FAMILY
April 2010
MATTERS
FM
CITY Family-friendly Shanghai HEALTH Shanghai baby EDUCATION Choosing the right school
Roots and Shoots: Kids Making a Difference
Journal of the British International School
the british international school
Shanghai, China Issue 2 + FAMILY MATTERS 1
2 FAMILY MATTERS + Issue 2 Journal of the British International School
April 2010
FAMILY MATTERS
FM
ASK THE EXPERTS
03 Chinese New Year 06 Huacao 10 The changing face of Jiading 14 Public speaking
COMMUNITY
18 Shanghai baby 22 Roots and Shoots
CHILDREN – our best hope to save Planet Earth p 22
COMMUNITY 26 Shanghai International Literary Festival 30 Family-friendly Shanghai 34 Food of the gods
HEALTH
38 Understanding asthma 41 High noon tea
SCHOOL MATTERS
44 Choosing the right school 50 Teachers and technology 54 IB – the best of both worlds 58 Learning beyond the classroom 62 British vs American curriculum 66 Student voice
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COMMUNITY
Shanghai International Literary Festival– here to stay By Tina Kanagaratnam and Aelred Doyle
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This year, the Shanghai International Literary Festival turned 8. From humble beginnings, it’s become one of Asia’s leading literary events, while retaining an intimate, friendly feel. The classy, comfortable Bund settings of the Glamour Bar and the Crystal Room one floor above are part of what makes it special. There’s nothing quite like settling back into a comfy chair with a glass of wine or cup of tea, surrounded by other literary groupies, to listen to and engage with some of the world’s finest writers.
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Simon Winchester and Jan Morris at the 2007 Shanghai International Literary Festival
This year’s Festival had another stellar lineup, including Louis de Bernieres, Andre Brink, Scott Turow, Su Tong, Åsne Seierstad and Pulitzer Prize-winner Junot Diaz, as well as plenty of writers who may not be household names but are doing fascinating work. There were also special literary lunches, workshops and events for kids. The 2010 Shanghai International Literary Festival ran from Friday March 5 to Sunday March 21, with most events taking place on the weekends. Find out more at: www.m-restaurantgroup.com/mbund/eventdetail/events/shanghai-international-literaryfestival.html
James Fallows at the 2008 Shanghai International Literary Festival
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COMMUNITY
The Financial TImes’ Geoff Dyer and Fatima Bhutto at the 2008 Shanghai International Literary Festival
Festival founder Michelle Garnaut looks back – and ahead Q: How did it all start? A: It was, like most great ideas, random and inspired. In 2002, Frank Moorhouse was in town, and although he’s a writer of serious fiction, he was working on something he called ‘the martini in literature’. It was in the draft stage. We had just opened the Glamour Bar, and it clicked – let’s have Frank come and talk about literary martinis while we sip martinis. We served a ton of martinis and thought, what a great idea! Let’s do this every year. But in all seriousness, I had just started a programme of culture and entertainment – mostly music, classical, cabaret, etc – at the Glamour Bar (it
“A few authors came, but our audiences were tiny – we literally had two paying customers at one session!” was then on the 7th floor), because it seemed like there was a real need for it in Shanghai at the time. Doing something literary as part of that programme fit.
Q: How did it grow from one man to the three-week, 50+ author extravaganza we see now?
phones were ringing off the hook and no one could call in to make a reservation for dinner! We had lines out the door. It was great for the
“The phones were ringing off the hook and no one could call in to make a reservation for dinner!”
A: Fairly slowly, at first. In 2002, Frank Moorhouse did an event in Hong Kong that was part of the Hong Kong Literary Festival, and the following year we asked them if any authors were interested in coming to Shanghai. We had no money, so we told the authors that they’d have to fund themselves, but we’d put them up at the Metropole. A few came, but our audiences were tiny (even Maxine Hong Kingston didn’t sell out) – we literally had two paying customers at one session! Q: Why on earth did you carry on? A: It was a fantastic experience. I loved it, the General Manager loved it, the people who came loved it – we just needed to figure out how to make it work. We grew organically, and the consulates got involved; we started securing sponsors and it became a cosy, sort of cult experience, with a couple of big names each year – Booker Prize winners like Thomas Keneally, Alan Hollinghurst and travel writer Pico Iyer. Everyone loved it – the intimacy of those small audiences, the conversations we had. We (M on the Bund) handled everything – taking bookings, selling tickets – and we had a tiny Lit Fest gang (four people, including me) who manned the door, liaised with authors, everything! Q: And in 2007 it broke through in a big way? A: We had some of the biggest stars in the literary world – Gore Vidal, Amy Tan, Jan Morris, Simon Winchester, Kiran Desai – and back-to-back sessions for three weekends. The
Festival, because so many people came, realised what we were doing and came to other sessions as well, but it was overwhelming the restaurant, and our small group of organisers. In 2008, we implemented two major innovations: Mypiao took over ticket sales, and we put together a group of volunteers to handle door duties and author liaison. It all became manageable again. Q: What did we see in 2010? A: A fantastic mix – famous names (Scott Turow, Junot Diaz, Su Tong), newer authors, literary lunches, wine and poetry, workshops. Q: Going forward, what’s next for SILF? A: Variety. We can’t really grow – we’re limited by space and we like it this size – but expect to see more workshops, panels and Glamour Bar evening sessions mixed in with our daytime sessions.
