The advanced educational development concept belongs to China as well as the world. The children we cultivate are both Chinese and global citizens. International education in China must rely on a mature international curriculum system, so that children can be deeply rooted in China and look to the world.
In elementary school stage, ISA Wuhan School is centered on the National Curriculum, with IBPYP as the framework. ISA Wuhan helps students explore their environment and learn about their world through games, activities and relationships with peers, teachers, families and community members.
In the implementation of the curriculum, we emphasis the school-based national curriculum, the internationalization of the specialized curriculum and the localization of the international curriculum.
The National Curriculum is fully implemented, the National Curriculum hours are fully provided, National Teaching Materials are used in a systematic manner, and school-based teaching materials are researched and developed to ensure learning quality. The National Curriculum includes Chinese, English, Mathematics, Science, Computer, Music, Art, Calligraphy, Physical Education, Ethics, and the Rule of Law. The Chinese and Mathematics curriculum uses the compulsory education textbooks, while the English curriculum uses the Cambridge textbooks and the Mathematics curriculum includes Targeting Mathematics.
The PYP programme uses this framework to respond to students’ cognitive styles and needs. It focuses on stimulating and supportive interactions between students and teachers. We have explored the commonalities between the curriculum and the intrinsic links between subjects to find the right ‘fit’ and integrate the curriculum. Each week, music, drama, art, PE, and a second foreign language is taught by foreign teachers from the UK, USA, France, Spain, and Snowdonia. We integrate not only the curriculum standards of different countries but also languages and student skills, encourage active inquiry and focus on effective teamwork and collaboration.
Our learning is about students experiencing learning across and beyond traditional subject boundaries. We are deeply engaged in authentic and reliable inquiry-based learning, offering six weekly UOI inquiry lessons on the themes of “Who we are”, “How we express ourselves”, “How we organise ourselves” ” Where we are in place and time”, “How the world works” and ” Sharing the planet”. These are the themes of the super-disciplinary inquiry.
The rich and varied CCA programme promotes the diversification of students, provides a wealth of learning resources, employs being a leading figure in many unique sports, arts, and technology industries, and builds bridges of communication and learning with global masters in various fields. Free CCA classes are held every Monday to Thursday from 15:30 – 16:30, and professional, sustainable academy classes are offered from 16:30 – 17:30. A limited number of interest classes are also available for students at weekends.
ISA Wuhan Wuhan PYP programme satisfies the life scenarios and courses of students’ language learning to the greatest extent and improves students’ application ability of language learning in real-life scenarios. Except Chinese, mathematics, ethics and the rule of law, calligraphy, etc. taught by Chinese teachers, courses such as UOI, music, physical education, art, and scientific information are taught bilingually by foreign teachers or Chinese teachers. Students have achieved more than twenty lessons a week of English language learning in school. The school offers Japanese, French, Korean, German, Spanish, and other second languages from the first grade. Students can choose according to their own interests to meet the needs of different students for language learning and multicultural understanding. we currently provide two courses per week in French or Japanese for students to learn a second language.
ISA Wenhua Wuhan PYP programme has small classes with a maximum of twenty-four students in each class, accompanied by a Chinese and foreign Homeroom teacher and an additional language learning support teacher for each class in the Junior Years. ISA Wenhua Wuhan PYP programme divides English language learning into: English Language and Literature (ELL) and English Language Acquisition (ELA) to ensure that students have access to English language learning that is appropriate and challenging for them. All English language programmes promote and develop the four basic skills of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This is balanced with the development of skills such as thinking, research, socializing, and communication. ISA Wuhan also has a learning support programme for language learning, with academic teachers and English teaching assistants providing accompanying and participatory support. Teachers provide one-to-one tutoring based on students’ language learning; participatory learning support means that English teaching assistants come into the classroom to provide specific and personalised help or support.
MYON English Graded Reading enables personalised reading, with each ISA Wuhan student having an individual reading track. The MYON online library dynamically matches students according to their grade level, reading level, and interests to find the right reading content to begin their graded reading journey. The IXL resource library enables individualised learning assistance, with dynamic testing to locate individualised learning content, and generates learning pathways for maths and English from dimensions such as maths movement, measurement and statistics, and English reading strategies, vocabulary, and grammar.
Pastoral care aims to help learners develop their character, personality, social and emotional skills, build resilience, sociality and prepare them for the future.