美国名校长眼中的中国国际教育（中英文）

Mr. Joe Doggett

毕业于美国常春藤盟校达特茅斯学院，曾任美国波士顿Tabor寄宿学校学术校长，献身教育事业38年。

精通AP生物、初高中生物、Honor生物、生态学等课程。

具有19年校长、教务处主任、9年大学升学辅导及近10年美国高中管理经验。

现任中育贝拉国际教育集团北京校区外方校长，总教务长。

先从介绍我的教育背景开始说起。我长期以来对国际教育的兴趣，源于30多年来我在美国高中招收中国学生的经验。此外，我在美国工作期间也长期从事升学指导方面的工作。我了解大多数中国家庭，都希望通过扎实的初高中教育，奠定孩子们去上世界顶尖大学的基础。

我将会通过介绍我如何认识中育贝拉国际教育集团，以及为什么深信国际教育，尤其是在中国的国际教育，来告诉大家我眼中应有的中国国际教育。

我从以下六个方面来分享，什么是我眼中最适合中国孩子们的国际高中教育:

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首先来看一些数字：在2004到2005年，一共只有5万名中国学生在美国学习。2017到2018年，这个数字超过了50万，10年时间增长了10倍。从经济上来说，中国学生为美国经济贡献了大约280亿美元，这是一个非常大的市场。在这么高的利益驱动之下，“国际教育专家”的领域在中国如雨后春笋般涌现，坦率地说，现在有很多自诩是专家的人在向中国学生承诺他们不能兑现的东西，或者引导这些家庭走上他们不太了解的教育之路。

太多的国际高中与其说是学校，不如说是企业。他们是为了高收费而不为了通过教育让学生真正受益。他们没有为学生提供真实的准备，也没有正确的升学指导，很少（或者根本没有）真正了解国际教育应该如何运行。结果就是，美国大学中的中国学生失败率很高（最新研究显示是18%-25%），尽管这些学生常常都是很聪明而且很有能力的。

他们的问题是：他们被一些臭名昭著的中介机构所误导，或者他们上的国际高中没有能力帮助他们做好充分的准备。在大家为孩子挑选学校的时候，我建议大家记住这句拉丁名言——“顾客自慎”。

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关注课程体系：这是最重要的一个因素。在大兴的这个校区，我们所提供的课程体系在课程内容和中国学生所需要经历的教学方法这几方面是被广泛公认的“黄金标准”。因为我们把英国的A-level课程和美国的AP课程里最好的方面有效地融合到了一起，世界各地高校的招生办公室都认为我们的项目为学生提供了一个严格、广泛和深入的准备。

丰富的名校升学记录充分证明了我们的毕业生在西方世界顶尖学校里获得了巨大的成功。顺便说一下，当你研究课程设置时，除了应该关注学校所提供的精英课程（比如AP经济学、AP统计学和AP微积分）之外，我也建议你们要充分关注学校课程体系中的“非核心”课程。

它是否提供了丰富的校外实践活动或社会服务机会？它是否提供了各种各样的艺术或音乐选修课，让学生探索自己创造性的一面？是否有社团项目来挖掘学生在学术以外领域的兴趣和专长？例如，在大兴校区，我们每个月都会安排一次全校的校外实践活动，比如去北京798艺术中心、国家图书馆，或者去清华大学参观西方艺术杰作展览。我们还会举办一些活动，比如最近疯狂激烈的三月乒乓球锦标赛，极限飞盘社团，街舞训练，甚至是全校的滑雪旅行等。我们相信这些非学术性活动对学生的发展，与学习世界历史或物理等这些学科一样重要。

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关注教学理念和教学方法。一个好的高中项目当然会帮助学生为重要的大学入学考试做准备，比如托福、SAT、雅思等考试。但是同时也关注一些更为重要的事情，那就是帮助学生以一种“非中式”的方式去进行思考和学习。我们会让学生们体验到他们在中国很少会接触到的教学方法，但这些方法在西方却很常见：

o 让学生知道“为什么”比只是知道事实本身更重要

o 批判性思维而不是死记硬背

o 合作学习

o 沟通和辩论观点

o 提出问题和挑战假设

o 讨论多种方法

o 创造性地解决问题

o 跨学科思考（比如把数学和科学课程结合起来）

o 把科技作为一种教育工具

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关注外教团队：因为我们这里有经验丰富、素质良好的外教。他们来自美国及其他西方国家的大学，我们可以就大学录取过程向学长和家长提供第一手的指导和建议。我们还可以针对一些问题为学生提出有效建议，比如在2000多所优秀的美国、加拿大、澳大利亚和英国大学中，哪一所大学提供的课程最符合学生的能力和目标。我们的外教具备这个资格和能力。

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专注于帮助学生理解外国生活。中国学生海外经历的一个关键部分就是如何适应一种全新的生活方式。从这方面来说，一个好的国际高中项目要帮助学生了解海外生活是什么样子的，从而减少他们在国外遇到的文化冲击。我们会帮助他们了解美国的食物、美国不同地区的气候和天气、美国校园的社交生活、交通、签证要求、金钱管理、安全和法律法规的差异，以及他们在日常生活中可能遇到的所有挑战和机遇。

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最后，也是最重要的，去寻找一个有“爱”的学校。一个有爱的国际学校才能理解你们孩子的未来是你们在这个世界上拥有的最宝贵的东西。

作为老师，我认为你们把这样的无价之宝托付给我们是一种荣誉，我们也是这样对待的。我们的班级规模相对较小，所以我们可以深入了解每一个学生，把每一个孩子当作一个独立的个体来对待。

我们可以了解他们的优势和弱点，了解他们自信的领域和令他们害怕的领域，了解什么时候需要我们推他们一把，以及什么时候需要我们放手，了解他们擅长的事情以及他们有困难的地方。简而言之，我们把他们作为“人”来了解——这是帮助他们对自己的教育未来做出选择和决定的关键。有很多合适的路径可以让学生迈向他们的目标，而且没有任何两个学生的路径是完全相同的。

在这方面，中育贝拉北京校区坚守的就是：提供个性化的项目，让我们能够引导他们朝着他们各自合适的道路前进，从而引导他们走向成功。

希望我的这些建议是成就你们孩子人生旅程的第一步!