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COMMUNITY
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Food of the gods by Tina Kanagaratnam, Amy Fabris-Shi and Gary Bowerman
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Spring has sprung; the Chinese New Year holiday has come and gone, as has Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t mean the time for hot – or cold – chocolate has gone too. Deep, dark and slightly mysterious, chocolate lifts your spirits and titillates your tastebuds; and is there a better gift than gorgeously packaged little bon bons?
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COMMUNITY
So… where to get your chocolate fix? The creators of the Shanghai Eat & Drink Guide (and all-round good food hunters) Tina Kanagaratnam, Amy Fabris-Shi and Gary Bowerman have scoured the city for the boutiques, the cafés, the stores and even the kitchens where chocolate rules. Whisk (1250 Huaihai Lu) “Desserts,” Whisk informs us, “is stressed spelt backwards.” There are few places more pleasant than this contemporary café to unwind in, and it has a lot to do with their dessert menu. The entirely chocolate menu features an upside down chocolate cake with a molten centre, a dark chocolate tart with a chocolate chip base and a rich, soft chocolate mousse. Whisk’s hot chocolate – made with divine, bittersweet chocolate, the European way – is simply liquid chocolate, a warming salve on a cold day. Mio Miko (80 Wulumuqi Lu) Quite possibly the finest chocolates in Shanghai. This chic little Belgian store (love those teardrop lamps!) on the hip
Wulumuqi Lu / Anfu Lu strip imports artisan chocolates from a variety of Belgian chocolatiers (for our money, the best chocolate producers in the world): Daskiladès, Bouchard L’Escaut, Elise and Belfine. Yum. hof (30 Sinan Lu) Belgian chocolate may be the best in the world, but the best chocolatier in Shanghai is the talented Malaysian chef Brian Tan. When he was pastry chef at the St Regis, he produced an amazing chocolate high tea, and at hip and happening Sinan Road café hof, he produces an array of chocolate desserts – tarts, cakes, tall mousses – that will knock your socks off. (He still makes chocolate, too: one of our absolute favourite gifts is his sexy chocolate highheeled shoe.) Awfully Chocolate (174 Xiangyang Nan Lu) They only do one thing at Awfully Chocolate: chocolate. Three kinds of chocolate cake (plain, banana/rum and black cherry) and three kinds of ice cream,
Chocolate Chip Cookies We’re of the opinion that the best kind of chocolate chip cookie is one that is warm from the oven, the chips melting and the fragrance wafting throughout the house. Bake up a batch and win a heart! Here’s the recipe for Tina’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. Ingredients: 1 cup flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened 6 tablespoons white sugar 6 tablespoons light brown sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 1 cup Nestle Toll House morsels Method: Preheat oven to 375 F / 220 C. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a mixer, mix butter and both sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Add egg, and mix until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture, adding more flour if mixture is too wet. Add chocolate chips, mix. With wet palms, form teaspoon-sized pieces of dough into balls, and place on cookie sheet, placed about 2 cm apart. Bake for about 7 minutes, or until the dough is light golden. Remove from the oven, and let cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheets, then remove to cooling rack. Serve warm, with a cold glass of milk.
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take-out only. (Perfect for that last minute gift… especially when you’ve forgotten the occasion entirely!) Hershey’s Chocolate World The only Hershey’s Chocolate World outside North America, Shanghai’s scaleddown version is nonetheless brimming with every variety of this iconic American brand: Hershey’s Krackle, the dark chocolate Hershey bar, the silver foil-wrapped kisses and, occasionally, even a singing, dancing giant Hershey kiss. It’s a fun visit for kids. For listings of Shanghai’s best chocolate shops – as well as restaurants, groceries, local markets and bars – pick up a copy of Silk Guides’ Shanghai Eat & Drink Guide. Available at Chaterhouse Book Traders (Shanghai Centre (1376 Nanjing Xi Lu), Times Square (99 Huaihai Zhong Lu)), Fei Dan grocery stores or by emailing sales@silkguides.com.
