"Teachers and students had a rare relaxed atmosphere, and I enjoyed classes like this." "Real learning requires us to provide students with sufficient self-learning time." This positive feedback resonated in the performance hall where the English reading teaching seminar took place. Led and coordinated by Ms. Sidra, the director of the CBIS English Language Center, CBIS and Xin Qi Xiang Press collaborated to organize an English reading teaching and research seminar this Wednesday.
The seminar was based on the IB-PYP framework and the integrated framework of the new national curriculum standards. Ms. Michelle, an English teaching and research officer from the Teaching and Research Office of the Nanhai District Education Development Research Center, along with teachers from various schools in Nanhai District, were invited to participate in the event. The attendees not only observed two high-quality demonstration classes on-site but also engaged in a lively discussion on "the authenticity of reading".
After the bilingual introduction by PYP coordinator Ms. Spring and MYP teacher Mr. Brian, as well as the sharing of the school situation by Principal Yang Ruhua, Ms. Lucy from the Bilingual Department and the second-grade students presented a fictional picture book reading lesson called "Baby Bear's Presentation" to the audience.
With a friendly teaching style, Ms. Lucy guided the children from their life experiences to the picture book. During the picture tour, the children independently decoded the pictures and text, generating personal understanding based on comprehension questions. In addition to understanding the picture book independently, the children also performed it in their own unique way, spontaneously recognizing the value of "Being helpful is a good quality."
Under Ms. Lucy's patient guidance, the children's reading occurred naturally, and they explored and sought knowledge in the world of picture books, driven by their interest in the story.
Subsequently, Mr. Jimmy from the International Department, along with the sixth-grade "big kids", presented an open class on a non-fiction picture book titled "From Plastic Bottles to Clothes" to the audience. After a brief lesson on "garbage classification" with Teacher Chen Jun, the children engaged in a group discussion on "where plastic waste should be disposed of" and decided to further explore the topic using the book "From Plastic Bottles to Clothes".
During the circle time that followed, the children analyzed the cover information of the picture book and independently formulated questions related to the key concepts of "function," "form," "change," and "causation". Mr. Jimmy facilitated the children's questions and guided them through the Jigsaw Reading activity. In this activity, the children independently explored the content, shared and organized information, discussed their research findings, and collaborated to retell the story through differentiated reading tasks. After reading, the children evaluated and debated the topic of "polyester clothing," ultimately coming to the spontaneous conclusion that "recycling can save our earth".
Mr. Jimmy provided the children with ample time for self-reading and empowered them with ownership of their reading, exemplifying the authenticity of the reading experience.
After observing two classes, Ms. Michelle, a primary school English teacher and researcher in Nanhai District, highly praised them. She believed that both classes truly embodied the essence of learning, and the teachers had created a natural reading environment for the children. Ms. Michelle emphasized the importance of three levels of reading - reading the lines, reading between the lines, and reading beyond the lines. She advocated for the integrated development of English reading and moral education.
Towards the end of the exchange meeting, Mr. Oliver, the Chinese principal of CBIS International Department, expressed gratitude to the experts and teachers from all schools in the region for their participation and encouraged future collaborations in teaching and research with CBIS.
