"I have lived in Shanghai for 7 years and enjoy teaching English in the classroom, and I have gained a lot. I prefer to cultivate students' 'soft power', such as: the ability to think about problems, the ability to solve problems... These abilities will stay with the children throughout their lives. Andrew Mcgillivray, a foreign teacher from Canada, said.
Education is an important part of urban soft power. In Changning District, the "full-time foreign teachers into the classroom" project has been fully covered in public schools in the compulsory education stage, and every primary and junior high school student can attend a foreign teacher class every week. Today (February 24), the "Urban Soft Power" Foreign Teachers Symposium organized by the Information Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government was held at the Changning District Institute of Education. Eight foreign teachers from Changning focused on the theme of "education" and talked about how to learn from each other through teaching, not only to teach children the "soft power" of facing the future, but also to let themselves grow together with the city of Shanghai and enhance the soft power of the city.
【Cultivating children's core literacy for the future】
Foreign teacher Ian Andre Albert Fraser chose to come to Shanghai as a teacher, working in 3 different primary schools in Changning District, and also participating in school after-school club work. In his view, teaching can motivate children to grow. "My job is to improve children's English skills by using English topics, but I also hope to bring children the ability to face the future, such as innovation, communication, and cooperation, which are the core qualities that are useful for their future."
Therefore, he often uses some special methods in teaching, such as: let children often exchange groups to adapt to communication in different groups; deliberately provide children with a wrong answer first, hoping that children can refute him, so as to cultivate critical thinking. He pays attention to exercising students' ability to dialogue and communicate, encourages children to open their mouths and use their brains more, and cultivates students' problem-solving ability in learning.
Foreign teacher Alan Smith has worked at Shanghai No. 3 Girls' Junior High School for nearly 10 years. "When I first came to Shanghai, I was still a little confused about my own development, but over the years I have felt the rapid development of Shanghai in many aspects such as economy and culture, and I have also received support from local teachers on campus." He admits that teaching children to learn English is more likely to cultivate their presentation skills and express themselves more fluently in addition to mastering grammar and vocabulary. In his view, the ability to express themselves will always be used after students enter the university or even work, and he hopes that students will truly apply their language skills to life, and also hope that students can continuously improve their analytical ability and thinking ability. "Every time I see my children growing and succeeding, I'm also very happy." Alan said.
【Gain more opportunities in teaching】
Foreign teacher Andrew John Fisher gives a lecture at Fudan Junior High School. "The kids love to communicate with me and are more willing to share stories with me. In my teaching, I teach them to tell Chinese stories well in English and increase cross-cultural understanding. Andrew said.
Duroseau Max Allen, a foreign teacher, loves teaching and enjoys working in Shanghai. In his eyes, Shanghai students are diligent and energetic. "In the classroom, sometimes, some children are introverted, less enthusiastic, and even a little shy, because they are not confident enough in their English skills. After class, I invite students to the office and motivate them in the exchange. Max believes that in the teaching process, children can build self-confidence as long as they have a good teaching method.
In contrast, elementary school students speak English and are less worried about making mistakes, which is one of the reasons why Maria Jose Orellana from Canada chose to teach from primary schools in Changning District. In teaching, she often organizes children to carry out group reading activities to help students improve their English skills, by choosing children's favorite small stories, advocating children to tell their own stories, rather than listening to stories, in the process of exercising thinking, subtly let them feel the importance of friendship, friendship and cooperation. In the teaching experience, Maria felt that her choice was not wrong, and the two and a half years of work and life experience in Shanghai made her feel the city's diversity, and also gave foreign teachers many opportunities to continuously improve their teaching level.
【Hope to know more about Shanghai history and culture】
Sharman Sarah Leanne, a foreign female teacher, is from the UK. "When I first came to Shanghai, there were not many subway lines at that time, and now I am well connected. Shanghai is a very safe and friendly city, and you don't have to worry about safety when you go out at night. "At the moment, she is mainly responsible for project-based learning." Instead of letting children memorize by rote, we pay attention to students' expression in the classroom, problem-solving skills and the cultivation of their cooperation skills with small partners. ”
How to enhance the "soft power of cities"? Foreign teacher Kirkland Arizona Kenney suggested that he hopes to integrate the "classroom" more into the environment of students' lives, encourage children to participate in community activities after class, start from their familiar surroundings, and consider how to solve the problems around them, such as how to improve the traffic problems around the school, which is also the core literacy of students to improve the future. He also hopes that students from different schools will also strengthen their understanding and understanding, and share more high-quality educational resources through the information platform.
These foreign teachers choose to work in Shanghai, and they generally feel that the city's transportation is convenient, and the citizens here are willing to communicate with people, helping students to continuously improve their English communication skills, while also learning from each other and harvesting growth. Foreign teacher Max felt: "In recent years, whether it is urban construction or cultural facilities, Shanghai has changed a lot, and hopes to provide foreign teachers with more opportunities to visit, learn and understand the history and culture of Shanghai." ”
These foreign teachers feel the soft power of the city in Shanghai, but also create the soft power of the city. Urban soft power is the source of shanghai's endless development, and urban spirit and character are the core of soft power, which has been deeply integrated into Shanghai's development history and struggle history. Previously, the Information Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government has gone to Changning District to investigate the development of the international community, to Zhujiajiao Town, Qingpu District, to feel the construction of the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone, and held a symposium to go to The United Family Hospital to hold a symposium for foreign doctors to investigate urban medical services, and to listen to the opinions and suggestions of foreigners in Shanghai on enhancing the soft power of the city. In the next step, we will also carry out discussion activities around themes such as "made in the park".
Column Editor-in-Chief: Xu Ruizhe Text Editor: Xu Qin Title Image Source: Author Provided Photo Editor: Xiang Jianying
Source: Author: Xu Qin