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Foreign kids join festive fun
January 26, 2011, Wednesday
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EVEN non-Chinese children in Shanghai are getting ready for the forthcoming Spring Festival fun. Ewa Manthey and Marianna Tzaerli explain how schools with an internationally diverse range of students are marking the distinctly Chinese celebration.
Chinese lunar New Year is almost here and the international schools in Shanghai are keeping students busy with preparations for this major event. Whether its being taught the language or learning about traditional music and performance, students are encouraged from a young age to participate and engage with Chinese culture.
Some of these schools shared with us the specific ways in which they achieve an understanding within their multicultural educational environment.
Eva Xu, Shanghai Rego International Schools' head of Mandarin, explains the importance of Mandarin-language classes. She said that they "form an integral part of the school curriculum with daily Mandarin classes for primary students and a unique Mother Tongue Program based on carefully selected material that enables our students to study their own language in greater depth."
Shanghai Singapore International School offers a unique Chinese-language program in which students are divided into three different levels according to their knowledge and ability. In this banding model, the program is very much tailored to meet each student's individual learning needs and support their ongoing progress, according to SSIS.
In the Western International School of Shanghai, Mandarin courses integrate Chinese culture therefore students are able to examine Chinese traditions, values and beliefs in context.
Emphasis on reading Mandarin from primary school is given to students by the British International School Shanghai.
"Creating interest is the best way for children to learn. Competitions and games are often used in my Mandarin classes. We use many different methods to help students enhance their reading ability, step by step," said BISS. Reading challenges is another way to help students accumulate a fair amount of words in class and a week during the term was dedicated to reading.
Chinese curriculum at the Shanghai United International School aims to guide students to learn the essence of Chinese culture and to have a better understanding of Chinese culture.
Music and performance plays an important part in integrating Chinese culture within the schools.
Music lessons at Rego focuses mainly on Chinese traditional music through the exploration of Chinese instruments and singing Mandarin songs.
Two years ago, six senior students from Dulwich College Shanghai established the Chinese Percussion Collective. They created their own beats taking inspiration from traditional Chinese music as well as contemporary foreign music. The girl group was joined by Audrey Yeah to perform at the annual school lunar New Year performance on Monday. Tan Yongjun, a Year 12 IB program student and a talented yangqin (hammer dulcimer) player, also performed several traditional pieces of music.
At SSIS, a Chinese cultural program is designed in order to provide students with the opportunity to explore and experience China. One of the aspects that the program consists of is a traditional Chinese orchestra. The instruments played in the orchestra include erhu (two-string fiddle), pipa (Chinese lute), guzheng (plucked zither), dizi (Chinese flute) and the dulcimer. The Chinese orchestra is an important part of a very vibrant music department at SSIS.
At the Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, in addition to the Chinese culture theoretical classes, students are also given an opportunity for hands-on activities. Chinese culture elements are integrated into daily language teaching.
Through the culture trips, students can learn about everything from tapioca in pearl milk tea found at every corner of Shanghai to the process of putting together shadow play shows.
"Being able to visualize what was described in the book makes the characters more alive and has given me an insight into the lifestyle of that time," said YCIS Shanghai Year 13 student Nicole. "The field trip has made it easier for me to understand the details of the characters' personalities and how their environment reveals their behaviors."
At Concordia International School Shanghai, the lunar New Year's celebrations will begin with its students performing the traditional dragon and lion dance. Fifteen volunteer high school students and their physical education teacher, Miguel Carreon, with the help of a master performer, have spent one month training for the performance.
"Jinqiao is like little-America, this was a way for us to experience an authentic piece of Chinese culture," said one of the Concordia students, Sarah Bieniek.
Major festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival are celebrated throughout Rego with specially laid on events such as the annual Chinese New Year show and the making of tangyuan (dumpling made of glutinous rice).
The upcoming Spring Festival will also be celebrated in Shanghai American School. Students are going to learn new vocabulary and festival customs and traditions.
They will also have an opportunity to make dumplings, lanterns and guess the traditional riddles. In addition to the lion and dragon dance, students will also enjoy the performance of acrobats, Peking Opera and kung fu.
