Education for Global Citizenship Project (EGC) (EGC Brochure | EGC Web Site)
The Education for Global Citizenship curriculum was designed by a team of American and Chinese educational experts working at the US-China Center. The curriculum seeks to prepare every child for the demands of Global Citizenship with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to move fluidly between two or more dramatically different languages and cultures. The curriculum is based on the best of the Eastern and Western learning traditions to provide students with a rich and supportive educational experience. Students spend half their days learning in a Mandarin Chinese immersion classroom where teaching and learning reflect the best of the Eastern educational practices. During the other half of their days, students learn in an English language immersion classroom where teaching and learning draw from the best of Western educational traditions. EGC schools will approach learning through a process that encourages children to Explore, Experiment, and Express. This cycle of learning helps children develop the skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be successful life long learners.
The development of the EGC curriculum represents the first step in developing a model of education that is grounded in strong theoretical and research based ideas that can be successfully implemented around the world. In the summer of 2005, the first EGC school was launched with the start up of the 3E International Kindergarten (www.3eik.com). The US-China Center is currently establishing partnerships with school districts in Michigan. The Center plans to open additional schools around the country and in China in the coming years. The Center is now developing textbooks and lessons for the Education for Global Citizenship project based the curriculum framework.
Thanks to George Lucas Education Foundation, the US-China Center convened a four day conference at Skywalker Ranch in northern California in February 2004. Representatives from a wide range of children’s educational institutions who attended this Curriculum Summit include: Dr. Yong Zhao, MSU Distinguished Professor; Dr. William Schmidt, MSU Distinguished Professor; Dr. Anne Taylor, University of New Mexico Distinguished Professor; Dr. David Lustick, Associate Director, US-China Center (now Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Lowell); Dr. Richard Prawat, MSU Professor; Dr. Robert Floden, MSU Professor; Dr. Milton Chen, Executive Director of The George Lucas Education Foundation; Dr. Charlotte Cole, Vice President of Education and Research, Sesame Street Workshop; Mr. Richard Njus, Principal of Deerfield Elementary School, Michigan; Mr. Gilbert Choi, CEO of Sun Wah Education Foundation; and Dr. Wenzhong (Eric) Yang, Associate Director, US-China Center. By the end of the meeting, the team had developed a set of educational guidelines and goals. These goals provided the basis for developing the EGC curriculum.
PROM/SE in China
The US-China Center and Project PROM/SE (Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education) are collaborating with Beijing Normal University on research that analyzes the teaching and learning of math and science in China . Understanding what students know about science and mathematics and how they achieved a particular level of proficiency is a complex and difficult endeavor. The curriculum, teacher characteristics, learner involvement, and school context all contribute to the level of achievement experienced by the student. This study operates under the assumption that each of these aspects can be measured and then compared to student achievement in order to identify potential relationships between the variables. Understanding how these aspects are related to student achievement will improve our understanding of factors involved in differing levels of student achievement. Currently, Beijing Normal University has completed the data collection of a pilot study with 12,861 participants in 49 schools in Beijing .
Comparison of Chinese and U.S. Educational System
The US- China Center is conducting a review and analysis that compares the educational systems of the US and China. The reports will be compiled into an edited volume which will seek to address the underlying social, cultural, and systemic reasons that drive the differences in American and Chinese educational performance. Specifically, the reports will describe what contributes to the Chinese academic achievement and what makes American creative. Current reform efforts in both countries will also be addressed. Descriptions and discussions will be conducted along the Center’s five research themes: Learners and Learning, Teachers and Teaching, Curriculum, Leaders and Leadership, and Family and Community.
Preparing Our Students for a Place in the World: Internationalizing Education in Michigan (Conference Web Site)
The US-China Center is co-sponsoring an international conference with the Office of K12 Outreach at MSU and Michigan Department of Education. The name and topic of the conference is “Internationalizing Education in Michigan.” All the economic, political and social trends point to the need for Michigan’s students to be ready as never before to understand and engage in the wider world in which we live. This conference will help participants situate Michigan in its international context, with special emphasis on areas and cultures—mainland Asia, the Indian sub-continent, sub-Saharan Africa and South America—that are likely to provide the greatest opportunities and challenges over the next 50 years. Interactive breakout sessions will include resources for establishing international perspectives at the district and school levels, and participants will leave with a policy “toolkit” that will help them gain commitment from key school and community stakeholders.
“Why Johnny Can’t Count” and “Can Asians Think”: Explaining the Gap between America and China
This book will examine why Chinese students outperform their American counterparts. It will analyze from five perspectives: teaching, learner and learning, curriculum, administration, and community. In the chapters about the US educational system, the authors deal with how the American school system fosters creativity, individualism, and professionalism in its students and allows teachers the freedom to creatively plan and teach. At the same time, it identifies aspects of the system that contradicts that notion and how these contradictories play in the big picture of the system. In the chapters about China, both advantages and disadvantages of Chinese exam-oriented education system are identified. In addition, it is believed that the uniformed curriculum and single standard of student evaluation may result in lack of intrinsic motivation, flexibility and creativity. The draft of the book has been compiled and under review.
Basic Education in the U.S.: An Introduction
The US-China Center is currently working on a series of books entitled Basic Education in the U.S: An Introduction. This book series aims to inform Chinese teachers who are coming to teach Chinese as a second language of the systematic introduction to the basic education in the U.S., which includes 3 volumes, The System and Governance of Basic Education in the U.S., Teachers and Teaching in the U.S., and Learners and Learning in the U.S. The editors wish through the book series may help readers improve proficiency and efficiency of their Chinese-teaching practices.
We are also developing CD/DVD-ROMs for the series to give a lively report of administrative, teaching, and learning activities in K-12 schools in the U.S. With rich description and engaging video-audio materials, we are showing the audience a comprehensive, all-round, systematic, and lively introduction to the basic education in the U.S., including administration, teaching, and learning. As the first published comprehensive readings in basic education in the U.S., the series will open a window for teachers coming to the U.S. to gain an over-all view of basic education in the U.S.
Selected Readings of American Education Research
The US-China Center is editing a book entitled Selected Readings of American Education Research which will be published by East China Normal University Press located in Shanghai, China. This book is an annual publication, which selects influential and representative articles from major educational journals in the United States. The articles will appear in English but a Chinese introduction will be added. Translated abstracts are also provided for Chinese readers’ convenience. The primary audience of the book is educational researchers inside China.
The editor aims:
- to inform Chinese educational researchers of the current U.S. educational polices, practices, system, issues, and challenges, etc. We may always take lessons from others. How Western educational researchers approach their problems may provide their Chinese counterparts with new visions, different perspectives, and possible solutions;
- to familiarize Chinese educational researchers with research methods and writing styles employed by U.S. major educational journals. This may provide them with an idea of general research practices in educational sciences and link them with the whole world in terms of research methods. A world perspective and a universally accepted way of presentation helps China effectively deal with educational issues and bridges China with the other parts of the world;
- to help Chinese educational researchers improve their readings in English.
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