China • Educational

CHINA •EDUCATION

SISTER SCHOOL PROJECT The goal of the sister school project is to compile contact information of schools in different regions of the world to provide the possibility of establishing sister school relationships. The sister school project will be accomplished through the following three components: pictures/images of schools around the world, a forum (as internet access allows) where students from different schools can discuss student life, and written correspondence between schools and students where internet access is not possible.
Huai Shu Pu Middle School
Location/Contact info:small village 50 kilometers east of Yang Chuen in the Shanxi province of China Ages of students: around 12-16 years old Number of students: about 400 Number of teachers: around 30 Number of school days per year: one month vacation in winter, about 2 months free in the summer School related activities: 70% of students live at school, since the villages are so small, students travel up to 50 kilometers to attend school. Hours of school day: often 7:30 am to 9:00 pm, 6 days/wk, students often have classes on Sundays as well Note: Because there is only place for 5-10% of the student population to attend University due to China's large population, middle and high school years are extremely intense, stressful and challenging. All Chinese students take a national test during their last year of senior high school. The student's score on this test determines whether they will be able to attend University, only the top 5-10% of scores are accepted. All Universities in China are categorized within a three tiered system: most difficult, moderate, and less competitive. Students must apply to Universities before they take the exam, so it is neccessary for them to predict their final score on the exam. Therefore, a number of students both underestimate and overestimate their final score each year, which may place them in a university which is not an ideal match.
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Baijin Middle School
Location/Contact info: small village 35 kilometers east of Yang Chuen in the Shanxi provice of China Ages of students: around 12-16 years old Number of students: about 600 Number of teachers: about 50 Number of school days per year: one month vacation in winter, about 2 months free in the summer School related activities: basketball seems to be the most popular sport at the school Hours of school day: often 7:30 am to 9:00 pm, 6 days/wk, students often have classes on Sundays as well
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The North University of China
Location/Contact info:30 kilometers northwest of Taiyuan Ages of students: 19-22 years old Number of students:about 25,000 students Number of teachers: data unavailable Number of school days per year:typical Univeristy semester schedule School related activities: all types of extra-curricular activites, basketball, ping pong, martial arts are popular among students Hours of school day: students take about 13 class hours per week, classes are held every Saturday. Outside of class,many students spend 8-10 hours a day studying.
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Ke La Xiang School (elevation of school: 4100m)
Location/Contact info: small mainly Tibetan village 30 kilometers east of Litang, Sichuan Province, China Ages of students: around 7-12 years old Number of students: about 60 Number of teachers: about 4 Subjects students learn : Mandarin Chinese, Tibetan, Math, Art, Music Hours of school day: often 7:30 am to about 4:00 pm, 6 days/wk (Saturday until 12:00pm) Click image to see more pictures Age of School: 1 year old Morning Exercises: Unlike other schools we have visited where morning exercises are more structured, here students do a traditional Tibetan dance for 15 minutes for morning exersizes.
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STUDENTS PERSPECTIVES PROJECT The student perspectives project describes personal perspectives of student life. Some topics which students may be asked to talk about are: What are some typical foods you eat at school? What do you do in your freetime? Are books provided for you? Students purchase their own books at the start of each year. What is the average age student finish school? Most students finish university at 22 years old. Describe a typical day in your life as a university student. What are the most important things in life to you? Describe a special aspect of your country's culture.


Zhao Lina and Wang Yaohua or Daisy and Zelia (English Names)
Age: 21 years old Location: North University of China Topic: Spring Festival Celebration in the north of China


EDUCATOR PERSPECTIVES PROJECT The educator perspectives project highlights the life of educators through interviews and surveys. The following are a sampling of typical questions asked: How many subjects do you teach? How do you get to work? How long is your workday? Approximately how much do you earn monthly? What level of respect does an educator hold in your country? What level of education is needed to be a teacher in your country? How many students are in your class? How do you discipline your students?

Guichun Yue (pictured right with grey shirt)
Age: 29 years old Location: small mountain village about 50 km east of Yang Chuen School: Huai Shu Pu Middle School Subject: English teacher How many subjects do you teach? One subject - English How do you get to work? Walking - She lives about 3 minutes away. How long is your workday? Yue teaches 4 English classes a day, each about 45 minutes, but the school day is from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm and she must be at school during most of these hours. Approximately how much do you earn monthly? The average yearly salary from a rural middle school teacher in the Shanxi province is 10,000 Yuan a year (about $ 1,300/year) What level of education is needed to be a teacher in your country? Teachers need to graduate from high school to be a secondary teacher. How many students are in your class? 40-50 students per class


CULTURAL MISCONCEPTIONS PROJECT The goal of our education program is to establish a platform for discussion of cross-cultural perspectives and misconceptions. Our intention is to use this platform to expose some of the cultural misconceptions that exist today, in the hopes of supporting cross-cultural understanding. To join our cultural misconceptions forum, please sign in below. We have established an area within the cultural misconceptions project where a variety of disciplines can complete specific projects relating to student perspectives. The goal of this platform is to allow cross-cultural sharing and exchange of ideas for exploring misconceptions. Visit a discipline below to see different school projects, create your own project, and sign your school up to become part of this initiative.

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SISTER SCHOOL PROJECT

STUDENTS PERSPECTIVES PROJECT

EDUCATOR PERSPECTIVES PROJECT

CULTURAL MISCONCEPTIONS PROJECT