The year 2011 has found students quite busy with all these activities which not only help them cultivate their interest in Chinese culture but also help them respect and appreciate different cultures from other parts of the world as well as prepare them to live in an inter-cultural reality.
Chinese lunar New Year is almost here and the international schools in Shanghai are keeping students busy with preparations for this major event. Whether its being taught the language or learning about traditional music and performance, students are encouraged from a young age to participate and engage with Chinese culture.
Some of these schools shared with us the specific ways in which they achieve an understanding within their multicultural educational environment.
Eva Xu, Shanghai Rego International Schools' head of Mandarin, explains the importance of Mandarin-language classes. She said that they "form an integral part of the school curriculum with daily Mandarin classes for primary students and a unique Mother Tongue Program based on carefully selected material that enables our students to study their own language in greater depth."
Shanghai Singapore International School offers a unique Chinese-language program in which students are divided into three different levels according to their knowledge and ability. In this banding model, the program is very much tailored to meet each student's individual learning needs and support their ongoing progress, according to SSIS.
In the Western International School of Shanghai, Mandarin courses integrate Chinese culture therefore students are able to examine Chinese traditions, values and beliefs in context.
Emphasis on reading Mandarin from primary school is given to students by the British International School Shanghai.
"Creating interest is the best way for children to learn. Competitions and games are often used in my Mandarin classes. We use many different methods to help students enhance their reading ability, step by step," said BISS. Reading challenges is another way to help students accumulate a fair amount of words in class and a week during the term was dedicated to reading.
Chinese curriculum at the Shanghai United International School aims to guide students to learn the essence of Chinese culture and to have a better understanding of Chinese culture.
Music and performance plays an important part in integrating Chinese culture within the schools.
Music lessons at Rego focuses mainly on Chinese traditional music through the exploration of Chinese instruments and singing Mandarin songs.
Two years ago, six senior students from Dulwich College Shanghai established the Chinese Percussion Collective. They created their own beats taking inspiration from traditional Chinese music as well as contemporary foreign music. The girl group was joined by Audrey Yeah to perform at the annual school lunar New Year performance on Monday. Tan Yongjun, a Year 12 IB program student and a talented yangqin (hammer dulcimer) player, also performed several traditional pieces of music.
At SSIS, a Chinese cultural program is designed in order to provide students with the opportunity to explore and experience China. One of the aspects that the program consists of is a traditional Chinese orchestra. The instruments played in the orchestra include erhu (two-string fiddle), pipa (Chinese lute), guzheng (plucked zither), dizi (Chinese flute) and the dulcimer. The Chinese orchestra is an important part of a very vibrant music department at SSIS.
At the Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, in addition to the Chinese culture theoretical classes, students are also given an opportunity for hands-on activities. Chinese culture elements are integrated into daily language teaching.
Through the culture trips, students can learn about everything from tapioca in pearl milk tea found at every corner of Shanghai to the process of putting together shadow play shows.
"Being able to visualize what was described in the book makes the characters more alive and has given me an insight into the lifestyle of that time," said YCIS Shanghai Year 13 student Nicole. "The field trip has made it easier for me to understand the details of the characters' personalities and how their environment reveals their behaviors."
At Concordia International School Shanghai, the lunar New Year's celebrations will begin with its students performing the traditional dragon and lion dance. Fifteen volunteer high school students and their physical education teacher, Miguel Carreon, with the help of a master performer, have spent one month training for the performance.
"Jinqiao is like little-America, this was a way for us to experience an authentic piece of Chinese culture," said one of the Concordia students, Sarah Bieniek.
Major festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival and Dragon Boat Festival are celebrated throughout Rego with specially laid on events such as the annual Chinese New Year show and the making of tangyuan (dumpling made of glutinous rice).
The upcoming Spring Festival will also be celebrated in Shanghai American School. Students are going to learn new vocabulary and festival customs and traditions.
They will also have an opportunity to make dumplings, lanterns and guess the traditional riddles. In addition to the lion and dragon dance, students will also enjoy the performance of acrobats, Peking Opera and kung fu.
The year 2011 has found students quite busy with all these activities which not only help them cultivate their interest in Chinese culture but also help them respect and appreciate different cultures from other parts of the world as well as prepare them to live in an inter-cultural reality.
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