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42 Beijing high school students are studying in North America.

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Find confidence in cheerleading

Half a year ago, 42 students from the six-year experimental class of No.35 Middle School went to study in the United States and Canada. Recently, the children returned to Beijing after half a year of exchange and study. The teachers said that they were surprised by the changes of the children; The children themselves say that the study tour for half a year has benefited a lot. This afternoon, they will give a performance to report their study results.

The gap between the two performances

Four years ago, No.35 Middle School started the six-year consistent curriculum reform project for junior high school and senior high school, and used the review time of the second semester of junior high school to set aside the first semester of senior high school for students to study in the United States and Canada for half a year.

June 5438+February last year, the first batch of experimental class students set off for the United States. Forty-two tourist students entered 42 different schools in the United States and Canada, stayed with local volunteer families and experienced North American education in an all-round way.

? When the children came back, we were surprised to find that they had grown a lot, with more smiles, more confidence, more thinking and more initiative. ? Speaking of the changes in students' return from study tour, Wang Hongjun, the vice principal, was full of surprises.

? We held a pre-departure party before the students went abroad. At that time, all the teachers felt too tired to organize the party. Students don't have their own opinions, and they are all waiting for the teacher to arrange them. The children in the experimental class have good academic performance, but many children are used to being arranged by their parents since childhood, with poor self-management ability and weak initiative. When I came back from this study tour, the children said they would give a presentation performance, so I set a theme for them and went on a business trip. Unexpectedly, when I came back from a business trip, the children handed me a 22-page stage script. What does the first page say? Look in the direction of dreams? They rehearsed all the performances, and even the lighting and sound were useless to the teacher. ? Six months later, Wang Hongjun was deeply moved by the different scenes of the two performances. What have the children experienced in the past six months?

You have to learn from the beginning to say hello.

Language difficulties must be the first hurdle for children. Only when they went abroad did they find that even a greeting had to be learned from scratch.

Zhai Chengcheng was assigned to New Jersey, USA. She said that when she first arrived in the United States, she was surrounded by strangers, was not fluent in English, and often joked. ? The pronunciation of English learned in China is quite different from that of American English, so it is sometimes misunderstood. For example, once someone told me? How are you? Did I hear you? How old are you? (How old are you), so I answered in English? I 16 years old? Listen to each other inexplicably. Another time, my master wanted to clean the tent and asked me to help her carry the ladder. I don't know? Ladder? what's up Ladder? I took it for granted that since it was cleaning, I definitely needed a broom, so I gave her a broom. ?

Many children said that after going abroad, they found that the domestic English textbooks were too impractical. Say hello, like growing up? How are you? Fine, thank you. . But there is no such question and answer abroad. When we meet on the road, we usually ask each other? How are you doing? In fact, this sentence hardly needs to be answered, which is equivalent to meeting and saying? Hi! ?

Wang Jiefeng, who came back from Iowa, said that it was the first time he met someone to say hello? What? How's it going? When he was studying in China, he didn't know how to answer, because what did this sentence mean? What's the matter with you? What happened? ? I didn't expect it to be used to say hello abroad!

When it comes to language, you have to talk about eating and ordering. Almost all children have encountered this headache. I can't read the menu, said Lu Yao Jia, who is studying in Missouri. Every time I go to a restaurant, I have to ask, is there a menu with pictures? But many restaurants don't have pictures on their menus. ? Children have their own strategies, some order packages directly, and some? Order a longer name. .

Forced to learn Spanish

Zhai Chengcheng studied at STEM School in East Orange, New Jersey. More than 90% of the students in the school are black, and many people's mother tongue is Spanish. ? The area where my host family lives is full of Hispanic residents, and everyone talks in Spanish. The first time I asked for directions, I spoke English, and the other party didn't understand. Even eating and ordering are Spanish recipes. ?

In this atmosphere, Zhai Chengcheng decided to take Spanish as an elective course. The school provides Spanish and French teaching for students, and Zhai became a placement student in Spanish class.

I didn't understand a word from the beginning, and then I studied in the regular class. Zhai Chengcheng made little progress and finally caught up with everyone in a stage test. ? My host family has friends who speak Spanish, so I have the opportunity to practice. ? Zhai Chengcheng feels very lucky. She wrote a speech in Spanish to prepare for the presentation after her return home.

Finding Confidence in Cheerleading Lou studied at Clinton Middle School in Missouri for half a year. In the afternoon report performance, she will perform street dance, which she learned from cheerleading training at Clinton Middle School. But Lu said that the biggest gain from the training was not learning to dance, but finding it? Confidence? .

? When I was in China, I never participated in activities such as singing and dancing, but after I arrived in the United States, I really envied the female cheerleaders in their school basketball match and thought it would be great to be a cheerleader. So I signed up for cheerleading training. I want to try something I haven't tried before. ?