COMMUNITY
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HEALTH
Understanding asthma by Dr Jing Zhao, MD
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Whether or not a child suffers from asthma is related to both their allergic reactivity and the environment. Internal idiosyncratic factors and external stimulation both play decisive roles. Generally speaking, children are more prone to asthma attacks than adults. There are two physical characteristics of children suffering from asthma. Firstly, their airway can become narrowed (this is called stenosis) by even minor stimulation (a particular gas, cool air, etc). Secondly, the majority of children who suffer from asthma are easily affected by allergens and thus develop allergies.
There are different precipitating factors causing asthma attacks. Respiratory tract infection is one of them. Most flu viruses cause the bronchial vagus nerve to tense up, leading to asthma. Allergies are the main causes of asthma
data showing that some asthmatic children not only suffer from asthma but also other allergic diseases, such as eczema, urticaria or drug allergies. Asthma can be classified according to cause:
“Maintain a good mood; a positive attitude can enhance the confidence of children in fending off asthma� attacks. For example, some pollen-allergic children get an asthma attack immediately upon contact with pollen. In addition, there is survey
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1) Extrinsic asthma: obviously related to inhaled allergens; appearing and disappearing suddenly 2) Intrinsic asthma: where there are no obvious allergens to be inhaled; related to infections; onset is slow 3)Mixed-characteristic asthma: having both extrinsic and intrinsic factors; including exercise-induced asthma, which comes on after sporting activity 4) Drug-induced asthma: caused by drugs such as aspirin, the attack starts immediately after taking the medication. Some children have food
HEALTH allergies; attacks are caused by foods such as fish, shrimp, etc.
note the following points: 1) To prevent influenza, try to avoid public places during flu season and avoid contact with flu-sufferers.
Asthma attacks affect children, especially infants, most often in the winter, mainly because respiratory tract infections are common at this time of year. Asthmatic children often show allergic reaction symptoms. Some infants may have eczema for a long period, others may have allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, a blocked nose, sneezing or a runny nose, and some are prone to hives or allergic skin rash. Allergic conjunctivitis can also occur. Asthma attacks tend to hit, or worsen, at night; therefore, parents should know how to use temporary asthma medication to help stop the attack as soon as possible. The procedure is as follows: When you see signs of the onset of an asthma attack (for example, an irritating dry cough, sneezing, etc) you should give the child antiallergic medication to ease the attack, by using a Ventolin inhaler, oral Chorine Theophylline, Bricanyl or other equivalents. You can give your child one more type of antiasthma medication in addition to their usual medication. If the asthma attack is severe, and despite initial treatment the child starts to have breathing difficulties, parents should immediately take him or her to hospital. Children with asthma in their daily lives should
2) Keep the house dry and clean. Try to clear indoor dust as much as possible, keep the air in the room fresh and expose blankets to the sun often.
“Asthma attacks affect children, especially infants, most often in the winter�
3) Avoid contact with allergens. If a child is allergic to pollen, it is best not to go to parks during blossom season, and the child should in any case always avoid flowers. 4) Keep your daily life regular and healthy. Eat fresh foods that are rich in nutrients and vitamins. Certain cold, salty or sweet foods may cause asthma and should therefore be avoided. Try not to eat canned food or snacks containing preservatives. Maintain a good mood; a positive attitude can enhance the confidence of children in fending off asthma. If you discover that your child has any asthma symptoms, take him or her to hospital for a check-up to find out the cause and the severity. Separate from medical efforts, children should also combat asthma by taking part in physical exercise. In good weather, parents should take children out to play football or badminton, go swimming and so on. In this way the child can become stronger, helping keep the disease under control until there is no longer any danger of future reoccurrence.
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SCHOOL MATTERS
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teachers and Technology by Stuart White, Head of Secondary, The British International School Shanghai, Puxi Campus
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You don’t have to spend too long browsing through the science fiction shelves of your local bookshop to realise that teachers are past their sell-by date and can be readily replaced by direct memory implants / computer terminals / memory pills / genetic engineering [delete as applicable – or insert your own best guess as to the technology of the future]. If novelists are to be believed, we are an endangered species, about to go the same way as VHS video, film cameras and books. Although – come to think of it – books are still with us, so perhaps not all tried and trusted learning methods are for the axe just yet!
