Sponsored by Beijing City International School (BCIS). Located in Beijing’s CBD, BCIS lives by its motto: “Empowering and Inspiring Through Challenge and Compassion.” This not-for-profit, co-educational day school provides a personalized, inclusive international curriculum under the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School system, offering the PYP, MYP and DP to both expatriate and Chinese national students from Toddler to Grade 12. For more information, please email admissions@bcis.cn
One thing you may not know about Beijing City International School, is that the school is actually one part of a bigger group called YueCheng Education (YCE). Within YCE there are three important bodies, one being BCIS. The other two are the YueCheng Education Research Institute (YERI) and the YueCheng Education Innovation Center (YEIC). While both YERI and YEIC carry out their own functions, they operate under together under the YERI flag of YCE.
YERI’s mission is to challenge and empower educators to be able to show compassion and inspire students so that both parties may act for the good of all. Based in the BCIS Main Campus, the main functions of the group (including YEIC) are as follows:
1) To offer enhancements to the pedagogy of YCE schools and institutions through research, support and program innovations.
2) To share advanced educational methodology and experience with the wider community.
3) To serve as a professional bridge connecting YCE with the best practice of both international and national education systems.
The main thrust of YERI’s work comes in the form of professional developments workshops for K-12 educators. These events are held throughout the year, and cover a wide range of topics, such as:
• “The Brain-Friendly Classroom: Impact of Brain Research Results on Classroom Teaching”
• “Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Teacher”
• “Differentiation for All Students (Personalized Learning)”
• “How to Develop Students’ Global Competencies”
Typically, these are whole-day workshops, and take place within the stunning surroundings of either the BCIS Main Campus, or the 4th floor Community Center at the Early Childhood Center. YERI has also organized special symposiums, where local and international experts share their knowledge of the best practices in international education. Ultimately, the goals remain the same – to generate a “Renaissance” in China’s K-12 education field.Sinceits founding in 2010, YEIC has conducted more than 110 workshops and symposiums with over 6,250 participants from around 800 schools and institutions across China.
Such a model may seem somewhat complex to the outside, but the existence of YERI and YEIC within YCE brings numerous advantages to BCIS and its community. First of all, there is a clear advantage to the school’s faculty, who gain access to a strong professional development network giving great opportunities for career advancement. Second, YERI also organizes special workshops for parents, giving advice based on some of the latest educational and psychological research.
In fact, on March 24 from 09:00 to 16:00, YERI will be hosting its next workshop at the BCIS Early Childhood Center — “How to listen so your child will talk, and how to talk so your child will listen.” The session will be led by Bill and Ochan Powell, who are both noted experts in this field. You can find out more and learn how to register for this workshop by clicking here.
The most important advantage of YERI is its effectiveness in helping BCIS become a thought leader in the world of international education. As more workshops are offered, and more research conducted to be shared with the Beijing community, a greater number of educators and parents begin to see BCIS and YCE as a beacon of light offering guidance in the complex labyrinth that is the ever-expanding world of education.
Photos: BCIS