Cheerleading training time is one week, three hours a day. At the beginning of the training, Lu was a little embarrassed for fear that his movements were not good. But she soon found that American girls were very confident. There is a fat girl in the cheerleading team, but she doesn't seem to be worried at all. She always makes every move with confidence. It seems that she is the most beautiful girl in the school. Seeing that Lu was a little stiff, the cheerleaders encouraged her: You are so beautiful and in good shape, why don't you have confidence? ? Under the influence of everyone, I slowly found a feeling of self-confidence. Dancing really makes me happy, and learning those steps is very fulfilling. ?

Are you online? Country? Study? Hit the cabinet?

Wang Jiefeng, a student in Iowa, joked that he was there? Rural areas? Stayed for half a year. ? It's really rural. Corn fields are everywhere. There are few people walking on the road, but the corn is delicious and people are friendly. Perhaps it is because there are too few people, so people feel very close to each other. ?

Iowa is an agricultural area in the United States. Wang Jiefeng said that the largest supermarket in his area is as big as the supermarket downstairs in Beijing. Because the land is vast and sparsely populated, you have to drive when you go out. If you go shopping on foot, it takes at least 15 minutes.

Because there is no car, Wang Jiefeng's means of transportation is a bicycle. ? Few people ride bicycles there, so my bike also takes the expressway. However, all the motor vehicles take good care of me. When they saw me from a distance, they began to make way. When they pass by me, they almost always reverse the car for fear of touching me. ?

Wang Jiefeng's school is the largest high school in Iowa, but the total number of students is only 1200. And he is the only China in the school.

During his six months in the United States, Wang Jiefeng tried many new things, including going to a Lao church and eating Lamian Noodles. When he was in school, he also took a class? Woodworking? . ? In woodworking class, the teacher taught the family skills such as sawing wood with a chainsaw and planing boards with a plane. It took us half a semester, and each of us made a wooden cabinet. ? Wang Jiefeng still keeps photos of his cupboard: a decent bedside table, simple wood grain and simple groove pattern on the edge of the cupboard door. ? Stay at school after the cabinets are finished. You can take it home if you like, but you have to pay 25 dollars. ?

Are all the students in China? Genius?

China's basic education is world-class, and children studying abroad have deeply realized this, because their performance in studying in science always surprises foreigners.

? Is it really good to have physics and chemistry classes? Pull the wind? . ? Many children say so. Sun Yijia, who is studying in Canada, said that once in a chemistry class, the teacher gave us an assignment to balance chemical equations. Diana Sun soon finished more than a dozen questions on a page. When she finished, the classmates next to her were still doing the first question? Competition? ..... How? Sun Yijia couldn't stand it anymore and said, I'll teach you a simple method. ?

Wang Jiefeng said that when he first started doing homework at home, the host family was always surprised to see it. Are you sure you don't need a calculator? ? It is hard for them to believe that these figures can be solved by mental arithmetic. At a family gathering, the host took this as a special function and invited Wang Jiefeng to perform live. A guest gave a two-digit multiplication question, and Wang Jiefeng quickly gave the answer. The guest was surprised to find the calculator and checked it again. When he found the correct answer, he looked incredible.

Learning is really? Your own business?

Since childhood, students have heard the teacher say it countless times? Learning is your own business? These children really understand when they go abroad. Is learning really? Your own business? .

? A class lasts 80 minutes, half an hour to talk about homework, 20 minutes to lecture, and the rest of the time to study by yourself, read books, discuss or play mobile phones. No one will care about you. ? Wang Jiefeng described the American classroom he saw like this. What surprised him most was that no one came to the American school? Collect homework? .

? In the first half of the semester, I have been thinking about why every time the teacher assigned homework, I didn't accept it, and I didn't see everyone pay attention to it. I didn't care either. I think homework is not important, but exams are important. If no one takes it, I won't pay it. I didn't expect that in the United States, the test scores only accounted for 15% of the total scores, and the homework scores accounted for 80%. Every time I do well in the exam, the teacher asks me why I don't hand in my homework when I do well in the exam. I'm surprised. Ask? Where can I pay? ? The teacher was also surprised. Answer? Why don't you put it on my desk? . I quickly handed in all the homework I could find, and tried to make up some in the second half of the semester to keep my score. ?

Test formula table and calculator

? Examination is not an end, but a means to test the learning achievement? This sentence is familiar to students when they are studying in China. Studying abroad has given them a deeper understanding of this sentence.

Exam scores account for a small proportion of the total scores, while homework and projects account for a large proportion of the scores, which is the score statistics method of almost all American schools.

? The first time I took the trigonometric function exam, I actually sent a formula table during the exam. What else is there to test? ? Zhai Chengcheng was surprised by such an examination method. ? In chemistry class, the periodic table of chemical elements is posted on the wall, and calculators are allowed in science exams. ? At first, Yao Jia didn't understand such an exam. ? We once had a chemistry exam. After the papers were handed out, the teacher gave us five minutes to ask each other questions that we couldn't. ? What does Wang Jiefeng think of such an exam? Shocking? .

