China
Education
Updates from the Field - Improve Quality of Teaching in Rural China
Updates from the FieldUpdates from the Field (or Progress Reports) on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.com by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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Recent Updates from the Field
New School Year Starts in Rural China
By Diane Geng - Co-Executive Director, September 14, 2009 01:53 PM
Thank you for your support of the Rural China Education Foundation (RCEF). We greatly appreciate your interest in helping to promote quality education in rural China! The new school year began at our program site, Guan Ai Primary School, on August 20. You can read on our blog about how RCEF Teaching Coaches helped Guan Ai teachers analyze textbooks and create lesson plans for the semester. Teachers also decorated their classrooms to make them more warm and inviting--something that is very rare in rural Chinese schools.
This school year RCEF staff and Teaching Coaches will build on the foundation from last year to take our innovative curriculum design to the next level. We spent last school year helping Guan Ai teachers become more proficient at teaching and coaching each other. We also helped the Guan Ai principal set up an in-school professional development system.
This year, RCEF staff will focus on the areas of greatest strength and value added. Given our track record from last year, we feel that RCEF's strongest suit is in creating lesson plans that help students experience and learn about issues in their environment. This includes teaching textbook concepts in ways that make use of rural cultural and natural resources to help students learn more effectively. It also includes extracurricular activities like service-learning projects.
Service-learning is a concept that is very new to China and RCEF has already piloted some service learning projects at Guan Ai which we want to deepen and broaden this year. An example, the Anti-smoking Project, is described below. We will collect baseline data for evaluation, along with basic quantitative evaluation data and anecdotal qualitative evaluation data to track our progress.
We would love to hear your feedback and pass it along to our hardworking teachers and staff in the field!
This school year RCEF staff and Teaching Coaches will build on the foundation from last year to take our innovative curriculum design to the next level. We spent last school year helping Guan Ai teachers become more proficient at teaching and coaching each other. We also helped the Guan Ai principal set up an in-school professional development system.
This year, RCEF staff will focus on the areas of greatest strength and value added. Given our track record from last year, we feel that RCEF's strongest suit is in creating lesson plans that help students experience and learn about issues in their environment. This includes teaching textbook concepts in ways that make use of rural cultural and natural resources to help students learn more effectively. It also includes extracurricular activities like service-learning projects.
Service-learning is a concept that is very new to China and RCEF has already piloted some service learning projects at Guan Ai which we want to deepen and broaden this year. An example, the Anti-smoking Project, is described below. We will collect baseline data for evaluation, along with basic quantitative evaluation data and anecdotal qualitative evaluation data to track our progress.
We would love to hear your feedback and pass it along to our hardworking teachers and staff in the field!
Links:
Want to support this project's continued work? 
Creative Testing at Guan Ai School
By Diane Geng - Co-Executive Director, June 10, 2009 07:17 PM
Thank you for your support of quality education for rural children in China! As the school year comes to an end here at our headquarters school in rural China, we are busy preparing for final exams. Below is an update on how we're trying to test children's skills beyond the textbook. We would love to hear your feedback and pass it along to our hardworking teachers and staff in the field!
Evaluating and tracking student progress is very important to our program. However, for most subjects, county-wide exams only reflect students’ most basic ability to recall facts, but not their understanding. For example, a lot of the questions on the Science test are fill-in-the-blank questions taken straight from the textbook. Students can remember lines from the textbook without having any idea what they mean. In English, a paper-and-pencil test can show students’ reading and writing capabilities, but not their listening and speaking skills which are actually the emphasis of the curriculum at the primary level.
To fill this gap, RCEF Teaching Coaches designed internal tests for each subject area at Guan Ai School. In science and math, the tests asked students to apply their knowledge to solve real life problems. For English, every student had a one-on-one speaking and listening assessment. In language arts, we focused on evaluating spoken communication and essay writing. To test students’ spoken communication, we asked students to tell us what they would do if they were the principal of the school, and graded them based on aspects such as clear expression, giving reasons for their ideas, logical organization of thoughts and confidence. In social studies, we tested students on their ability to make judgments about social issues based on available information and their ability to support their arguments.
