times, and suddenly looked back, but the man was in a dim light.”

As Yang Jixuan succinctly says of her parents, teachers, and friends: “Everything is because of them.”

Yang Lingyi

The enduring memory that teacher Yang Jia has of Yang Lingyi is of her care for others and her humility. As Yang Jia relates, she was always ready to advise or console classmates in moments of doubt when they faced study challenges, even during application season.

Her modesty is demonstrated in her first reaction to receiving her offer from Cambridge, as she says that she checked the email over and over again to confirm that this tremendous prize had actually befallen her.

Yang Lingyi’s reflections on the journey to receiving her offer are also characteristically humble and well-mannered, thanking her parents for their unconditional support, her class teacher, Yang Jia, and the many teachers who had trained and supported her since childhood.

Special mention was also given to Principal Li of Xi’an Gaoxin for providing the learning environment, including class space, mentors and culture, to ensure that her application was a successful one.

As she embarks on this next great learning adventure, Yang Lingyi has already determined her goal. As she says: “I hope that I can go to Cambridge ‘with the motherland in mind and the world in mind’. Then, after completing my studies, I will return to devote my modest efforts to help the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!”

Yuan Zihan

When reflecting on the journey to her own Cambridge offer, Yuan Zihan was able to clearly summarize the actions and experiences that contributed to her success. In her view, this journey has not only been about developing learning methods; it has also been character shaping.

In her class Yuan Zihan was known as Big Sister, someone always ready and able to help others. This is borne out by her willingness to share the fruits of her experience with others.

Yuan expresses gratitude to her principal, her class teacher and, in particular, her physics teacher, Mr Liu, from whom she learnt to push herself to gain advanced knowledge of senior content and to share learning resources with students from the same major.

Yuan’s concluding remarks typify her confidence in manner and generosity of spirit, when she says: “Anxiety and expectations coexist in the application season and, in the process of in-depth study, you will become aware of your own shortcomings. But perhaps my biggest gain is that, in the face of all the unknowns and variables, I must maintain my inner firmness.”

Dipont Education wishes all three students hearty congratulations and best wishes as they set out on the next chapter of their lives.

Teaching students like these will make you a better teacher. Visit our vacancies section to review teacher vacancies in our international curriculum centers across our impressive network of partner schools.

The post Hard Work Pays Off for Cambridge 3 appeared first on Dipont Education.

The word curriculum comes from Latin, meaning a race or to proceed along the course of a race. There is no doubt that at times, the pace and challenge of our schools make education still feel like a race!

The first known use of the term curriculum in an educational context is in the Professio Regia, a work by University of Paris professor Petrus Ramus, published posthumously in 1576. You would think by now that we would have sorted out what exactly it is! But, after all these years, we still don’t have a clear, complete and relevant definition of this important word, which has been part of our education systems for so many years.

You could be forgiven for thinking that ‘the curriculum’ is the heart of a school, the center of all learning, the driver, the guide that sets standards and expectations that is to be revered, respected and never criticized. My opinion is that we should make it work for us rather than us working for it.

Leading us in the wrong direction?

As educators we tend to use the word ‘curriculum’ in the narrowest terms, missing a great opportunity to bring about real change and development in our centers of education and our children’s lives.

For decades we have blindly followed and revered the curriculum of our schools. If we stop for just a moment and consider the bigger picture of learning, we might find that this is not only taking us in the wrong direction but that it is also, in many cases, causing irreparable damage to learning and growing.

Even as I share this criticism with you, I feel uncomfortable questioning and challenging this word, such is the status of this ‘pillar’ of education. But it is surely foolish to blindly continue to do something that you know is flawed because you haven’t been brave enough to question or challenge.

For decades we have blindly followed and revered the curriculum of our schools…but we might find that this is causing irreparable damage to learning and growing.

Education determines the capabilities, aptitudes and skills our citizens will call upon in shaping their lives and that of their world. There is nothing more important to a country than the education of its people. Our very survival as a species depends on the choices and actions made by the adults of the future. Therefore, the curriculum that guides them through their growing and learning is of immense importance.

