British top academics cried, why should I compete with Chinese students?

Yesterday, a video of "Chinese teachers going to England to teach crying students" went viral on WeChat Moments.

The video comes from a teaching documentary filmed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) this year. The film is called "China School" and is scheduled to be broadcast at 9pm on August 4th, 11th and 18th London time (due to The UK is now on daylight saving time, so it is 4 a.m. Beijing time the next day) and will be broadcast on BBC2 in three installments. The video that has been widely forwarded on the Internet is its trailer.

The documentary invited five Chinese middle school teachers to open a "China Experimental Class" at Bohunt Middle School, a top public school in Hampshire, England, and conducted a "China Experimental Class" with 50 British student volunteers aged 13 to 14 years old. Conduct "Chinese-style teaching" for a month and follow the whole process to study whether Chinese-style teaching is feasible in the UK.

After watching the trailer, many people have the impression that Chinese teachers are obviously "acclimated" and many of the behaviors of British students make them "crazy"; and British students cannot adapt to high-intensity teaching. , being scolded by a Chinese teacher for crying. Some people say that these British students lack enterprising spirit and are lazy and undisciplined.

Is this really the case?

When the filming just ended in April this year, one of the five Chinese teachers, Zou Hailian, a post-80s mathematics teacher from Hangzhou Foreign Language School, was interviewed by a reporter from the Qianjiang Evening News. He was the head teacher of this British experimental class. Teacher Zou introduced the ins and outs of "Chinese School" and how he was selected into the Chinese teacher lineup (see Qian Bao's May 1st page A11 for details).

In order to maintain confidentiality, many of the contents were not published in the newspaper at the time. Today, Qian Bao reporter revealed more details for everyone.

Original copy of Chinese-style teaching?

YES

Teacher Zou said that the cause of the matter was that the British BBC Broadcasting Corporation launched a research project - "Sinicized British Schools" to see what kind of Chinese and British The teaching method is more effective and the experiment lasts for one month.

So this month, 50 students from Bohunt Middle School in the UK are taught by 5 Chinese teachers, and their schedule throughout the day is the same as that in Chinese schools. The other students of Bohunte Middle School are taught by British teachers in the school as usual.

The two groups of students were tested in mathematics, science, English, and Chinese respectively. An independent third-party agency was responsible for the entire testing and subsequent result analysis. Test once before the start of the experimental project; after the end of the experimental project, the one-month learning content will be tested again, and the results will be announced in the documentary.

The teachers who make British students cry in the trailer are actually excellent teachers with rich teaching experience and are very popular among students in China. They were found by the BBC through a global audition that lasted for nearly six months.

Are all British students lazy and not working hard?

NO

When major websites reprinted the trailer, they used many shocking titles, such as "Chinese Teachers Go to Britain to Train Crying Students", and "Britain Introduces 5 Chinese Students" Teacher, and then they were driven crazy by the British students"...

Qianbao reporter who interviewed Mr. Zou believed that these statements were all nonsense. He and the other four teachers all liked the 50 British children. , I also received many blessing cards before leaving. The scene of teachers and students saying goodbye was quite warm and touching. It was completely different from the teacher-student relationship in the trailer.

The "China Experimental Class" was temporarily established - 50 children signed up voluntarily. The classroom where the class is held has a strong Chinese style - the student code of conduct, curriculum, and even eye care diagrams, slogans such as "Study Diligently" and "Think Well" are posted on the wall. Taking classes in such an environment is a novelty for British students.

Teacher Zou, who serves as the head teacher of the "China Experimental Class", also organized a Chinese-style class cadre election and arranged for British students to be on duty, responsible for raising the flag, cleaning the restaurant, cleaning the classroom, hosting morning meetings, and During the period, Cao Cao and so on.

“During this period, students were able to complete their duties very well. Some students also took the initiative to help clean the classroom and enjoyed it. Of course, there are also students who need to be reminded that this is very important. normal.

"Teacher Zou said, "I feel that these things are not available in the UK and allow British students to get exercise. ”

Strict teachers teach loose students?

NO

In addition to being a class teacher, Teacher Zou is also responsible for teaching mathematics and other subjects.

In the eyes of netizens, this is a Hard mode teacher teaching Easy mode students, but Teacher Zou doesn’t think so.

This is the first time he teaches math to British children, and he feels very comfortable because he is already a math teacher. It is based on the Chinese model, and the difficulty of the British courses is much lower, and the teaching difficulty is not high.

