Pao School is dedicated to providing development opportunities for its new teachers, especially those that allow them to gain experience in the classroom, apply their skills and grow professionally. The school is committed to building a solid platform that allows for communication and exchange for these teachers in order to promote research and development in their profession. After six sessions of the successful New Sprout Cup demonstration series for teaching assistants, the first Green Sprout Cup event for new teachers was held in May 2016. Intended to further deepen teaching and research opportunities for Pao School’s new teachers from China, the Green Sprout Cup was open to those with up to five years of teaching experience, and attendance was voluntary.
Twelve teachers attended the event, with four teachers from the Maths Department, eight from the Chinese Department. Demonstrations were given in maths, Chinese as a foreign language, Chinese and EU. We would like to thank all teachers for their active participation.
On the review panel were Deputy Executive Principal Ms Crick Chen, Honorary Headmistress Ni Guyin, and mentors Chen Beilei, Yin Guofang and Li Aizhen as well as department coordinators. Panel members discussed and reviewed each demonstration, providing feedback on the teacher’s objectives, teaching content, method as well as teaching quality.
Each teacher gave lively and diverse teaching performances, all vividly showcasing their own unique teaching plan and style. It was a rewarding experience for all participants. Here’s what the Green Sprout Cup panellists had to say!
The focus should be on the students. The quality of our teaching therefore is most important. Achieving optimal learning effectiveness in a limited instruction time is a challenge all schools face. These teaching demonstrations promote mutual learning among our young teachers and are the best channel by which we can further their careers in education. We are pleased to have the opportunity to launch the very first Green Sprout Cup under the leadership of the Headmaster’s Office, along with the support of our mentors and subject coordinators. The Green Sprout Cup not only helps our young teachers grow professionally – it promotes continued development and refinement of Pao School’s curriculum and teaching.
Ms Crick Chen
We assessed a total of 12 demonstrations. Each lesson was carefully prepared, and we were very impressed by our new teachers’ natural and innovative teaching methods. These young teachers are the future of Pao School, and we would like to thank the Green Sprout Cup for providing them with such a valuable platform.
Mentors
Each class was carefully designed to target both knowledge, skills and values. These teachers were also able to present different interpretations of the text as well as their innovative teaching styles. Listening to these demonstrations definitely encouraged me to enrich my own teaching methods and ideas.
Maths Teacher Nectar Wang
As a new teacher, I feel very fortunate for the chance to observe demonstrations from fellow teachers across different year levels and subjects. I truly believe that any subject, any form of teaching, has a common ground. Their lesson plans were detailed and highly purposeful and they used extremely precise classroom language – it was truly inspiring!
Pull Out Teacher Echo Zhou
This was a rare opportunity to receive feedback and advice from Ms Crick Chen, mentors and other teachers which will undoubtedly help broaden my teaching and learning.
Demonstrator, Maths Teacher Jade Ni
I was delighted to attend the inaugural Green Sprout Cup. I learned much from the experience. I remember polishing my lesson plans and exercises over and over again in an effort to meet the individual needs of my students and ensure my classes were both effective and interesting. After this activity through self-reflection, as well as guidance and support from my mentors, everything fell into place. This was a great opportunity to observe different teaching styles, find out where our strengths lie and help each other overcome our shortcomings.
Demonstrator, Chinese Teacher Molly Li
In preparation for my demonstration, I thought carefully about my teaching materials and methods, considered the common ideas, weighed the key points, and improved my teaching through this learning process. The feedback I received from Ms Crick Chen and the mentors gave me confidence and a direction with which to focus my efforts.
Demonstrator, PCL 1 Teacher Betty Zhang
