VBS News Net: Teachers are the key of school development. VBS invited education experts, lecturers and leaders to conduct extensive training - etiquette, positive discipline, mindset of growth and principles of teachers from 25th August to 26th August. This was for teachers to transform themselves to keep up with future, teach for the unknown and study for the future. Teachers got enlightened and benefited from this lecture series. 

Training on teachers' etiquette, Ms. Feng Ju, IPA lecturer

China has been a well-mannered state and imbued with mannerism which reflects the socialist core values. Confucius once said, 'A man without manners won't have his placei n society,' Ms. Feng Ju offered a lecture on mannerism on 25th August. As a mother of a VBS student, Ms. Feng explained the terminologies, images, disposition and mannerism in occasions to illustrate taboos, selection of clothes, stances, meet and greet rules with lots of pictures. She offered constructive suggestions to teachers' manners in their daily teaching. 

Traning on ethics, Mr. Ye Wenzi, 

Dean of Shenzhen Education Science and Research Institute 

Mr. Ye Wenzi, Dean of Shenzhen Education Science and Research Institute gave a special lecture on ‘Teachers with conscientiousness'. He began with the profile of future society and pointed out that teaching should transform from strengthening the nation to civilising the nation. Teachers had to focus on new characteristics of future society as Internet, Big Data, Cloud computing, VR and AI were revolutionising the traditional education and other sectors. Nerds were no longer needed, education in future should change from success education to happiness education. Students ought to be nurtured to love, create and enjoy life with innovation and happiness. Talents in the future ought to be far-sighted, patriotic, and innovative. Hence schools had to transform their school missions, textbooks, learning methods, evaluations to promote project learning to guide students to live in an innovative life.

Mr. Ye also emphasised on new teachers under new education. Teachers were not just influencing students by nor putting in their knowledge or abilities but their whole lives to realise students' growth. ‘Teachers with conscientiousness' had to be passionate, innovative and caring and it had to undergo restructuring teachers' styles of life, thinking and socialising. He brought out his tutor as an example to illustrate patriotism, resolution, contribution, innovation and morality and hoped teachers to learn from his tutor - love every student and their whole life, read voraciously and contribute with love and kindness. 

Training on ideologies by Principal Yang

Principal Yang gave a training on 'Let students experience the future - teach for the unknown, study for the future' at the theatre on 25th August. 

She began by macro-thinking on education under the technology background to point out that education in future ought to focus on the people. The overall trend would be motivating student interests, nurturing the mindset of innovation, the ability to do manual work, the spirit of teamwork and the ability to relate and solve real world problems.

In light of new technology and education landscape, VBS conducted an innovative exploration. The school demanded teachers to view education from a new perspective - focusing on both the unknown and the known matters so that they could assist students to master knowledge for their future. The cultivating goals and the school mission would be nurturing global citizens who possess sound personality, academic excellence, international horizons, patriotism and the courage to create a better future. Hence the school set up a future-oriented curriculum.

Using neuroscience and speech videos by experts, Principal Yang explained the mindset of growth which believed that individuals IQ would develop by consistent studies and hard work. Its core ideology was about everyone could succeed by putting consistent effort. 

The mindset of growth began in class. Principal Yang emphasised on distinct and responsive class and taught students by their aptitude. Ms. Xie Dongmei, an experienced teacher presented her teaching methods and implementation steps to guide teachers for reference. 

VBS hoped every staff to believe in the mindset of growth and raise students who will succeed in future as the school would be a place where students, parents and teachers all got to thrive. 

Training on educational methodologies by Ms. Wang Xiaofei, PDTC

基于成长型思维模式的理念，8月26日上午，万科双语学校特邀美国认证正面管教导师候选人（PDTC）、新希望国际正面管教学院创始人王晓飞老师为全体教职员工进行正面管教培训。主题为“如何对孩子进行鼓励”。

Ms Wang Xiaofei, founder of New Hope International Positive Discipline Academy and PDTC came to VBS on 26th August to give a lecture on positive discipline - 'How to encourage students' based on the mindset of growth.

Ms. Wang differentiated encouragement and praise via interactive experience and role-play games when suggesting everyone to raise the passion of every student by encouragement. She gave details in the words used and methods to encourage students. Teachers could understand the students better by playing role-play games in real examples and learn to remain cool to respect students. They also learned how to encourage students and treat students to educate every single one of them who were on their way to excellence.

PBL Training by Ms. Wu Ping, Deputy Head of Development Centre

Ms. Wu Ping, Deputy Head of Development Centre conducted PBL training for all teachers on 27th August. She introduced definition of PBL, implementation of PBL at VBS and the methods to design PBL. She emphasised on the explanation of PBL for this semester - Project 'Life with zero waste'. She pointed out that six dimensions of PBL design - specifying the core knowledge, motivations for students to take initatives to research, trigger of high-order recognition process, evaluation of learning process and outcomes, expected outcomes on students and expectations on students' learnings. She also gave suggestions on implementing Project 'Life with zero waste' to teachers who would be clear on guidance and teaching objectives. 

Since its establishment, VBS Teachers' Academy for Professional Development have offered opportunities for every staff to learn from educational ideologies, teaching methodologies, ethics and manners so that everyone has a consensus on objectives and rules of being a teacher. It also provides solid foundation on making a group of effective and passionate teachers, realising school vision, running a new model of the first class future-oriented international school, setting a pilot school for educational innovation at VBS. 

Author/Photographer:Linda

Translated by DC Lai