Job Discussion Forums

[senor boogie woogie]

Hola!

I would like to know what "experimental" means, as in Hangzhou No. 3 EXPERIMENTAL school. Usually Experimental schools are primary schools, but high schools can also be this.

Does an experimental school try to do new and different things with the students that is not done in a more traditional setting? What does experimental mean?

Senor

[Sinobear]

Experimental does indeed mean that they are chosen to "test" various teaching methods that are on the table for legislation. My Experimental School is having a big whoop-de-doo to celebrate its realization of their goals in the outlined "English Reforms".
I found that these schools do two things that make them "Experimental": They hire FTs and experiment with them - so if all goes wrong from (gasp!) mismanagment or (gosh!) misappropriation of funds - they can blame the foreigner and no one loses face; and, after working in one of these places for a short time, you will definitely be mental!
Mgmt to moi, "Mr. Bear, please teach your students something appropriate for their level for the dada whoop-di-doodoo next month."
Moi to Mgmt, "No problem. I'm on it."
A worthy topic was chosen (world geography, capitals, currency - all explained and translated for them). For three weeks the students were drilled...I meant encouraged to remember their assigned country and little factoid. I got every student to at least be able to mumble something coherently.
Day of the practice.
Mgmt to moi, "Mr. Bear, we think it is better if your students sing. They will sing."
Moi to Mgmt, "Why you underhanded little (expletives deleted)."
So, they will talk of achieving their goals as outlined in the reforms while I listen to 2300 students sing 'Old MacDonald has a fahm', 'Que Sera Sera(!!!!!!)', and 'Little Blue Aeroplane' for two hours tomorrow.

Thanks for asking.

[Giantbudwiser]

It means they have an excuse to charge their students more

[Old Dog]

I think the Big Beer has it. I've been in and seen the products of quite a number of Experimental schools. For the life of me, I can't see what they do that's different from elsewhere - except that, in this town, all the worthies and those with bright kids try to get them into the experimental schools. As one would expect, they turn out a nice product if the raw material is bright. I haven't inquired about the level of fees but my guess is that the market rules with the demand for places that exists.

[Roger]

Cynicism is no doubt warranted to a large extent but not all the time. Basically, experimental schools are freed from the tight leash that binds other schools to the directives that govern other schools. In effect, it's a teach-as-can while the objectives are the same; if the personnel have been trained and/or educated in an unorthodox fashion they will pass on their more successful learning experiences on to their new students. Most principals and teachers won't have esxperimental education themselves, so they will cling to their traditional box-thinking. IT will be the materials and the infrastructure that will be experimented with - different books and a different look
The first time i saw an experimental school I was impressed; it was catering to young learners destined to move on to Hong Kong. I had to give a trial lesson. Unfortunately, those assessing me were CHinese classical class teachers and a principal who understood not a word of English...
Needless to say I flunked.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

I went to an "experimental" school in Canada during my primary years.

I had the same teacher for Grades 2, 3 and 4. I loved that class and loved the teacher, too.

I was supposed to have her for Grade 5, but the experiment was this:

Pull half the kids who had the teacher out of the class and give them a male teacher. Then see if the change in environment affects their academic performances.

It did, but I'm not sure why.

I always blamed the change in my "going down the wrong path" into high school. Maybe I could sue the School Board or something...

Although I turned out pretty well after Grade 11, so maybe not...

[no_exit]

I teach at an "experimental" high school. The school is apparently half funded by the state and half privately funded. Half the kids are paying large sums of money to go there, and the other half were tested and chosen to attend for being the best and the brightest. The gifted half pays the same tuition they would pay at a normal middle school.

The biggest difference seems to be the facilities. Every single classroom has a computer with internet access which is hooked up to a huge television so the teachers can give multimedia presentations, or show the kids CCTV9 and foreign movies in class. It isn't a foreign language school, but grades Junior 1 and Senior 1 have foreign teachers come and do oral English lessons once a week as a supplement to their regular English classes. There is also a very nice gym with a swimming pool, a huge art center with drawing and dance studios, and nicely landscaped courtyards all over the campus. The teachers also supposedly have been picked from all over the country, not just local teacher's colleges like most middle schools here.

I haven't really noticed anything particularly experimental about the teaching methodology, although perhaps the school would give the teachers more freedom to experiment if they wanted to. Like others said, I don't think most Chinese teachers know how to think outside the box, so asking them to use experimental approaches is probably a bit pointless unless they are really motivated to go out and study up different methods and such.

[meiqiao73]

hey there,

I currently teach at an "experimental" university here in Hangzhou. It's connected to Zhejiang University of Sciences, and most of the small staff are former teachers from Hangzhou University (now Zhejiang U).

Basically, though, for this year it is a "school" only in theory. Appears they didn't finish the actual school before we started classes this year, so we "borrowed" about 500 freshmen from the public university and teach them separately from the other student body. On the teaching side, all I can tell that's different is that they receive 2-4 extra hours of English class than the rest of the students. But at the end of this year they will return to ZU of Sciences and be plain sophmores again. (Talk about false starts)

We took a tour of the new private university a few weeks back and it is about 20% finished. I have my doubts if it will be ready for next fall, but after watching construction sites around town I expect anything's possible.

On the work side, it is pretty strange. We get our pay from a local (private) property developer, and it seems that this company will be the major source of funding for the (private) school when it finally takes off. We also live in apartments owned by the company, not the University. And although we work and teach on the public U's campus, there is a real effort to separate us from the rest of the normal? teachers there, which kinda sucks sociably. Our offices are separate, and there is an aura of secrecy involved (hence I spill my guts here on Dave's, but refrain from mentioning the actual name of our university, which is officially "secret" even from the students). Still, the pay is good and on time, the apartment is off campus and it's 16 hours a week with three day weekends and paid vacations, etc, etc.

It sounds like it will be a fully private University (i.e. a school rich students who cant make it into a public school), with the connection between the school and the parent public university solely for the government's sake and to lend some street credibility.

Naturally I found all this out after I arrived here and on my own initiative. It could have been hell, but for China this has been a pretty soft landing.

Sorry so long.
So long.