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May 26, 2015

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The value of a dual perspective: Inside the classroom with Shanghai’s co-teachers

An international group of Kindergarten students in Shanghai recently took a trip around the world. The children traveled to Vietnam, Finland, and Australia, all without stepping a foot outside of their classroom. The Kindergarteners embarked on their “journey” around their classroom with their two teachers, Andrea Barney and Michelle Wang. Together, the teachers taught their students about the customs of the people from the countries they “visited” in their own native language, with Andrea speaking in English while Michelle spoke in Chinese. The teachers even pinpointed the “locations” on a map and encouraged the children to write the countries’ names in both English and Chinese characters. In only one lesson, the young children had an experience in geography, culture, and language through co-teaching.

Although you have likely heard the term “co-teaching” before, it can be a difficult concept to visualize if you have not experienced it firsthand. Dr Marilyn Friend, a co-teaching expert and professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, defines the teaching model as, “two or more teachers delivering instruction at the same time in the same physical space to a heterogeneous group of students.” Andrea and Michelle, co-teachers at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai’s (YCIS) Regency Park campus, partner together to educate international students at YCIS daily. Through a unique co-teaching model like the one offered at YCIS, students gain language skills, cultural competency, and a further understanding of their core lessons.

Two teachers, one partnership

The concept of two teachers in one classroom can take shape in a variety of models, including guest collaborations and rotational learning. However, at YCIS, co-teaching is truly a partnership. In every Kindergarten and Primary classroom, two fully qualified teachers, one international and one Chinese, work together to instruct children in their daily lessons. Elizabeth Randall, Early Childhood Education (ECE) superintendent explains, “The Chinese and International co-teachers of each class are equal partners in the classroom, and they exchange understanding and information about the children in their care. Together, they collaboratively plan and teach content and implement activities, and each takes a lead in planning and implementing the English and Chinese language respectively. The co-teacher’s relationship also includes regular sharing and reflecting upon the outcomes of the learning for each child.”

When two teachers, from two different backgrounds, come together to carefully plan and implement daily lessons, amazing things happen for students. From increasing their language acquisition and building cultural intelligence, to strengthening fundamental class learning, students at YCIS are part of a true and culturally diverse co-teaching environment that yields a myriad of benefits, which they will use on their journeys from being international students of today, to the globally-minded future leaders of tomorrow.

To gain a further understanding of what a true co-teaching partnership looks like, co-teachers from YCIS’s Regency Park and Century Park campuses share some experiences from their daily lessons:

 

Language development

“We provide bilingual learning environments for our Primary students throughout their daily school life. We use both English and Chinese instructions in mathematics, topic, and class assemblies, and key vocabulary is shared in both languages to enhance the quality of instruction. As a result, our students are fully engaged in bilingually-focused lessons, helping them expand their vocabulary and develop their innate understanding of both languages.”

— Ryan Kravalis and Sissy Shen, Year 3

 

“In Kindergarten, we do a ‘bilingual circle” every day using English and Chinese. The children enjoy listening to stories and singing songs in both languages. Many of our very young children are already beginning to recognize the difference between English and Chinese characters.”

— Jackie Picon and Stacey Zhang, Kindergarten 2 (2-year-olds)

 

Core lesson reinforcement

“Our co-teaching lessons are filled with hands-on activities. In maths, our lessons are structured with a mini-lesson at the beginning where we teach a concept in both English and Chinese, ensuring the children’s understanding in both languages. Next, they break out into small groups and rotate through various activities where they complete related worksheets, play learning games, and explore the concept further with each teacher. The children love to explain their mathematical thinking in both English and Chinese.”

— Jennifer Stains and Joyce Gao, Year 1

“During our lessons, for example in topic and science, our students need to become familiar with an array of new vocabulary. Having a partner to explain the terms in multiple ways and in two languages solidifies the understanding for students. For example, we recently learned about sounds that are created through vibrations. With the help of experiments and instruction in both English and Chinese, the children made predictions and came to conclusions all on their own, as well as heightened their comprehension of scientific terms and concepts in both languages,”

— Cathal Grimes and Rowling Miao, Year 5

 

Cultural competency

“As part of providing our students with a global mindset, we open their minds by featuring a number of different worldwide cultures in their learning, including their host country of China. As one example, our students recently learned about various ethnic groups in China in their Chinese studies lesson. To complement their studies, we did a co-teaching lesson on the costumes of different ethnic groups from around the world, allowing our students to broaden their understanding of China and other cultures. Students enjoyed designing and sharing their own costumes with their fellow classmates. It was also a privilege for us to showcase the clothing of our respective countries, India and China, and the students benefited by learning more about cultural traditions from around the world.”

— Sandra D’Souza and Linda Zheng, Year 3

 

“As co-teachers, our job is to work together to provide students with a variety of learning experiences, including role-modeling and appreciation and respect for cultural diversity. Our unique co-cultural model promotes international understanding, respect for all, and a sense of support and care in a multicultural community for our students.”

— Jennifer Chan and Sissy Shen, Primary co-teaching facilitators




 

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