Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, once said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.".
In the ever-changing 21st century, exploring the vast universe has become the primary task and mission of mankind.
In the new era with rapid development of science and technology, Ardingly College Zhongshan, not only aims to develop our students into world citizens, but also shouldering the important mission of developing future education.
Space Dreams Tailored for Different Children
What does space mean to children?
Is it the vast sea of stars or unknown life?
This activity will allow children to get closer to their own space dream!
Committed to the future of education, Ardingly College Zhongshan has a unique educational philosophy, taking inspiration from the IB framework, a research-based curriculum, and an excellent teaching and academic team.
In this activity, our team of teachers will design a space exploration based on Inquiry based teaching. Our activities are infused with music and dancing, we then move on to active reading of our space related book, we move on to team games and activities, and finish with our STEAM activity. Through this transdisciplinary activity children's curiosity will be fully stimulated. Through our immersive bilingual classes and guided play, they will build up their space related knowledge through play based and inquiry learning, all while being supported by our professional teachers.
We believe that every child is unique. As educators, we need to explore the potential of children, and provide different levels of support for different ages. We will integrate stratified teaching and personalised classes and programmes into this exploration class, that is, we will offer experience sessions for ages 1.5-3 and 4-6 respectively. That way parents have a better understanding of the different ages, learning goals, and what is expected at Ardingly College Zhongshan.
Unique Exploration Experience
Space Themed Multi-dimensional Exploration Activities
Unlike the traditional experience with a single topic, structure, and content, our inquiry experience class at Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten will present a diversified exploration journey for children...
Our International and Chinese teachers will start the activity with fun music, which first helps break the ice between children, it also helps to ensure children are comfortable and more willing to communicate with new teachers and students.
The carefully chosen English picture book is interpreted by the teachers in a new way. Our international teachers and Chinese teachers work with each other through the use of multiple voices, TPR and some drama and performance along with the story. It’s a completely new approach that allows children to begin to understand, explore and engage with authentic English tests even though they are hearing it for the first time.
To ensure children are fully aware of the size of the moon and the mystery of space, the teachers allow children to play group games and activities by utilizing authentic scientific and technological simulation of the moon and specific teaching aids and binoculars. Through observation and touch, children will gradually establish a connection between the moon and the real world.
As children’s space exploration deepens, the question of how they can get to the moon will become a bigger and more prevalent question for children. We will integrate the transdisciplinary philosophy and approach and through the use of STEAM experiments that allow children to explore through new and authentic tasks. From building a rocket to launching it, teachers encourage children to observe the launch process, record and observe where it lands, and to begin exploring math and science concepts.
Through this process, and in addition to the cultivation of academic skills, children's teamwork ability, hand-eye coordination, critical thinking, and logical thinking will also be fully engaged.
* Experience classes for 1.5-3 years old will incorporate additional sports elements to fully support children's all-around gross motor skill development
Feel the Charm of Inquiry-based Learning
The IB is one of the most internationally recognized frameworks in the world. our experience class will use the core concepts of transdisciplinary and inquiry-based learning approaches. (specifically, play based learning and inquiry based learning), introducing the children to the big picture of a subject and learning through different disciplines (including multiple language and skills, etc.). Teachers will support them along the way. Children will link the experiment with the real world through the process of independent exploration. The interlocking, layered space adventure will allow you and your child to witness the unique charm of the IB programme.
English and Spanish Immersive Experience
In addition to the bilingual learning experience in English and Chinese, we will also have Spanish. Based on the space theme, the teacher will integrate Spanish vocabulary with teaching aids, games and music. These vivid Spanish expressions help the children to expand their Spanish vocabulary and expand their ability to think logically in multiple languages.
Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten will use English as our main language of instruction in the school but supplemented by Chinese, and provide children with opportunities to learn Spanish as their second foreign language, aiming to help our children build diversified logical and language skills at an early age through the integration of different languages.
* The experience classes for 1.5-3 years old children will be bilingual and experience classes may be run in any of our three official languages.
In each experience class, the education team composed of Mr. Hazouri, Deputy International Head of Lower School, Ms. Luo, the Deputy Academic Head of Ardingly Kindergarten, and Ms. Chen, the director of public relations and brand communications of the school, will share with parents a variety of paths for their children to enter higher education in the future. And the aspects that parents should pay particular attention to, and they can share visions and opinions with each other on these matters.
• Deputy academic Director of Ardingly Kindergarten
• IB PYP Coordinator
• Chief designer of experience courses
Let's listen to
what Caroline has to say!
Could you please share with us the design concept of the experience class?
A：Different from the traditional demo class, this experience class adopts a unique inquiry teaching method, aimed at quickly engaging children’s curiosity and exploration and opening up their transdisciplinary learning and thinking.
In this experience class, children will not only be exposed to language, mathematics, science, art and other disciplines, but also concepts that help develop their thinking skills, communication skills and social communication skills.
What are your views on early childhood education?
A：0-6 years old is a golden learning period in a person's life. During this period, children's brains experience rapid development. Not only related to language development, but the cultivation of critical thinking and character development.
As a senior educator, I highly recognize Ardingly's forward-thinking educational philosophy. The multicultural concept, personalised growth, and developmental plan received from childhood will provide a high-quality starting point for children's life.
What do you think are the advantages of Ardingly College Zhongshan?
A：Ardingly College Zhongshan is recognized as a world-class institution, not only because of its first-class teaching environment, but also because of its dual-track path to higher education, which is unique among the Chinese education sector.
As we all know, traditional bilingual schools pay more attention to the implementation of international education system, while Ardingly College Zhongshan is "rooted in Chinese tradition and focused on the future". I firmly believe that our students will be the builders and creators of the future.
