Student trips provide a collection of incredible learning experiences
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I started in my role as a Design & Technology Teacher at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai this year, and I was excited to participate in my first “Education Outside of the Classroom” trip with the school this November to Guizhou Province in southwestern China.
Through EOTC, students have the opportunity to travel to different regions in China, while making direct connections to their coursework at school. Prior to the trip, each department works together to plan a variety of activities related to the learning involved during each journey. Our Guizhou trip, for example, was tied to local Chinese culture and history, and included a great deal of charitable work, something that is at the heart of the YCIS community.
From the moment we landed in Guizhou, the students were already helping me by using their advanced Chinese language skills to help me buy snacks. We then made our way to our first activity, a batik workshop where the students learned the basic techniques of this traditional art style, which involves dyeing cloth in decorative patterns using wax.
The next day, we hiked to the village where we would stay for the next three nights. The hike itself was fantastic, and as we crossed streams, went over hills, and even sighted a few water buffalo, I kept thinking to myself, “Are we really here?” When we arrived in the village, we met the families we would be staying with. Separating into groups of three, we each stayed in different village dwellings, from the local shop to a farmer’s home. The various accommodations provided each student, and staff as well, a truly unique experience.
Throughout our stay in the village, we all participated in several community service projects, including helping to build a drainage system for the mountain road. We also visited a local school where the students taught English and played games with the children there. Students even helped several elders in the village till the corn for feed for livestock. The students also participated in several cultural activities. We learned how to fish through the paddy fields (fascinating despite the temperature), learned how to make dumplings, and had a history lesson at a museum in Guizhou.
Through EOTC trips, students develop a global perspective and have cultural experiences that they probably never would have had the chance to do elsewhere.
For me, the whole trip was incredibly interesting, and I also loved getting to know the students on a different level. They got to bond with their classmates, too, while having the chance to be independent, an important thing for high school students.
This spring I will be visiting India with a group of students on a YCIS “World Classroom” trip. I can’t wait to lead our students through yet another unique cultural experience, this time internationally.
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