LHS vice principal Alyson Fischer and Mandarin Chinese teacher Tsun-Ju Lin spent a week in China in November 2013 to learn more about its education system. Above, Fischer and Lin visit Shaolin Wushu Kongfu Vocational school, which has students from 3-years old to college age, where they saw a performance that ranged from weapon demonstrations to acrobatics-type movements.
Two Lawrence High School representatives tour schools in China
By Regina Yorkgitis
The discipline of students and the focus on technology in the classrooms were only a couple of the many things two representatives from Lawrence High School noticed about Chinese education systems when they traveled to China for a week in early November, where they joined more than 300 American delegates for the 2013 Chinese Bridge Delegation.
“For me that was amazing,” said Tsun-Ju Lin, the LHS Mandarin Chinese teacher, who was amazed by the number of educators who attended the delegation.
Alyson Fischer—the LHS assistant principal—and Lin left the U.S. hoping to broaden their understanding of Chinese education and bring their knowledge back home to Lawrence.
The delegation, which was organized by College Board and Hanban/Confucius Institute, began in Beijing. The educators left the famous city during the week to visit several different schools in China. As they traveled, Lin and Fischer noted several differences between the Chinese education system versus the American education system. The standard class size, for example, was greater in China.
“One school had 2,000 students but only 89 classrooms,” Fischer wrote in her blog of the experience. On average, there were about 40 students in each classroom they visited.
Despite the large class size, the teachers in China appeared to have no difficulty keeping the students in line. Lin and Fischer were both impressed by the focus and discipline of many of the students.
Fischer said one school that the delegation visited took only five minutes to bring 2,000 students to a joint physical education class.
“No teachers need to worry,” Lin said.
Technology was a primary focus for many institutions in China. One school did not have heat in the building, yet it still had the latest technology for students.
“In the classroom they had IMAX screens and virtual tours,” Lin said. Many of the classrooms they visited were well equipped with advanced technology such as touch screen televisions, projectors and ceiling cameras.
Upon returning home to Lawrence, Lin began to incorporate the knowledge that she learned from those classrooms abroad to her own.
One of her new teaching methods, according to LHS sophomore Jared Bridges, included projector quizzes after Lin returned to her class.
Still, there are many differences between the Chinese and U.S. education practices, including students’ choice in China to opt out of the traditional route of education. High school is not mandatory in China, Fischer said, and Chinese students are required to complete only nine years of school. After their mandatory education is completed, young adults decide to attend either a vocational school or a standard school.
The educators had the opportunity to visit a vocational school. The Beijing Foreign Affairs Vocational High School, specializing in hospitality, looked more like a fine hotel than a high school, according to Fischer.
The environment and classrooms were designed specifically to prepare students for a career in hospitality. Some classrooms were devoted to chocolate making, while other rooms were reserved for floral arrangement lessons. Fischer was surprised when students served the delegation alcoholic beverage samples they had prepared in the bartending room.
At a Chinese university, the educators learned about China’s goals for improving education throughout the country. Educators there hope to bring education to the remote areas of China and increase adult literacy.
Throughout the journey, the delegation learned about calligraphy, paper cutting, traditional clothing and Kong Fu. They played games with students like shuttlecock, a game similar to the popular hackysack.
“Being so warmly received in the middle school, that was probably the best experience that I had,” Fischer said. There, the delegation members were treated like celebrities by the students, who asked for their autographs, to take pictures with them, and for the contact information to be pen pals with them.
Lin and Fischer did not miss the chance to sight see around the ancient country. They visited the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Longmen Grottoes, the National Museum of China, Buddhist temples, and of course, the famous Great Wall of China.
They also witnessed China’s unique menu options, including seahorses on a stick and Peking Duck.
“I left China with a deep appreciation of not only their rich cultural history and their education system, but also with new friends and experiences, and hopefully with ties to a few schools that Lawrence can connect with and learn from, both in China and in the States,” Fischer wrote in her blog.
One goal of the trip was to expand the Chinese language program at LHS by initiating a relationship with a Chinese school.
“We want to build a relationship with one school in China,” said Lin, who hopes that the relationships formed will lead to joint assignments such as Skype conversations and correspondences between Chinese and American students.
To learn more about Lin and Fischer’s trip and to see more pictures visit Fischer’s blog: fischerinchina.blogspot.com.
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