Looking back at our photos, reflecting on our experience and talking to the teachers here, it seems like there are many things we can learnt from each other.
In China the lessons are always very formal and text book based. The children stand up to answer questions and have a different teacher for each subject - much like English high schools. Each lesson lasts 40 minutes and they have daily 'exercise' where they raise the Chinese flag.
During a discussion with the teachers who observed our art and science lessons, they expressed how creative they thought the activities were. The children were keen to continue the tasks we set and were clearly learning independently, thinking for themselves and demonstrating enquiring minds. Mrs Jiang the principal explained to us afterwards that she would like to change the structure of her school day to include longer afternoon sessions so the children could benefit from English style creativity.
Wow! What a week! What a trip! What an experience! I'm so happy for you both because it looks and sounds like you've had an amazing time. Thank you for your boundless enthusiasm and energy. You get what you give in life and I think you've got lots from this time in China because of what you've put in. Well done for that and I'm looking forward to hearing the stories. We probably won't be able to shut you up! Bet you're looking forward to seeing everyone at home!! Safe travels back. X
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