? They believe that at this stage of social development, it is completely unnecessary to keep all the formulas in mind, as long as they can be found out with tools. ? Cheng said, And they pay more attention to students' inquiry ability than exams. Doing projects is highly valued in all schools. Some schools usually only get more than 20 points in an exam, but a project can get 300 points, which means you can't pass without doing project research. I did a project at the end of the term, research? Golden section? The school is very supportive of how to calculate. In order to ensure that I have enough time and energy, I am exempt from the final report of all subjects related to this topic, not only mathematics and physics, but also historical reports. I feel that American middle schools attach great importance to cultivating students' personality, encourage students to find their own development direction, and schools will provide various conveniences for this. ?

The vocational class goes directly to the hospital.

Speaking of. Help students find the direction of development? Many students studying abroad have a deep understanding.

Lu said: American middle schools have been helping students find interest and let everyone find their own direction, which seems to be the biggest task of the school. ? Lu's Clinton Middle School offers students a wide range of courses, including home economics, food and nutrition. ? Because some students may just want to be housewives, the school also provides opportunities for such students to learn relevant knowledge. ? Clinton middle school has been teaching students since the ninth grade? Vocational experience education? . The school will let each student choose a career that interests him, such as nurse, courier, salesman, etc. Then help students contact relevant units and give them a week to go to the workplace for internship and experience in person, so as to help students know whether they really like this career.

Wang Jiefeng's school will give students a special exam in the tenth grade, covering all aspects. After the one-day exam, a detailed report will be generated to inform the student of his position in various fields. For example, your English reading level beat 25% of your peers, and your math level beat 9 1% of your peers. This makes it easy for children to know their strengths and? Short board? .

Cheng Zhai Cheng said that her school will hold vocational courses every ten weeks, when employees from all walks of life will be invited to give lectures and answer students' questions. The course will be arranged all day, and students can choose to listen to up to three classes a day. Besides vocational lectures, schools often organize students to walk out of school? Travel? However, the destination of every trip is almost related to vocational education. Once, the bus took the children directly to a screening room, where a craniotomy in the hospital was being broadcast live. The school hopes that such activities will enable children with medical potential to discover their hobbies.

Athletes are very popular at school.

Exercise is as important as study, which is the unanimous feeling of children returning from study tour.

? At the end of each season, the school will hold a grand celebration at which every player is formally introduced. There are always many excellent players? Fans? . ? Wang Jiefeng said that in American high schools, he really felt the importance attached to sports by the school and the whole society. ? The match between several middle schools will be reported by the city newspaper. Our school's basketball team is very weak, the last game was 2 1-0, but the main players are still sought after in school, and many girls want to squeeze into cheerleading. A Mexican student on the school football team became? Shooter king? Now I am directly admitted to a prestigious school. The reporter chased him for an interview every day and asked him which university he was going to. ?

American high schools provide students with a wealth of physical education elective projects. A classmate of this study tour took three courses in physical education class and lost 40 pounds in half a year. His classmates didn't recognize him when he came back.

Children's conclusion: to measure a student, we should not only look at his grades, but also look at his participation in clubs and his ability to communicate with others. Compared with American high schools, what is the current performance of Beijing schools? Comprehensive quality evaluation? It's too superficial.

A special festival for communication.

? Communication ability is a very important aspect of all American middle schools, and my school has set up a special festival for it. ? Lu said that every April 19 belongs to Clinton Middle School? A warm hug festival? . On this day, every student will hang a ball of wool on his chest, hug his friends when he sees them, exchange a piece of wool with each other and wrap it around his own ball. At the end of the day, everyone's wool balls become colorful. The child who has the most colored balls will have the most sense of accomplishment, because it shows that he has many friends.

Communication is not only between students, but also between teachers and principals. Every lunchtime, the principal of Clinton Middle School walks around the cafeteria with plates, and eats at the same table and chats with his classmates. After everyone finished eating, the headmaster stayed to clean the canteen and help collect the chairs. Even when a beautiful girl walks by, the headmaster will whistle. Lu said that the principal's action itself is demonstrating how to communicate with students.

Only ranked third in academic performance.

The children's feelings and experiences explain why they have changed in the past six months. Wang Hongjun, the vice president of No.35 Middle School, has visited some schools where students study. She said that after the inspection, she felt that the most important educational goal of middle schools in North America was not academic performance, but physical and mental health.

For example, a middle school in Canada requires students to run three kilometers every day. Besides, they should take part in sports activities every day. Various sports are provided in the course selection to ensure that students sleep for eight hours every day. The second most important goal of their training is still not their study, but their communication and communication skills. China students usually have a common problem in choosing courses abroad, that is, they only choose subject courses, and seldom choose art and physical education class. Some principals talk to children in China and remind them that it is wrong to choose courses like this, because? No time to play and communicate with other students? ; Compared with the first two items, academic performance can only be ranked third.

At the pre-departure meeting half a year ago, Zhu Jianmin, the headmaster of No.35 Middle School, sent a diary of study tour to each student. On the title page, he wrote a sentence: the experience of life is a valuable wealth, experience determines experience, and experience determines vision; How big your vision is, how big your life goal is; How big your goal is, how big your achievement is. I hope you can accept multiculturalism rationally, learn to see the world from multiple angles, learn to face pressure and challenges, and learn to be responsible and grateful.

As President Zhu expected, this special experience will have a far-reaching impact on children's lives.