“I don’t speak a foreign language. It’s embarrassing,” said President Obama recently.
It is embarrassing, Herr. Präsident, but it does not surprise me. You did not grow up like I did. Five different overseas schools and numerous cultures before I was 12, and then an international boarding school. My parents (with six children) were following a pay check and a conviction that world travel would give us a better life and make us global citizens with a richer appreciation of all humanity (my father made us study the language of every country we visited, because not to speak the language of your host country was quite frankly, ungebildet!). So, now you’re wondering, can I produce a copy of my birth certificate? Ja, but while it will tell you that I am a British Citizen born in Georgetown, Guyana, my husband will tell you, “She’s a multi-national with an international rolodex to be envied.”
Some people talk about preparing children for the global world, others just do it, like my parents. And like Stephen Spahn, Chancellor of the Dwight School in New York City, who has established affiliate Dwight campuses in London, Vancouver Island, and Beijing, where Dwight has a joint diploma program with China’s Capital Normal High School (CNHS), a leading provincial high school. As an International Baccalaureate leader, Spahn’s vision is to educate students to make a difference nationally and internationally. Plans are currently underway for a South Korean Dwight school launch in 2012.
“The Chinese government valued Chancellor Spahn’s international mindedness, cultural sensitivity and expertise,” explains Dianne Drew, Principal of Dwight School in New York City and Project Manager of the school in China. “They also wished to improve admissions of Chinese students to American colleges, which the Chinese consider the best universities in the world.”
Mandarin study at Dwight in New York starts as a core subject from pre-school onwards with more intensive classes available from grades eight through 12. Other curriculum offerings include Asian cultural and history studies. Each student who participates in the program in China receives a diploma based on concurrent study of a full Chinese National Curriculum and a U.S. AP curriculum. The Dwight college guidance and admissions team assists Chinese students in their application process to American colleges.
I had the pleasure of speaking further with Chancellor Spahn about his roadmap to develop world leaders.
What is your global vision?
Our global vision, as an International Baccalaureate leader, ist es, gute Beziehungen zwischen den Kulturen auf der ganzen Welt zu bauen. Wir wollen pädagogisch Integration unserer Standorte in New York, London, Peking, Vancouver Island, und Seoul in 2012. Unsere personalisierten Lernansatz entzündet einen Funken des Genies in jedem Studenten durch eine Mehrbereichs-Mentoring-System. Wir erweitern Chancen für alle Schüler und Lehrer, andere Kulturen erleben. Jedes einzelne Land Campus hat einzigartige Stärken, die mit den Schülern an den anderen Schulen geteilt werden kann. Beispielsweise, Studenten aus Korea und New York wird mit modernster Digitaltechnik ausgestattet werden; der Campus auf Vancouver Island in Kanada ist ein Modell der ökologischen Nachhaltigkeit (ein Drittel der Fakultät sind Biobauern); die London und New York Performing Arts-Programme sind gleich im ersten Jahr College-Programme.
Was waren die Herausforderungen bei der Gründung der ersten amerikanischen High-School in China?
Die erste Herausforderung bestand darin, das Vertrauen zwischen unseren Schulen zu bauen. Als wir anfingen, in 2007, Chinesische Studenten waren fast ausschließlich Prüfung ausgerichtete. We had to teach them that learning does not end with an AP exam but that it is an ongoing lifelong process. We thought that the Chinese would have a strict censorship policy. Jedoch, we discovered that all of the literary works we taught in New York were able to be taught in Beijing. We have successfully met the challenge of educating Chinese parents on the full spectrum of American universities available to their children. Sixty students are about to receive both a Dwight and a CNHS Diploma. Unsere erste Graduierung wird auf Juni stattfinden wird 10. Alle Abschluss chinesische Studenten haben zu führenden amerikanischen Universitäten zugelassen.
Was sind Ihre nächsten Schritte in Bezug auf China?