It is true that the future may yet hold many twists and turns. The well-known socialist historian Eric Hobsbawn once said that “the only sure thing about the future is that it will surprise even those who have looked furthest into it” and I am sure he was right. It is also true that technology has appeared in today’s classroom in all sorts of ways, and our children are better educated because of it. Is technology, however, a replacement for the teacher, or is there still a role for him or her? The answer is – as all good answers are – not quite straightforward. Classrooms without teachers have proved elusive and ineffective so far, but the role of the teacher has undoubtedly changed greatly in the single generation that separates the classroom experiences of today’s children and their parents. I remember sitting in a lecture just over a decade ago, listening to Lord Puttnam speak about his views on technology and education, and I recall his observation that our Victorian forbears – at least those who postdated the great 1870 Forster Education Act in the UK that paved the way to universal
Journal of the British International School
“Is technology, however, a replacement for the teacher, or is there still a role for him or her?”
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SCHOOL MATTERS education – would recognise the classroom that their great-great-grandchildren occupied. Blackboards, chalk and slates had largely given way to whiteboards, coloured marker pens and lined paper, but the essence of the teaching process was relatively unchanged in practice. But that was a little over ten years ago, reflecting education at the end of the second millennium, and – to coin a phrase – what a difference a decade makes! The sage referred to earlier is gone. Teachers no longer have to know everything. Our students have access to information in ways that we could only have dreamed about (or read in those science fiction books) when we were their age. They have access to more or less every piece of information recorded throughout human history just by using Google. What’s more, there is simply a lot more ‘stuff’ to
“Students don’t need their teacher to be an encyclopaedia any more, and the ‘sage on the stage’ has become the ‘guide on the side’” know about. Students don’t need their teacher to be an encyclopaedia any more, and the ‘sage on the stage’ has become the ‘guide on the side’. Once one accepts the role of teacher as guide, the processes of modern education become clear. Students must be presented with progressively more difficult problems and challenges, and encouraged and helped to understand and solve them. The array of technology at their disposal is formidable, and the teacher can and must help them to make effective use of it. All our classrooms have computers, electronic whiteboards, Internet access and all sorts of other technology on demand. Freed from the need to focus on recall and routine calculation, students spend more time on higher order thinking skills – analysis, creativity and evaluation replace facts and figures. But higher order skills require thinking – intelligence – and this is where the computer has to step to one side, and where the teacher comes into his or her own. Many years ago I studied Artificial Intelligence as part of my undergraduate degree, and it is a subject I have maintained an interest in ever since. As a field of research it has come a long way from the early days, but intelligence and
computing have remained steadfastly separate. The (probably apocryphal) story of the US government experimenting with an electronic computer designed to translate English into Russian illustrates the difficulties. The programmers allegedly fed it with the words “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”, whereupon the machine responded with a sentence in Russian which said, according to an expert linguist, “The vodka is agreeable but the meat has gone bad.” Computers are good at remembering, but bad at thinking. They can perform millions of calculations flawlessly each second, but they are not good at working out which calculations needed doing in the first place. They free students of the constraints of having to focus
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on low-level memory skills and allow them to spend time learning to be thinkers. In the less than two decades since the arrival of the World Wide Web, given to the world by a British physicist in 1991, information has become so widely available that the nature of teaching has been profoundly and irrevocably altered. The modern teacher is the perfect counterpoint to the computer. We are bad at remembering, but we can analyse and imagine, and we can help our students to learn how to harness the technology at their fingertips to achieve things beyond any Victorian dreams. Louis Armstrong expressed it perfectly: “I watch them grow / They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know / And I think to myself / What a wonderful world.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stuart White has enjoyed working in a variety of schools over the last twenty years. He studied Engineering at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and worked briefly as a telecommunications research engineer for GEC’s central research labs in London, before training as a Physics teacher. He started his teaching career at Winchester College, one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious independent schools, before moving on through a variety of positions including Head of Physics, Boarding Housemaster, Director of Studies and Deputy Head in well known independent schools in England. Working as Vice Principal and then Interim Principal at Aiglon College in Switzerland gave him a taste for the benefits that arise from living and working in an international community, and he took up the role as Head of Secondary at The British International School Shanghai, Puxi Campus with enthusiasm – a feeling he still has as he steps into work each morning! He is married to Jane, also a highly experienced teacher, and has three children. When time allows he enjoys playing and watching most forms of sport, as well as playing the clarinet or just soaking up the Shanghai atmosphere and environment.
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