Canadian school preps students to be global citizens

Offering a wide array of language programs and internationally recognized courses, the Canadian International School of Beijing aims to cultivate "a cross-cultural understanding" among its students, said school Chairman Francis Pang.

Founded in 2005, the school now has 1,200 students representing more than 50 countries and regions around the world.

The school has an educational system that includes a Montessori preschool for children as young as 18 months as well as a full K-12 program. It offers multilingual instruction in such languages as English, Chinese, French and Korean.

The curriculum is well rounded to equip students with the academic, social and personal skills that will be vital to their success, said the chairman.

"We are trying to provide the best education to prepare them to be future global citizens," he said.

The school is authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization, a globally recognized education program for students aged 3 to 19.

Known as IB for short, it helps develop their intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills, preparing them to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

Pang said that the school already has the IB Diploma Program for 16 to 19-year-olds, which enables students to gain early admission and scholarships from the world's leading universities.

It will soon implement the Primary Years Program and the Middle Year Program, making it a full IB school for children of all ages covered by the program.

The program can help international students "seamlessly resume their courses" as they move from one country to another, Pang said.

"When a student is transferring from Beijing to Bangkok, he goes to a Bangkok IB school, and he finds the curriculum is the same," Pang explained.

"And when a student comes from the Bangkok IB school to Beijing, he can just come to us, and we know his background exactly."

The school encourages its students to compete in various international mathematics and science competitions, to make students and teachers "aware that they have to be the best", said the chairman.

When the students graduate, they receive an IB diploma and a Canadian diploma at the same time.

"So when they are applying to universities, they certainly have advantages, coming from a system that has two of the world's most-recognized diplomas available," said Douglas Prescott, president of the school.

Beside languages, science, humanities and business courses, the school is proud of its many extra-curricular activities, including programs for Chinese painting, visual arts and martial arts, as well as sports lessons, such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, swimming, badminton and cross-country running.

CISB organizes a comprehensive summer camp that includes academics as well as arts, sports, traditional Chinese culture and field trips that could include visits to companies and factories.

"We emphasize not only academic lessons but also our students' comprehensive development," said Pang. "With our programs, we allow the students to be well prepared for wherever they are going in the future."

Located near the embassy area, the school has a highly qualified faculty, most of whom have more than two degrees, and advanced facilities.

It is the first school in Beijing to incorporate the Smartboard system in each classroom. Composed of an interactive whiteboard, a computer and a projector, the system allows teachers and students to interact with content projected on the whiteboard by touching or writing directly on it.

The teachers upload their lesson plans to a website every day, where parents monitor what their children are learning.

In addition, CISB has "more reasonable" tuition fees compared with many other international schools, Pang said.

The school was granted the C21 Canada Shifting Minds School Award in February by Canadians for 21st Century Learning and Innovation, a nationwide non-profit organization made up of Canadian education organizations and knowledge-sector companies.

CISB now has two campuses in Beijing and is planning to open new schools in many cities across China, including campuses in Chongqing, Changsha, Harbin and Dongguan.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/08/2013 page17)