Unser Verhältnis zu unserer Schule in China wird weiterhin international Heit unter unseren Studenten und Dozenten zu fördern. Im Laufe der letzten drei Jahre, wir Lehrer Austauschmöglichkeiten, wo wir am besten Lehr- und Lernpraktiken geteilt hatte. Unsere Studenten haben Capital Normal gereist, and this summer we will send six students and one teacher to Beijing for a summer camp opportunity; they will live with CNHS families as guests of the Beijing government. Our program has been a steep but enriching learning curve for both schools. We are moving towards strengthening our ties even further as we make a joint application for the Confucius classroom program run by the Chinese government to promote language and cultural studies. We have been proud to be an instrumental part of preparing Chinese students for Western education models and for their eventual acceptance into North American colleges and universities. We equally want our students to be open to exploring China’s university education and rich culture by having more exchange opportunities in Beijing. We recognize that global sensitivity and expertise will be crucial for future success and for developing world leaders.
Why South Korea 2012?
Korea is a significant player in the Asian community from an educational and economic standpoint. Dwight was selected from a review of over 100 leading schools around the world to be the International Baccalaureate model for the Korean educational system. 540 Studenten, grades K-12, will be enrolled starting September 2012. We will also act as the regional center for all the IB schools in Korea. The Dwight International School Seoul is being built by the Seoul municipal government. With the opening of the new campus in September 2012, the school in Seoul will offer training programs for IB teachers and will be the center to share IB best practices with interested Korean schools.
World Wisdom — An excerpt borrowed from Chancellor Spahn’s Chinese graduation speech:
“School is a place that is built on dreams. Dreams where each individual is encouraged to blaze a path where none existed. School is a place that is never stuck in the past, but always honors tradition. It is a place that embraces innovation with all its different and difficult challenges. Es ist ein Ort, der Teamwork und Kameradschaft ehrt, aber immer noch durch seine eigenen einzigartigen Weg führt jeden Einzelnen. Herausforderung zum Traum – um den Mut zum Risiko haben – um eine Person des Handelns sein – Servicezähler machen – jeden unversöhnliche Minute füllen mit 60 Sekunden im Wert von Streckenlauf – anerkennen wir nur 24 Stunden in jedem Tag und wir sollten sie in einer Weise nutzen, die uns stolz machen und pflegen unsere Funke des Genies, um eine bessere Welt zu schaffen.”
In Die globale Suche nach Bildung, beitreten C.M. Rubin und weltweit renommierten Vordenkern wie Sir Michael Barber (Vereinigtes Königreich), DR. Leon Botstein (US), DR. Linda Hammond-Liebling (US), DR. Madhav Chavan (Indien), Professor Michael Fullan (Kanada), Professor Howard Gardner (US), Professor Yvonne Hellman (Niederlande), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norwegen), Professor Rose Hipkins (Neuseeland), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Kanada), Frau. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgien), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgien), Professor Hugh Lauder (Vereinigtes Königreich), Professor Ben Levin (Kanada), Professor Barry McGaw (Australien), Sridhar Rajagopalan (Indien), Sir Ken Robinson (Vereinigtes Königreich), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finnland), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), DR. David Shaffer (US), Kanzler Stephen Spahn (US), Yves Theze (Lycee Francais US), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Kanada), Professor Tony Wagner (US), Professor Dylan Wiliam (Vereinigtes Königreich), Professor Theo Wubbels (Niederlande), Professor Michael Young (Vereinigtes Königreich), und Professor Zhang Minxuan (China) wie sie das große Bild Bildung Fragen, die alle Nationen heute konfrontiert erkunden. Die Global Search for Education Community-Seite
C. M. Rubin ist der Autor von zwei weit Lese Online-Serie für den sie eine 2011 Upton Sinclair Auszeichnung, “Die globale Suche nach Bildung” und “Wie werden wir gelesen?” Sie ist auch der Autor von drei Bestseller-Bücher, Inklusive The Real Alice im Wunderland.
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