Dictating what happens in schools

So, where to begin when considering a curriculum for the future? It might be easier to start with what a curriculum shouldn’t be rather than what it should be…the school curriculum of the future should not be:

• molded by previous decades and centuries (this is not a reference to the study of history or previous/present cultures – these are extremely important. Rather, this refers to the structure and focus of a narrow curriculum that has not changed for many years)
• organized and delivered in subjects, purely academic
• ignorant of the importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ)
• focused only on the present needs of students
• narrow and restrictive in choice and creativity
• detached from reality
• used as a measure of what learners can’t do and consequently their ‘intelligence’
• so demanding that it makes childhood and adolescence a miserable experience
• created or greatly influenced by universities so that their selection of students is easier
• stale and boring!

Does any of that sound familiar from the curricula you’ve worked with? I’m not surprised, because it’s exactly what we have across schools in many countries. The curriculum has established itself as the master of what happens in schools instead of being the servant of it. This must change! We are failing to effectively prepare students to have a deep and relevant experience of life.

This begs the follow-up question…what should the curriculum and, ultimately, education do for our children and students of all ages (because let’s not forget that learning is a life-long process)?

Time for a rethink

The educationalist Ken Robinson gave us a clue about what schools could do to rethink the curriculum: “School systems should base their curriculum not on the idea of separate subjects, but on the much more fertile idea of disciplines…which makes possible a fluid and dynamic curriculum that is interdisciplinary.”

I believe the curriculum should be far more than a document that maps the content studied and examinations taken as students proceed through school. Schools, along with parents and society, influence and mold far more than a student’s academic ability. More and more educationalists are acknowledging that EQ is as important, if not more important, than IQ (Intelligence Quotient). There is no point in having a wonderful set of life tools if you don’t have the skills and aptitudes to make the best use of them.

Of course, knowledge has its place, it’s just in the wrong place in most schools and curricula. As dramatist George Bernard Shaw said: “What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.”

To some extent, of course, I have been complicit in the reluctance to reform the curriculum. However, I haven’t completely stood back and watched my schools’ curricula strangle learning and growth. Following many years of observing a proportion of students struggle with the basic curriculum, I reached the point in my role as leader of a school in Singapore where I believed that the main role of our school was to support the wellbeing of not only students but also that of staff (teaching and non-teaching) and our families.

To some extent I have been complicit in the reluctance to reform the curriculum. However, I haven’t completely stood back and watched my schools’ curricula strangle learning and growth.

The vision we devised at the school, which everyone could memorize was: ‘To be the best school in the world, with a dynamic learning community which nurtures and inspires everyone to be the best they can be.’

When I spoke to families thinking of joining the school, I would say: “Today is an important day in your child’s life, he/she should feel safe and secure, be challenged in an interesting and relevant way, and be fulfilled and happy. As far as possible, this is how every day should be.” This underpinned the ethos and culture of our school and, as far as was possible, its ‘curriculum’.

It’s one thing to share this ‘elevator pitch’ in a presentation to parents or to emblaze it on a wall in the school entrance. But, if the curriculum in place interferes with or prevents delivery of your vision, then it becomes mere words and a waste of time and space. The curriculum must be one of the key facilitators of a school’s vision, aims and objectives. It must be far more than an academic pathway with examinations included.

Business writer Tom Peters provides an interesting perspective for such a curriculum: “I imagine a school system that recognizes learning is natural, that a love of learning is normal, and that real learning is passionate learning. A school curriculum that values questions above answers…creativity above fact regurgitation… individuality above conformity… and excellence above standardized performance…We must reject all notions of curriculum ‘reform’ that serve up more of the same: more testing, more standards, more uniformity, more conformity and more bureaucracy.”

A future where we flourish

While I have focused this piece on the curriculum itself, in an ideal world we would transform the concept of both the school and the curriculum together – it’s almost impossible to separate the two. Essentially, though, the curriculum should describe the essence of what happens in a school and how it happens.

