1997 School Magazine

~irlli ~rammar ~cbool lBrilibane 1997

When we attended classes with our host sisters, we discov- ered that the teaching and learning styles here are drastically different from those in China. The characteristic way of Chinese students in terms of learning is that we have a ve1y strong foundation, that we study ve1y hard, and that we are very disciplined during classes . Here at BGGS we found that the students are much more relaxed in classes, and they often asked teachers various kinds of unexpected questions . We found that teachers here place more emphasis on cultivating the ability of their students . For example, teachers here often assign their students a task, and then divide the students into groups, and then let the students tackle the task all the way through. This wa y of teaching not only develops students' ability to discover and solve problems and to work in teams, but also widens the st11dents' scope of thinking and enhances their willingness to try out new things . We think that this way of teaching is more scientific than the way of teaching that teachers in China adopt, by which students just follow whatever the teachers say, and is more effective in developing students' ability in various aspects. However, we do think that in terms of the basics, we students in Shanghai are definitely in a superior position. We saw that

students here, when they have to tackle a mathematical problem, seemed unable to do anything unless they had a calculator with them. Students in Shanghai also have calcula- tors , but they are not allowed to use them for simple mathemati- cal tasks, because the teachers want us to have a strong foundation in doing calculations. Therefore, when we attended our host sisters' Mathematics classes, we got the feeling that what they learned was really simple. Also, in China, students have to sit behind desks arranged in a ve1y neat manner and to salute their teachers both at the beginning and at the end of each lessons . We did not see anything like that here . However, we prefer the more relaxed class atmosphere that we experienced here. During our stay in Australia, we learned a lot of things that were not found in the books or in China. Perhaps this is what exchange activities are about, so that we can cast eyes on the world, appreciate different cultures and customs, and make our count1y more internationally oriented. After we return to China, we will let our schoolmates and teachers know our experiences and feelings with regard to our visit to Australia and BGGS .

Trip to China

O n September 18th, ten Grammar girls, accompanied by three teachers Mr Lam, Ms Hennessey and Mrs Fogarty, headed off to Shanghai for a ten-day Chinese adventure . As our departure drew

As we left the airport our first impressions were of the vast number of people and bikes. The bikes were everywhere and no matter how hard we tried to avoid them, by the end of the

trip I'm sure eve1yone had been hit by at least two! Shang- hai traffic is definitely a new experience. Red lights don't seem to mean anything and to indicate to other cars that you are coming, you don't use an indicator, you use your horn! By the end of the trip, though, we were confident at crossing the streets . We had learnt just to walk out on to the street and keep walking in the direction we wanted to go and the bikes and sometimes cars would go around us. Another factor which took a while to

nearer and nearer, our excite- ment increased. The trip al- ready had a bonus - we didn't have to do the maths test! Fi- nally the day came for our departure and as we said good- bye to our anxious parents and boarded the plane, the reality set in. We were off to China! Despite tiredness from our exams, no one got much sleep on the ten hour plane trip, although I think the teachers did t1y. Our excitement was too great! Towards the end of the fli ght there was a mad rush to try to cram lots of Chinese

At Sbangbai Ai1po11 witb Host Families

phrases into our heads as we began to think about howwe were going to communicate with our host families. Our flight eventually ended and we were met at the airport by a swarm of smiling Chinese people waving vigorously and yelling 'Hi! ' .The fri endliness and hospitality were to become more evident to us in the following ten days. Living with a host family was yet another great experience which ve1y few tourists get. It was of course ve1y hard to adjust to the different lifestyle and surroundings but eve1yone man- aged to fit in really well. Eve1yone's host family was extremely - -----------------99 ------------------ get used to was the fact that everywhere we went people would stop what they were doing or stare at us. At first it was annoying but by the end we were all enjoying the attention!