Teaching Resources and Training
See also: Dealing with young students; Locations of teaching; Teaching resources and training; Teaching responsibilities and Being a Teacher.
Teaching Resources
At the beginning of each term teachers will be asked to sign out from our library the teaching material that they will be using during the term, including books and the supplementary material that accompanies the books. In all of our classes, the teacher will have a book and the students will have a book, and the teacher will teach according to a dictated speed of teaching. We keep the teachers’ editions of the books, which offer directions on how to teach the material, in the teaching department office, and teachers are free to consult these, but should not take them away from the school.
Additional teaching resources may be signed out from the Aihua library. The librarian is not always available, so teachers should prepare in advance the resources they will need from the library. We have a wide range of literature, DVD’s and Chinese learning material that teachers are welcome to borrow. Teachers may also borrow samples of lesson plans, past exam papers, and DVDs of outstanding teachers conducting their classes.
The Teaching Department also contains a photocopier, which teachers are free to use.
The 3 teachers’ offices contain 16 computers, 2 printers and a laminator. The computers are all internet connected, and teachers are free to use them, although some of these computers are specifically designated for members of the management team. This room also has commonly used flashcards, and teaching aids such as stickers and board magnets.
All classrooms at Aihua have whiteboards. When teachers arrive at Aihua, they are issued with 4 board markers.. If a marker runs out of ink, it may be exchanged for a new one at the Administrative Office.
All Aihua classrooms contain multimedia systems, and teachers are encouraged to use these creatively to supplement their teaching.
Almost all of our off site schools have blackboards and use chalk. Most of these classrooms also have multimedia systems which Aihua teachers are welcome to use.
Our Changyin and Zhongguancun branches have overhead projectors, computers and speakers. Changyin teachers should sign out teaching resources from Gucheng headquarters.
Our server contains a wealth of teaching resources, such as exams, lesson plans, flashcards, activities, films of exemplary classes, etc.
Each of our branches has a small student lending library. We are intent on developing these lending libraries. We will establish as a requirement that each student should read at least one book during the term, and write a book review of this, to be uploaded to the library catalogue section of our internal website. Foreign and Chinese teachers should be aware of this, and should encourage our students to make use of our lending library, and to read more.
Our Gucheng Branch at present uses a reward system for our students, and our Changyin and Zongguancun sites will implement this system soon. Students are given standardized star cards for good performance, and a number of these stars may be used to purchase standard rewards from the school.
Teacher Training
New teachers will be given 2 introductory training sessions by the teacher trainer within the first week of arrival, and the first of these should be done before the teacher’s first class. The teacher’s first lesson plan should be done together with the teacher trainer. Here the teacher trainer should make clear the standard and the format of Aihua lesson plans, and the teacher should adhere to these criteria for lesson planning while at Aihua.
During each of the two main terms, there will be sixteen training sessions, held weekly at a regular time. This term, teacher training will be on Tuesday mornings, unless notice is given stating otherwise, and it will be followed by the weekly foreign teachers’ meeting. Attendance at these is mandatory for foreign teachers without prior agreement from the Regional Service Director.
At each session a general topic will be introduced by the teacher trainer and discussed by all teachers present.
We have filmed past training sessions, and teachers are free to consult these films. If you wish to view past training sessions, please ask the Foreign Headmaster about this.