Learning through
partnership
A visit to Shanhu Experiment Kindergarten,
Chongqing
November 2012
Some contextual information
O Local Authority-maintained nursery school
O St Helens
O Population predominantly white British
O Very small but regular cohort of children with English
as an additional language – particularly Chinese
O Self-evaluation suggested greater need to raise
children’s awareness of diversity, in a meaningful way
O In 2012, invited by a colleague to participate in the
establishment of a partnership with schools in
Chongqing – to be supported by The British Council.
Questions
O How old are children when they start
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school?
Are there any nurseries? If so, what are they
like?
What is regarded as the early years
curriculum?
What does the school day look like?
What do the classrooms have in them?
What training do teachers get?
Our visit
O Six headteachers from schools in St Helens
O Organised by ourselves, with funding from
The British Council
O Travel – from Manchester to Beijing via
Amsterdam
O Two days’ stay in Beijing – cultural visit to
The Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, The
Forbidden City (and some shopping…)
O Five days in Chongqing
Visit schedule
O Daily visit to one or both of two
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kindergartens
Observation of teaching in a primary school
Performance of dance and drumming
Cultural visits to historic buildings, museum,
and market
Celebration dinner and formal agreement
signing ceremony
Our linked kindergartens
O Headteacher of two kindergartens – Miss
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Zhu Zhongmei – similar to executive head
Children attend from 8.00am to 5.30pm
Children admitted at 3 years old until 7
years old (before transferring to primary
school)
Children stay all day – all sleep for a time in
the afternoon
These kindergartens are ‘experiment’
kindergarten – leading innovative practice
What did our new friends want to
know about early education in St
Helens?
O See slide 4!
In particular…
O Interest in English early years pedagogy
O Focus on classroom and learning
environment
O Perception of English pedagogy as having
‘love for the child’ – (child at its heart)
O More play, and more independence for
children…the ‘experiment’ kindergartens
have been given permission to develop this
What we found out about early years
teacher training in China
O All graduates
O All have to be able to play a musical
instrument, sing and dance
O All trainee teachers learn English – ability to
speak English is greatly valued
O New teachers are aged around 22 when
they start work
O Young teachers earn the equivalent of
around £5000 per annum
Martial arts dance…
Children’s daily experiences
O Early start – 8.00am
O whole-school
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dance/movement sessions
Differentiated for age
familiar, patriotic songs
Wider community hears –
public address system
All teachers know the
regular pattern of dance
movements and can lead
the session
Around 150 children at a
time
Classroom provision
O Tables, arranged formally
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– six to eight seats
Shelving around
perimeter
Baskets containing
resources
Children provided with
materials for set activity
Stylised images
Routines
O Children all sleep after
lunch – bunk beds
O teachers work during this
time, eg, on computer
O Teachers serve children
with lunch – very
organised and orderly
O Children respond to
instructions – high
standard of behaviour
Relationships with parents
O Contrast with England –
emphasis is upon promoting
children’s respect for their
parents
O Assumption that parents are
already engaged in sharing
their children’s learning
O Parents have only one child
– teachers believe this
results in strong sense of
‘protectiveness’ – all cuts
queried, no matter how
small!
The move towards a more
‘English’ approach
O Teachers at
kindergarten wish to
develop an approach
closer to that in
England
O ‘love for the child’
O More play; activities
designed to promote
learning through play
Valued skills….
O Counting
O Writing
O Drawing - detailed
O Learning by rote
O Physical movement
O Music
O Good behaviour!
Display of children’s work
O Tends to be ordered – in
lines, to show off pieces
of work
O Drawings very detailed
O Classroom displays are
often of stylised images
rather than photographs
or objects
Particular points of interest
O No children in class who had Special
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Educational Needs
No real differentiation – teaching is same
for whole class
Much teaching delivered as whole class
lesson
Teachers’ own professional development
seen as very important
Teachers’ own well-being seen as important,
eg, provision of Tai Chi classes
Our ongoing partnership
O Visit to St Helens in 2013 – further visit to St
Helens in June 2014
O Visit to Chongqing planned – October 2014
O Formal agreement between each partner
school, and between local
Government/Education officials in
Chongqing and in St Helens – St Helens LA
fully committed at Council level
O Focus to be on mathematics teaching and
learning