There are indeed children in the class who are weak in mathematics and cannot keep up with the progress. I think this is because the academic level of the 50 children in the temporary class is uneven. Similar situations will occur in domestic middle schools. The learning in the "Chinese Experimental Class" is not as bad as everyone thinks, and there are many top students in the class. , not only completes daily homework on time, but also buys exercises to do, and even takes the initiative to ask teachers for exercises to consolidate.

In the documentary preview news of the British "Daily Mail", The headline says that today’s British children are “too well-off and don’t work hard.” However, Teacher Zou observed that many British students are actually very hard-working and have high demands on themselves, and some are particularly hardworking. One student rides a bicycle for 40 yuan a day.

Does classroom discipline really give teachers a headache?

YES

The only thing that gives Teacher Zou and others a headache is classroom discipline. Every class takes a lot of time to maintain discipline.

Contrary to the online view that a high welfare system breeds lazy people, Teacher Zou, who had just returned from the UK, analyzed that this was different from the UK’s implementation of small classes. It is related to cultural teaching. In normal classes, British teachers often ask students to discuss in groups, and the classroom atmosphere is relatively free. However, there are not many groups in the small class, and there is nothing to discuss; after it becomes a large class of 50 people like the "China Experimental Class". , if there are more people talking in the classroom, the classroom will explode.

Another reason is that the learning time of Chinese-style teaching is too long, and British students are not used to it.

It turns out that British middle schools are not used to it. We arrive at 8:30 in the morning and school ends around 4:00 in the afternoon, but the experimental class lasts from 7:30 in the morning to 7:00 in the evening, and students cannot concentrate for that long.

"It's true. There are naughty students who are always making trouble. However, there are students like this everywhere. There are also good students in the class, very good students. "Teacher Zou said.

In Teacher Zou's eyes, what bothers British students is not the course difficulty and discipline requirements, but the same teaching arrangements every day. In addition to classes, there are also morning and evening self-study and classes. I couldn’t do anything during the exercise, and I couldn’t choose freely. There was a child who didn’t come to class because he was playing HIGH in the playground.

But I received a blessing card from Teacher Zou. Judging from the results, the children in the experimental class were quite happy this month. One student wrote: "My biggest gain is that I have made many friends and formed deep friendships. "Teacher Zou analyzed that the Chinese experimental class allows students to study and share together, and the collective atmosphere is better.

The most interesting thing is that a British mother also sent a message to tell Teacher Zou that she felt that her child was very Suitable for teaching in China, I hope Teacher Zou can continue to teach. (Qianjiang Evening News reporter: Shen Menghe)

Related reading: Why the post-80s mathematics teacher won the favor of the British BBC

In the past two days, two British BBC staff members have appeared at Cambridge High School outside Hangzhou. It is said that they came to Hangzhou specifically to follow Zou Hailian, a mathematics teacher at this school. To be precise, they should "continue" to follow. , because in March this year, Teacher Zou had been under their camera for a month, but the location was a middle school in the UK.

The cause of the incident was a research project launched by the British BBC Broadcasting Corporation. ——"Sinicized British School". They have opened a "Chinese Experimental Class" at Boyant Middle School, the top public school in the UK. Not only does the whole-day schedule and rest arrangements are the same as those in Chinese schools, but all courses are also taught by Chinese teachers, and the entire course is Follow the filming and plan to record it into a documentary.

Zou Hailian is one of the Chinese teachers in this project.

"They wanted to know more about the school and entered my classroom to shoot, looking for more elements for the documentary. Tomorrow, they will also go to my home to shoot additional footage."

Teacher Zou said that it was really not easy for him to be selected for this project in the UK. "They are very strict in selecting teachers. It took me half a year to pass the many hurdles set by the organizer. There were only two teachers in China who finally made the trip, and the other one was an English teacher from Nanjing Foreign Languages ??School."

He was able to pass five levels and defeat six generals, and was selected by the BBC to teach in the UK for a month. What kind of teacher is Zou Hailian?

He is born in the 1980s and has a master's degree from Zhejiang University [Weibo]

Qian Bao reporter learned from the interview that Zou Hailian was born in the 1980s and received a master's degree in mathematical statistics from Zhejiang University. , has been teaching in Hangzhou Foreign Language School for 9 years. The current QQ signature is an IGCSE A-Level course mathematics teacher.

Like most teachers, Mr. Zou is very talkative, especially when it comes to his math class; what is different from ordinary math teachers is that one or two English words will pop up when he talks. Most students who don't know him think he is an English teacher.

“I teach mathematics.” Teacher Zou emphasized, “It’s just that I usually teach mathematics in English.” He taught mathematics in English. He was in his third year of teaching at Hangzhou Foreign Language School when he was transferred. I started teaching mathematics at Cambridge High School.

