All Videos Tagged stubbs (Classroom 2.0) - Classroom 2.0

Guiyang Primary School Math Class, China

2009-01-09T20:56:46.319Z

A peek into a math class in China.

Welcome to Guiyang Primary School

2009-01-07T23:27:28.553Z

This was our greeting at the elementary school in China!

Inside a Classroom at Guiyang Experimental High School #3

2008-12-27T18:28:51.954Z

The teacher was very enthusiastic and engaging, and the students giggled in response to what she shared. One student stood to share what he’d written in his workbook, but it was predominately teacher directed. I respected her command of the class. Some of the students had a few trinkets or stuffed animals. I wonder if some of the stuffed animals were from home, as most of the students stay at dormitories from Monday – Friday.

There were 54 students in the class. The kids themselves were just kids. Some were shy. They giggled. Some wanted their pictures taken; others looked away. They wore Nike’s, Converse, and regular tennis shoes like those that we’d see in the states. They did wear uniforms and matching coats, but it looks like the students were wearing their own sweaters underneath. Three layers, at least, to stay warm in the very cold rooms.

Overall, the classroom represented conformity and structure. The teacher directed the lesson, and I didn’t see any independent thought. There was little student interaction, and no small group discussion.

Class Begins at Guiyang Experimental High School #3

2008-12-27T18:26:59.299Z

This is video from a Chinese class. It was fascinating. The teacher was on a stage at the front of the room, in an official looking coat. The students sat close to one another in rigid rows, in their matching uniforms. All of the students, 100% , were actively engaged in the lesson, which was completely teacher directed. I did not see one student daydreaming. The closest thing to being off task was one little girl who was twirling her pen while she watched and listened to the teacher. There was very little student involvement beyond choral recitation. The class started with the bell, which was a musical melody rather than a bell. Students stood and recited a greeting to their teacher in unison to commence the class. She responded to their group chant. The teacher played music as part of the lesson, and projected a PowerPoint to the music on the screen. The PowerPoint had lots of moving graphics with some text, but not the text-filled slides that I see so often in my experiences. The PowerPoint was not connected to the Internet and I couldn’t tell if it was available in the room. I believe that this music and PowerPoint was part of a story that matched their workbooks. Students followed along in their books, as she taught and wrote on the chalkboard. There was an unused SmartBoard in the classroom, pushed to the side of the class. The classroom had a speaker sound system.

Dr. Kari Stubbs meets Roger at Guiyang Experimental Highschool #3

2008-12-27T18:25:05.844Z

After the exercises ended, I had one of my most memorable experiences of this trip! I was mobbed by a group of girls. They were part of the same pack that I’d seen on the earlier 10 minute break. One girl introduced herself to me. In English, her name is Roger. Roger touched me in a very special way. She told me how beautiful I was and how pleased she was to meet me. She asked if I liked her school and her culture. I was able to capture a short interview with her on my video camera. After we taped it, I played it back to the group of a dozen girls. They were all crowded around me, giggling with their hands to their faces, and amazed. Roger then invited me to visit her class. She answered questions about school in China, and then we exchanged addresses and phone numbers. I told the group that I’d been in China for 5 days and that I liked their culture. I asked about their school. Roger lives 17 kilometers from the school, and studies politics, math, civics. She is with the same set of teachers for two years. Their school doesn’t have lockers, and they keep their supplies in the classrooms. I told Roger and her friends that their school was very large and beautiful. She said that the number one school in the area was much larger. The break was nearly over, and I asked if I could please give her a hug. The sense of warmth, love, and admiration that washed over me was indescribable. She gave me the sweetest hug, while her little friends stood around smiling, and giggling. Then I received a flood of hugs from the girls. Some individual hugs, some group hugs… they were so genuinely pleased to have spent a few minutes with me talking about their school. I’ve never felt such instant love from a group of strangers in my life. The experience brought me to tears. I do hope that I can stay in touch with sweet Roger.