This is the first time RCEF has done our own comprehensive testing of students. The results will serve as a benchmark to measure students’ improvement over time. The next Guan Ai tests will take place right before the final exams. This time, we will also include assessment of skills in communication, collaboration and problem solving in addition to academic knowledge. To read some examples of test questions, visit the RCEF Blog at: http://blog.ruralchina.org.
Evaluating and tracking student progress is very important to our program. However, for most subjects, county-wide exams only reflect students’ most basic ability to recall facts, but not their understanding. For example, a lot of the questions on the Science test are fill-in-the-blank questions taken straight from the textbook. Students can remember lines from the textbook without having any idea what they mean. In English, a paper-and-pencil test can show students’ reading and writing capabilities, but not their listening and speaking skills which are actually the emphasis of the curriculum at the primary level.
To fill this gap, RCEF Teaching Coaches designed internal tests for each subject area at Guan Ai School. In science and math, the tests asked students to apply their knowledge to solve real life problems. For English, every student had a one-on-one speaking and listening assessment. In language arts, we focused on evaluating spoken communication and essay writing. To test students’ spoken communication, we asked students to tell us what they would do if they were the principal of the school, and graded them based on aspects such as clear expression, giving reasons for their ideas, logical organization of thoughts and confidence. In social studies, we tested students on their ability to make judgments about social issues based on available information and their ability to support their arguments.
This is the first time RCEF has done our own comprehensive testing of students. The results will serve as a benchmark to measure students’ improvement over time. The next Guan Ai tests will take place right before the final exams. This time, we will also include assessment of skills in communication, collaboration and problem solving in addition to academic knowledge. To read some examples of test questions, visit the RCEF Blog at: http://blog.ruralchina.org.
Links:
- Blog with stories from the field
- Watch a Science Class in rural China
- Watch a Physical Education Class in rural China
Attachments:
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Innovations at Guan Ai Primary School
By Diane Geng - Co-Executive Director, April 03, 2009 04:47 PM
Guan Ai Primary School is the headquarters for our program and acts as a laboratory for high quality rural education. The program is run by program staff called "Teaching Coaches" who have professional experience in teaching. They are based full-time, year-round at the school working to support the local teachers.
At Guan Ai School, we are accumulating expertise and developing practical methods that can be shared with other rural schools. After cultivating a team of excellent local teachers at Guan Ai, they will train and network more educators across rural China to share strategies and lessons learned. Here is a glimpse of progress made in the 2008-2009 school year so far. For monthly updates, subscribe to our newsletter and visit our blog!
Curriculum Innovations
Every afternoon, the teachers and program staff run extracurricular activities that students voluntarily sign up for. On any given day, one can walk around the campus and observe students involved in arts and crafts, preparing a school newspaper, learning Chinese yo-yo tricks, practicing trumpets, singing English songs, and many other activities. These activities are almost unheard of in rural Chinese schools and are a testimony to the initiative and commitment of the teachers.
Several teachers have also been boldly experimenting with creative lessons within the regular curriculum. They include story-telling and poetry recitation contests to cultivate students’ speaking skills and love of reading in language class, taking students into the village to learn about the community in Social Studies, conducting experiments in Science and letting students manage their own small businesses in Math.
School Management & Outreach
We have improved the teacher evaluation system so that it better their teaching performance and innovation. We have also helped the principals to articulate their educational philosophy for the school and present it to the teachers. Last semester, we began a Parent Training Program. Around thirty of the parents who have demonstrated the most active involvement in their children’s education were nominated to be the first participants. We invited them to the school and the teachers shared with them about what was going on at the school and in their teaching. They then engaged the parents in discussion of practical parenting topics that were of great concern to the parents. The first meeting focused on parent-child communication and the second on effective ways to help children with TV addiction. According to feedback from the parents afterward, these meetings were found to be useful and fill a need for parents to talk to each other and to their children’s teachers about common problems they face. We will continue this Parent Training Program this semester. Eventually, we hope that these parents who benefit from and regularly attend the trainings will form the nucleus of a new Parent’s Association that can be involved in strategy and development of the school.
