Head of School's Message: February 1
A delegation of twelve elementary public school teachers, university and school administrators from Shanghai visited the lower school for two hours on Friday to learn about Chandler’s K-5 curriculum and teaching methods.
The group spent an hour touring classrooms before participating in a seminar with Lower School Director Gayle Cole, 3rd Grade Teacher Shelby Montevirgen, 4th Grade Teacher Hannah Ross, and Lower School Tech Integration Specialist Kimberly Marlow.
During the classroom tours, the Chinese visitors were surprised at how well Chandler students worked together at their fourth-grade math stations. The Chinese are accustomed to teacher-centered methods with students sitting in rows in Shanghai rather than clustered in groups. Much to the students delight, no translation was needed as the group literally ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ when they entered a first grade classroom and saw Kimberly Marlow teaching basic computer coding on the ipads. “We have nothing like this,” said a school principal through one of the interpreters.
The tour continued in the kindergarten classes. One of the members of the delegation, the head of an educational research institute in Shanghai, said that our kindergarten students learned more language at ages five or six than their counterparts in China where basic language instruction does not begin until seven.
Caroline Birnie’s second grade students sitting in a circle discussing how they felt when one of their classmates makes a poor choice intrigued the group. “I am not happy,” said one boy, “because when my friend makes a poor choice he has to stay back for recess, and I can’t play with him.” The students discussed ways in which they can help each other make good choices. “The classes are too big to do this in Shanghai,” said one of the visiting teachers.
After the classroom visits, Chandler faculty talked with the delegation about curriculum development, school sponsored professional growth, and ways in which student learning is assessed.
Shelby Montevirgen sparked particular cross-cultural interest when she talked about using Confucian philosophy in her approach to character education. She teaches empathy to her third grade students with a quote from Confucius, “When in the presence of someone greater than you, turn your gaze without and try to emulate that person. When in the presence of a weaker person turn your gaze within, and find the weakness within you to improve.” We discussed how teaching character adds value to a challenging independent school program.
Following their visit to Chandler the group was heading to Palo Alto and a tour of Stanford. Opportunities to meet with educators from other parts of the world help affirm our strengths, establish connections to benefit our faculty and students, and broaden our global understanding.
Most sincerely,
John Finch
Head of School
