Dr. Pingdao Gu is the administrator of a private high school of about 600 students in Beijing. He chose, however, to send his daughter to Aquinas two years ago. She is now a junior. Dr. Gu said he wanted to improve his daughter’s learning ability, and he found Aquinas to be a very kind learning environment.
The teachers that accompanied Dr. Gu on this two-week learning seminar at Aquinas shared that the academic demands on their students in China are very high. Students have many tests and they learn strictly by memorizing. Most of their students score very high on their SAT, or college entrance exams as a result of this memorization, but Dr. Gu’s goal is to develop independent thinking young adults who have developed great research skills.
Dr. Gu and his staff were also highly impressed with the interaction in the Aquinas classrooms. Teaching through discussion, which is so common and natural to the American classroom, was anything but common to Dr. Gu and his staff.
In the two weeks of training, Dr. Gu and his staff noticed several differences in the American (Aquinas) methods of teaching. In China, students are not separated according to learning level such as honors and advanced placement courses. Also, whereas Aquinas students (and most all American high schools) physically move from one classroom to another, the Chinese teacher is the one who moves and the students stay in one place. This one difference can equate to the tiredness of the Chinese student being in one setting for a very long day.
It was observed also, that Aquinas students very enthusiastically participate in the classroom. The Vicariate Program which allows students to freely share on personal levels all aspects of their life and faith was also greatly admired by Dr. Gu and staff. Dr. Gu also visited so that he can begin a pilot program of incorporating the Ipad into the classroom as Aquinas did this school year.
“We are here to learn modern technology and how to implement interactive discussions in the classrooms with the students,” commented Dr. Gu.
Presently, Dr. Gu’s school is still using chalkboards and he said they plan to use Aquinas as a model for advancing their teaching methods. They will begin a test program this Summer and Fall, using a few teachers and a few classes at a time. Aquinas will also be guiding them in how to develop the infrastructure they need to support the iPad technology.
Additionally, Dr. Gu would like to gradually incorporate elective courses into his campus, such as drama, music and organized sports. And with the advanced technology and teaching methods, he hopes to shorten the students’ school day, yet obtain better student development.
Aquinas High School enthusiastically supports its foreign exchange student program on campus and sets its goal of maintaining no more than 10% of its population as such, so that the campus maintains the atmosphere of which the exchange students come for. Aquinas is working on an on-line study program with Dr. Gu’s high school as well.