Teaching and Professional Development
The RCEF Teaching Coaches made strong progress helping local teachers to gain confidence in using new student-centered teaching methods. In addition to a regular schedule of listening to and assisting with classes, the Teaching Coaches participated in lesson planning, post-lesson feedback sessions, and facilitating subject- and grade-level meetings. Systems were also set up for the teachers to learn from each other. Every month, teachers have to observe six other classes in their grade level or subject and be observed six times. They take notes and fill out a feedback form afterwards that is posted on the wall of the teachers’ office. In addition, every week, the teachers write a reflection about problems they are encountering and lessons they’ve learned. These all serve as a way for teachers to be accountable to each other in an open, honest, and supportive atmosphere.
Over the winter holiday, an intensive training was held for all of the teachers in the program. Three teachers from Dulangkou Middle School in Shandong Province were hired as trainers. They brought deep expertise in participatory teaching methods. The format of the training was designed to give our teachers as much hands-on practice as possible. Teachers discussed theory and practice as they planned lessons together and then delivered them in front of regular students later in the day. The trainers planned some of the lessons as demonstrations, explaining their values, logic, and methods clearly. After each lesson, there was a thorough discussion about what happened in the class, what could be done better, and what questions the teachers had. The feedback from the teachers was very positive and we have already seen them put into practice many of the methods they learned during the training.
At Guan Ai School, we are accumulating expertise and developing practical methods that can be shared with other rural schools. After cultivating a team of excellent local teachers at Guan Ai, they will train and network more educators across rural China to share strategies and lessons learned. Here is a glimpse of progress made in the 2008-2009 school year so far. For monthly updates, subscribe to our newsletter and visit our blog!
Curriculum Innovations
Every afternoon, the teachers and program staff run extracurricular activities that students voluntarily sign up for. On any given day, one can walk around the campus and observe students involved in arts and crafts, preparing a school newspaper, learning Chinese yo-yo tricks, practicing trumpets, singing English songs, and many other activities. These activities are almost unheard of in rural Chinese schools and are a testimony to the initiative and commitment of the teachers.
Several teachers have also been boldly experimenting with creative lessons within the regular curriculum. They include story-telling and poetry recitation contests to cultivate students’ speaking skills and love of reading in language class, taking students into the village to learn about the community in Social Studies, conducting experiments in Science and letting students manage their own small businesses in Math.
School Management & Outreach
We have improved the teacher evaluation system so that it better their teaching performance and innovation. We have also helped the principals to articulate their educational philosophy for the school and present it to the teachers. Last semester, we began a Parent Training Program. Around thirty of the parents who have demonstrated the most active involvement in their children’s education were nominated to be the first participants. We invited them to the school and the teachers shared with them about what was going on at the school and in their teaching. They then engaged the parents in discussion of practical parenting topics that were of great concern to the parents. The first meeting focused on parent-child communication and the second on effective ways to help children with TV addiction. According to feedback from the parents afterward, these meetings were found to be useful and fill a need for parents to talk to each other and to their children’s teachers about common problems they face. We will continue this Parent Training Program this semester. Eventually, we hope that these parents who benefit from and regularly attend the trainings will form the nucleus of a new Parent’s Association that can be involved in strategy and development of the school.
Teaching and Professional Development
The RCEF Teaching Coaches made strong progress helping local teachers to gain confidence in using new student-centered teaching methods. In addition to a regular schedule of listening to and assisting with classes, the Teaching Coaches participated in lesson planning, post-lesson feedback sessions, and facilitating subject- and grade-level meetings. Systems were also set up for the teachers to learn from each other. Every month, teachers have to observe six other classes in their grade level or subject and be observed six times. They take notes and fill out a feedback form afterwards that is posted on the wall of the teachers’ office. In addition, every week, the teachers write a reflection about problems they are encountering and lessons they’ve learned. These all serve as a way for teachers to be accountable to each other in an open, honest, and supportive atmosphere.