I started with ideas of what a future curriculum shouldn’t be. I hope by now you have an idea of what I believe it should be. The curriculum:

• should facilitate and encourage everyone in a school community to learn and grow in all life’s intrigue and beauty
• should support the development of open minds with clear, determined and creative thinking
• must provide the circumstances for people to learn and grow in a positive and supportive culture that supports, in equal measure, both success and failure.

In short, it should help us all to flourish both now and in the future!

As I come from Stratford-Upon-Avon in the UK (which was playwright William Shakespeare’s birthplace), I must leave the last word to him: “My love is thine to teach. Teach it but how, and thou shalt see how apt it is to learn. Any hard lesson that may do thee good.”

The post The curriculum in education: master or servant? appeared first on Dipont Education.

But what is it actually like teaching Chinese students in China? We give you the low-down.

What is the traditional learning style in Chinese schools?

Historically, the way in which Chinese students have been taught has generally been quite didactic. Students focus on rote learning, and independent and analytical thinking does not always figure strongly. This, however, is changing as China’s education system develops. Thanks to this more ‘traditional’ approach, however, Chinese students have great powers of concentration and focus. In addition, they are invariably strong in mathematics in particular.

There is also a culture of testing within the Chinese curriculum – the Chinese love tests and parents love grades! Whilst our international high school programs are also underpinned by testing and examinations, there is a focus on a wider range of teaching and learning strategies that require students to be active participants in the learning process. This is particularly important if Chinese students are to make a real success of a university education in the west.

What are Chinese students like to teach overall?

Chinese students are invariably focused, driven and very determined. In many cases they’re extremely knowledgeable about a subject and expect their teacher to be a subject expert. Their behaviour is usually exemplary. In addition, there are few of the classroom management issues that teachers in other countries may have experienced.

However, Chinese students are often dependent rather than independent learners. As a result, our teachers need to work to build independence even with the most able students. Teachers in our international curriculum centers work to not only to get across the content and subject knowledge that students need to perform well in examinations but also to support them in becoming confident, independent learners who will survive and thrive when studying in foreign countries.

What is the biggest challenge for international teachers teaching Chinese students?

The biggest challenge for international teachers here in China is to combine all of the best qualities that typify Chinese students with the best of the educational systems the teachers themselves come from. They need to work hard to achieve a balance between academic learning, and personal growth and development. At the same time, teachers have to constantly seek ways in which to engage students and help them thrive in a very different learning environment. Lastly, they also need to be extremely good at their subject because often students are very knowledgeable and demand similar levels of knowledge from teachers.

What about English ability among Chinese students?

The requirement to learn entirely in English in our centers is often a challenge for students, even the most gifted. Therefore, Dipont teachers and centers spend a lot of time consolidating students’ abilities in this area. This also ensures that students learn the theory underpinning the various concepts under review.

Often the problem is not that students do not understand a concept, they’re just unable to write fluently or quickly enough in examinations. This challenge is highlighted even in subjects like statistics. Because examinations have a lot of text to understand, students struggle to get to the problem requiring a solution. When they do unravel the problem, however, they are almost always able to do the required mathematics. It was just that the English impeded their understanding.

What’s the expected outcome for Dipont’s international programs?

We hope students get the highest possible grades, realize their potential and achieve their goal to attend university in a country of their choice. We try to equip them with skills and experiences that will stand them in good stead. These include a high level of English and the ability to integrate effectively into the country they study in.

What other aspects do teachers need to focus on when teaching Chinese students?

Our teachers work hard to ensure that students are well-organized and effective learners, that they can meet deadlines, work well independently and have the ability to conduct research as they do a lot of this in our international programs. Teachers endeavor to embed these soft skills through different kinds of activities and through the pastoral systems that some partner schools have in place to support their learners. Opportunities for students to get involved in something different are provided by each school. We hope that this will enable students to develop and demonstrate leadership skills, organizational competence and effective team working.

Are you a teacher or education professional? Check out our vacancies page for the latest teaching jobs in China.

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