Teacher Zou’s math class looks quite Western-style. In every class, he would spend part of his time interacting with students. After he finished asking questions, he would step off the podium and run among the students to have one-on-one discussions as if no one else was around. "Because there are only about 30 students in the class, there is enough communication time in the class to allow students to think and speak."

But compared with real British teachers, Teacher Zou feels that her class Quite Chinese. For example, he prepares lessons very carefully, anticipates various situations that may occur in the classroom and among students, and thinks of solutions. Even if you just choose a few example questions, you must think about the sequence and the knowledge points corresponding to the questions. "It's like helping students design learning routes. Foreign teachers generally don't do it so carefully," said Teacher Zou.

Teaching mathematics classes in English is the reason for "winning the bid"

Students who have been in Mr. Zou's classroom that combines Chinese and Western methods have achieved pretty good results. In the two classes he taught last year, almost everyone got an A or A.

Teacher Zou felt that the reason why he was chosen by the BBC was definitely not because of the excellent academic performance of his students. "The main thing is language proficiency. There are really not many teachers in China who can teach math classes in English."

In order to teach math classes in English, Teacher Zou has spent a lot of effort. “When I was a graduate student, I had to read literature and write papers, so my written English was not bad, but my spoken English was not so good, so I often went to the English Corner of Zhejiang University to practice or watch American TV series. Later I came to teach in Hangzhou Foreign Language School , the English atmosphere is even better, and daily conversations are basically no problem.”

Teacher Zou said that he remembers that the first math class he took in English at school took several times longer than usual. Prepare lessons. In his words, it was really hard work: first sorting out mathematical terms such as equilateral triangles, and then translating all the original lesson plans into English. Worried about getting stuck in the middle of a lecture or encountering an unexpected situation, he also wrote down every word he might say in class...

This is how Teacher Zou talked about the math class. Slip away. "There is no secret, I just practice it in class."

Is it difficult to take classes in the UK?

The selection is very strict and you must pass four levels

Required Being photographed by the BBC, how difficult is it to go to the UK to teach British middle school students? Teacher Zou said that after doing the math, he must pass four levels.

In the first level, you must be able to use WeChat, because if you are not well-informed, you will not have this opportunity.

It is understood that this time the BBC was looking for Chinese teachers and did not publish the news in the domestic media. In September last year, Teacher Zou first heard the news when a student sent him a WeChat message.

Then, two colleagues also heard the news from students studying in the UK [Weibo], and they both forwarded the news to him and encouraged him to give it a try.

The second level is for those who have taught for 5 years or more and can teach in English.

Teacher Zou recalled that when selecting candidates, the BBC set out three basic conditions that stopped most teachers from applying: first, the project required teachers within China’s basic education system; Second, these teachers have been engaged in teaching English grammar, mathematics, science and social sciences for at least five years, but less than half a year; the third condition is the most difficult, these teachers must also have the ability to teach in English.

Teacher Zou has taught at Cambridge High School outside Hangzhou for many years. He usually teaches students math classes in English, so he was shortlisted for the BBC's preliminary round.

The third level involves three or four rounds of interviews.

Teacher Zou said that he submitted his resume to the BBC and received an interview notice not long after, and more than once. "There were three or four phone interviews alone. Each interview lasted at least half an hour, and the longest interview lasted a full hour."

He can't remember the specific interview content clearly: "The main purpose is to verify my situation, including educational experience, teaching methods, and compatibility with this research project. In addition, they also introduced me to the ins and outs of the project in detail."

Impressed Teacher Zou The most profound thing is that during the interview, the other party repeatedly emphasized on the phone that he hoped that he could use traditional Chinese education methods when taking classes in the UK.

The fourth level requires a psychological test.

When all the procedures were almost completed, the BBC hired an independent agency to evaluate Teacher Zou’s mental condition.

The test was completed online via the Internet and took a total of 1 hour. "Judging from the questions, it mainly tests psychological trauma, adaptability to new environments, and ability to withstand stress, etc." Teacher Zou recalled, "At that time, I thought the British were quite cautious in choosing teachers. Later, I heard that the German flight crashed. Maybe it’s because the co-pilot is severely depressed, so I think such a test is really necessary. Teachers have to deal with so many children, and mental health may be more important than teaching quality.”

Of course, being cheerful and talkative. Teacher Zou passed the test smoothly and was confirmed to be employed at the end of December last year. At the end of February this year, he flew to the UK and taught 50 British students mathematics classes for a month. He also served as the head teacher of the experimental class. ?