Over the winter holiday, an intensive training was held for all of the teachers in the program. Three teachers from Dulangkou Middle School in Shandong Province were hired as trainers. They brought deep expertise in participatory teaching methods. The format of the training was designed to give our teachers as much hands-on practice as possible. Teachers discussed theory and practice as they planned lessons together and then delivered them in front of regular students later in the day. The trainers planned some of the lessons as demonstrations, explaining their values, logic, and methods clearly. After each lesson, there was a thorough discussion about what happened in the class, what could be done better, and what questions the teachers had. The feedback from the teachers was very positive and we have already seen them put into practice many of the methods they learned during the training.
Links:
Pictures:
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Summer Camps Enrich Children's Lives
By Diane Geng - President & Co-Executive Director, August 14, 2008 12:48 PM
Just a few days ago, RCEF concluded our fourth Summer Volunteer Program. Every July since 2005, volunteers from China and abroad have come to rural villages to put on enriching camps for local children. This year, three camps took place in Yongji, Shanxi Province, RCEF’s main site in rural China. Volunteers from 5 countries worked with 30 rural teachers to put on the two-week camps. Classes were designed to supplement the regular education that children get in school by offering subjects not normally taught, such as Theater Games, Arts & Crafts, and Community Research. The classes are focused on increasing students’ self esteem, creativity, and interest in learning. RCEF also facilitates students to learn more about their rural hometowns, in an attempt to build community awareness and pride. For example, students at Nanzheng Primary School spent two class periods in a row every day doing research projects. The four groups researched (1) the history of the village wall (2) the stream in the village (3) general history of the village (4) education in the old days. Here are some excerpts from their reports on “education in the old days”:
“By surveying several elderly people we were able to learn that at that time, even though tuition was only 2 yuan, which these days is only enough to buy a meal, then it was very hard to come by. It is said this money was subsidized by the country. They had to pay for cafeteria meals which altogether came to 10 yuan. How much hard work around the clock would this require! Normally at first light they would get out of bed and go to school on foot. As soon as they got to school they would grab a book and start to read. At nine they would eat breakfast and normally would study math in the morning.”
Next, the older students researched the natural environment of the village. Annie, the volunteer who taught the science class, led them on a field trip into the nearby hills to collect plant specimens and Karen, who taught art, showed them how to draw plants and other elements of nature they observed. All in all, about 250 children benefited from the free summer camps.
Next, we are preparing for a rural teachers retreat. This will bring together rural elementary school teachers from three schools to share experiences and make action plans for the next semester. All 17 teachers from Guan Ai Elementary School, RCEF’s main program partner, are coming. For many, it’s the first time they will have left their region and we have planned trips to museums and historical sites along the way. This retreat will be a chance for the teachers to build team spirit, reflect on our common educational values, and set concrete goals for improving their teaching.
We are excited about the 2008-2009 school year. We will keep you posted on all fronts! Please continue to visit the RCEF website and blog for frequent updates! (www.ruralchina.org)
“By surveying several elderly people we were able to learn that at that time, even though tuition was only 2 yuan, which these days is only enough to buy a meal, then it was very hard to come by. It is said this money was subsidized by the country. They had to pay for cafeteria meals which altogether came to 10 yuan. How much hard work around the clock would this require! Normally at first light they would get out of bed and go to school on foot. As soon as they got to school they would grab a book and start to read. At nine they would eat breakfast and normally would study math in the morning.”
Next, the older students researched the natural environment of the village. Annie, the volunteer who taught the science class, led them on a field trip into the nearby hills to collect plant specimens and Karen, who taught art, showed them how to draw plants and other elements of nature they observed. All in all, about 250 children benefited from the free summer camps.
Next, we are preparing for a rural teachers retreat. This will bring together rural elementary school teachers from three schools to share experiences and make action plans for the next semester. All 17 teachers from Guan Ai Elementary School, RCEF’s main program partner, are coming. For many, it’s the first time they will have left their region and we have planned trips to museums and historical sites along the way. This retreat will be a chance for the teachers to build team spirit, reflect on our common educational values, and set concrete goals for improving their teaching.