Notes for International Education in China

Talk will start with a brief introduction of my background in education, my long-standing interest in international education, and 30+ years of experience with recruiting Chinese students for enrollment in American high schools. I will also mention my extensive background as a college counselor in the US. I understand that secondary school education for families like yours is all about establishing a strong foundation for placement at top colleges and universities around the world.

I will offer a brief description of how I came to know EduChina and why I believe in international education, especially here in China.

There are six points I want to share with you here as you consider what makes for the “best” International High School program for your son or daughter:

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First, some numbers: In 2004-2005 there were just over 50,000 Chinese students studying in the US. In 2017-2018, the number is approaching >500,000, 10 fold increase only one decade! Financially, Chinese students contribute an estimated $28 billion to the US economy; it is a BIG business. With the stakes, so high, the field of “International Education Experts” has mushroomed in China and, candidly, there are now many bad actors out there when it comes to promising what they cannot deliver, or guiding families along an educational pathway that they don’t know much about. Too many International High Schools are more businesses than they are schools; they are companies in it for the fee rather than for the educational benefit to the student. They offer no true preparation, no true guidance and have little (or no!) actual understanding of how international education works. As a result, the failure rate of Chinese students at universities in the U.S. is shamefully high (18–25% in the latest studies); even though these students are often bright and capable. They problem: they have been badly advised by a disreputable placement agent, or poorly prepared by their International High School experience. The phrase that I advise you to keep in mind when “shopping” for the “best” school for your child is Caveat Emptor (Latin for “let the buyer beware”).

2

Pay attention to curriculum: It is the most critical factor. Here in Daxing, the curriculum we offer is widely regarded as the “gold standard” when it comes to the courses and kind of teaching that western-bound Chinese students need to experience. Because we effectively blend the best aspects of the British A-level and the American AP curricula, admissions offices at colleges and universities around the globe recognize our program as one that offers a rigorous, broad and deep preparation. Graduates from our school have a strong track record of being well prepared for success at top universities throughout the western world. When you explore the curriculum, by the way, certainly you should pay attention to the elite courses offered (like AP Economics, AP Statistics and AP Calculus here at Daxing). But I also suggest that you pay attention to the “non-core” offerings within the school’s overall program. Does it do things like sponsor off campus field trips or social service opportunities? Does it offer a variety of art or music options to give students an outlet for exploring their creative side? Is there a club program that taps into student interests and expertise in areas outside of academics? Here in Daxing, for example, we schedule monthly all-school field trips into our calendar to places like the Beijing 798 Art Zone, the National Library, or an exhibition of Western Art masterpieces at Tsinghua University. We also sponsor activities like our recent cut-throat March Madness Ping-Pong Tournament, an ultimate Frisbee club, hip-hop dance training and even all-school ski trips. We believe these non-academic offerings are every bit as important to student development as studying World History or Physics.

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Note the teaching philosophy and methodology. Certainly, a good high school program will help students prepare for important college admissions tests such as TOEFL, SAT, IELTS, etc. At the same time, however, it will focus on things arguably even more important: preparing students to think and learn in a way that is “not Chinese.” We introduce students to teaching approaches that they rarely encounter here in China, but will find commonplace in the west:

teaching students that “why” is more important than just knowing the facts

critical thinking rather than memorization

collaborative learning

conversation and debate about ideas

asking questions and challenging assumptions

discussing alternative approaches

creative problem solving

interdisciplinary thinking (combining math and science lessons together, for example)

use of technology as an educational tool

4

Note the foreign teachers. Because our experienced, well-qualified expatriate teachers are themselves from colleges and universities in the U.S. and other western countries, we can offer first-hand guidance and advice to students and parents about how the college admission process works. We can also share knowledgeable suggestions about which of the more than 2000 excellent U.S., Canadian, Australian and British colleges and universities offer programs best matched to a student’s abilities and goals.

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Look for a focus on helping students understand life in a “foreign” country. A critical piece of a Chinese student’s experience overseas is adapting to a totally new way of life. In that regard, a good international high school program helps student learn about what “life” will be like overseas, thus minimizing the culture shock they will encounter abroad. We teach them about U.S. food, about climate and weather in different parts of the country, about social life on an American campus, about transportation, visa requirements, managing money, safety and difference in laws and rules, and all of the other day-to-day living challenges and opportunities they are sure to encounter.

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Finally, and most importantly, look for love. A good international high school program understands that your child and his/her future is the most precious thing that you as a parent have in the world. Entrusting us with that invaluable commodity is an honor, and we treat it that way. Because our classes are relatively small, we get to know our students as unique individuals, and we treat them as such. We get to know their strengths and weaknesses, areas in which they are confident and areas that intimidate them, when they need to be pushed and when we need to back off, what they are good at and where they struggle. In short, we get to know them as people – something that is a key to help them make choices and decisions about their educational future. There are many appropriate routes that students can follow toward their goals, and no two students are exactly alike. In this regard, the personalized nature that we offer in the EduChina program here in Beijing allows us to direct them toward their own proper pathway that will lead them to success.

I hope that this is the first step in what promises to be a life-changing journey for your son or daughter!