02 May 2024
More than 400 educators came together at Shanghai Guanghua College, China, at the end of April 2024 for the East Asia Schools Conference. It was our biggest East Asia conference to-date, connecting over 200 schools from mainland China, Hong Kong - SAR of China, Taiwan, Japan, Mongolia and Republic of Korea. The theme was 'Embrace, Engage, Empower', with a strong focus on sharing innovative practices across Cambridge schools.
During an 'Inspiring leaders' session, five principals shared perspectives on how to prepare students for a rapidly changing world, and over 50 school leaders and teachers led breakout sessions and workshops to share their knowledge and best practice. The conference gave Cambridge students a platform to discuss their view of the future, and the support they are looking for to make a positive difference in our world.
In his keynote speech, Rod Smith, Group Managing Director for International Education at Cambridge, spoke about Cambridge’s activities to support students in being ready for the world - such as embedding climate change education across the curriculum and accelerating the development of digital exams – as well as engaging with more stakeholders than ever before. 'I believe that as a single International Education group, we have all the elements to bring about a transformation in global education,' he said.
A special guest at the conference was Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Executive, UCAS, who gave a keynote speech on connecting international students to higher education in the UK. Successful progression to university – and being able to apply to a university anywhere in the world – is one of the ways Cambridge programmes empower students.
The rise of AI continues to be a key topic in education, and Dr Xiaoting Huang, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Education, Peking University shared her expertise on AI-driven education assessment and evaluation.
Participants also heard from Anthony Dawson, Deputy Director, Assessment Standards and Quality for International Education who spoke about Cambridge’s approach to assessment, focusing on reliability and awarding standards. And Carolyn Tiller, Director of Qualification and Test Development for International Education explained how Cambridge’s teaching and learning support helps prepare learners for the future.
Dr Jing Zhao, Regional Director, East Asia for International Education at Cambridge said she was heartened to see some of last year’s attendees return as presenters this year. 'Some schools formed connections during the last conference and have continued to share experiences since then. I’m really inspired by the strong community we have here in East Asia and our potential to increase impact on education by working together.
'We live in a world of change, and the future is unpredictable. As Alan Kay, the Turing Award winner, famously said, 'the best way to predict the future is to invent it.' I wholeheartedly embrace this positivity. Let’s collaborate to shape the learners who will, in turn, shape the world.'