We are excited about the 2008-2009 school year. We will keep you posted on all fronts! Please continue to visit the RCEF website and blog for frequent updates! (www.ruralchina.org)
Links:
Want to support this project's continued work?
Update from rural China & Result of the 2008 GES-GlobalGiving Competition!
By Diane Geng - Co-Executive Director, June 03, 2008 05:58 PM
I am pleased to announce that RCEF was one of the two winners of the 2008 GES-GlobalGiving competition! We raised US$8,275 from 116 donors. Additionally, as one of the two winners, we will also receive US$3,500 of prize money.
Our original goal was to raise US$4,000 through 100 donors. After we achieved that target, we continued to set a higher goal for ourselves, eventually finishing the campaign at more than double our original fundraising goal. This would not have been possible without your efforts and support! Thank you!
An update from the field...
RCEF's Co-Executive Director Sara Lam and Professional Development Specialist Li Guangdui are in Guizhou now starting three new RCEF sites.
Dadong Primary School:
This school runs classes from first to sixth grade and serves students from three villages. Li Guangdui taught there for one year and the principle is very eager to collaborate with him again. The principle hopes that we can support him in implementing Tao Xingzhi’s educational
approach in his school. This is an approach that combines teaching, learning and doing, and connect school with society.
Longtu Primary School:
Liang Weian, A local Dong ethnic artist would like to start up a primary school in his village. Since the old school was shut down, small children have had to walk a long distance to get the school. He wants to run the school as a Dong cultural school by integrating aspects of ethnic culture into the curriculum as well as having Dong music and dance lessons each day.
Laohuo Primary School:
This school is a single-teacher school run by Shi Chunmei, a “daike” teacher who has been teaching for eight years. When Chunmei came, she started the school in an abandoned building, which villagers had already taken over to use as a pigsty in the lower level. Over 70 students came
the first year. Probably more than half of them were overaged.Many parents, including the village head and party
secretary, kept their daughters at home to work and wouldn’t send them to school. So she went and did their farm work
for them in exchange for their daughters’ enrollment. Chunmei is also a very effective teacher. She puts a lot of thought into methods for teaching
ethnic minority children and her students have entered the central school with a very solid foundation.
Our original goal was to raise US$4,000 through 100 donors. After we achieved that target, we continued to set a higher goal for ourselves, eventually finishing the campaign at more than double our original fundraising goal. This would not have been possible without your efforts and support! Thank you!
An update from the field...
RCEF's Co-Executive Director Sara Lam and Professional Development Specialist Li Guangdui are in Guizhou now starting three new RCEF sites.
Dadong Primary School:
This school runs classes from first to sixth grade and serves students from three villages. Li Guangdui taught there for one year and the principle is very eager to collaborate with him again. The principle hopes that we can support him in implementing Tao Xingzhi’s educational
approach in his school. This is an approach that combines teaching, learning and doing, and connect school with society.
Longtu Primary School:
Liang Weian, A local Dong ethnic artist would like to start up a primary school in his village. Since the old school was shut down, small children have had to walk a long distance to get the school. He wants to run the school as a Dong cultural school by integrating aspects of ethnic culture into the curriculum as well as having Dong music and dance lessons each day.
Laohuo Primary School:
This school is a single-teacher school run by Shi Chunmei, a “daike” teacher who has been teaching for eight years. When Chunmei came, she started the school in an abandoned building, which villagers had already taken over to use as a pigsty in the lower level. Over 70 students came
the first year. Probably more than half of them were overaged.Many parents, including the village head and party
secretary, kept their daughters at home to work and wouldn’t send them to school. So she went and did their farm work
for them in exchange for their daughters’ enrollment. Chunmei is also a very effective teacher. She puts a lot of thought into methods for teaching
ethnic minority children and her students have entered the central school with a very solid foundation.
Links:
Pictures:
