19 Feb 2019
A series of successful events for Cambridge schools has taken place in China over the past two months, organised by Cambridge School Communities and supported by our East Asia team.
We set up Cambridge School Communities in China in 2016 to bring Cambridge schools together to share best practice. Each Community board is made up of representatives from Cambridge schools who serve a fixed term.
Following completion of the first term, a new set of board members was appointed in November 2018 with a new remit. Instead of being organised geographically, the Cambridge School Communities in China are now organised by function: a School Development Community, a Teacher Development Community and a School Counselling & Recognition Community.
School Development Community: supporting new schools
On 21 December 2018, the School Development board member Sheen Luo, Director of International Center, Kunming No. 1 High School, opened her school to principals from new Cambridge centres to show how the Cambridge curriculum has been implemented and share expertise.
An attendee, Fei Wang, Vice Principal, Guiyang Zhongtian Secondary School said it was a novel visit: ‘Kunming No.1 High School shared the challenges they faced during the development of international education, and the importance of returning to the original aspiration and the compassion of education. As delegates, we not only learnt best practice from Kunming No.1 High School, but also reviewed ourselves. We saw the possibilities of international education and can now set up a point of reference and goal for ourselves, which encourages us to move forward.’
Teacher Development Community: peer-to-peer support
On 12 January 2019, the Teacher Development board member Chris Nash, Head of International Education, Beijing Changping Xinxuedao Linchuan School hosted a 'Class Observation and Feedback' event in his school. Chris led discussion on why class observation is needed and what makes for a good lesson. Gareth Cunliffe from Beijing Changping Xinxuedao Linchuan School shared a Cambridge Global Perspectives lesson as a case for delegates to discuss.
A participant said: 'The event was well structured and delivered in a considerate and professional way which triggered my thinking on effective lesson observation and evaluation. The event was very interactive and I had the chance to discuss ideas with teachers from other Cambridge schools.'
Also on 19 January, Teacher Development board member Moses Oriko, Academic Principal, Ulink College of Suzhou Industrial Park, hosted a 'Mentorship Workshop' (pictured) to improve communication between existing and prospective Cambridge Professional Development Centres, and to discuss mentorship in schools. Moses invited Stephen Tema, Programme Leader of Ulink Shanghai, to share best practice in running a Cambridge Professional Development Qualification programme.
A participant said the event had clarified what it means to be a mentor: 'The session was clear and I understand the expectations of being a mentor. I now have some resources and strategies I can use as I embark on this journey.'
Thank you to all the Cambridge schools who hosted these events and everyone who contributed to their success.
