When There Is No Choice

There is always choice in any given situation. However, sometimes what appears to be a choice is actually an illusion. Take the notion of offering an international curriculum in China to students from a non-western culture. There are plenty of choices to make: • Which curriculum will be used? • How many international administrators will the school need? • How many international teachers will be needed? • What are the skills, knowledge and experience that are going to be needed for this group? • What skills and experience will be needed for the Chinese administrators and teachers?

By Richard Mast

• What subjects will the Chinese teachers teach? • How is the school going to deal with the compulsory curriculum for Years 1 to 9? The list is a long one. What if the answers to these questions were to be challenged? Imagine a recruiting interview where the foreign administrator is asked: ‘Should the international curriculum and the teaching methods be modified because the students are Chinese?’ and the foreign teacher is asked: ‘How do you think your teaching methods need to be adjusted to account for the learning of Chinese students?’.

These are questions that are not often put to such applicants, yet they should be, since this is the essential issue that has to be faced when seeking to work in a school in China. The international curriculum does not transpose into a Chinese context with ease. The application of ‘best practice’ does not work anything like as well as the foreign teacher assumes it should.

Which curriculum?

For all students from Years 1 to 9 it is the Chinese National Curriculum. The Chinese schools that are seeking to introduce (without stating their intent) pedagogy based upon international education will grab hold of an international curriculum that they think can do the job (marketing-wise and education-wise). The foreign teachers and administrators come in and do what they can to use that approach, and will assume that because they have been hired to implement the international curriculum, that is what they should do. The problem is that the context is completely different from the context they are used to. On the surface that is what it appears to be, but that is not the choice that will work in this situation. There are alternative choices to make.

One choice is in relation to the interpretation of the curriculum. Chinese

people interpret the notion of an international curriculum in ways that foreigners cannot imagine. The teachers and administrators stepping into this world have to learn to know and understand these interpretations and use their skills and experiences to create versions that will work for the students, teachers, parents and educational authorities. The end points of the curriculum are not negotiable but the processes are. We have to let go of following the formulas. One of the significant elements of an international curriculum is the high dependence upon constructivist education and higherorder thinking. To leap into these without understanding the starting point of the learners and how they interpret what is being asked of them is not fair. It will also not be an easy journey for anyone.

The second choice regarding curriculum is the pedagogy. The way Chinese students learn is a deep reflection of the culture; any foreign teacher and administrator has to work with that culture. To apply western pedagogy as if Chinese culture does not exist in the soul of the students is to live in a fool’s paradise. On the other hand, to find the pathways of learning that are recognisable to the students, teachers and parents is everything in this context. You cannot choose to replicate western pedagogy. You can and must choose to adjust/modify/reconstruct western pedagogy in such a way as to match the learner. The Chinese National Curriculum is not a barrier to this process; rather it is an opportunity to bring the two approaches together to create a cultural bridge. Achieving this takes time, effort, creativity and a lot of thinking and support, but it is possible.

Skills and attitudes needed for foreign teachers and administrators

So many schools are seeking to launch their brand into China. So many teachers and administrators are seeking to bring their skills and experience to this environment. The schools and communities are open to this, but be careful. Bringing a school brand into China (or any non-western culture) is not the same as replicating the brand. Of course the reputation of the school is important from a marketing point of view. The school can bring its name and its ethos, uniforms, mottos and history. However, if the school chooses to replicate the ‘best practice’ that has been the hallmark of its success at home then they are taking a risk. The pedagogy and operational processes of a successful school are a reflection of its cultural context. This is not the culture of the new clientele. To choose to ignore this is not logical, nor is it going to guarantee success for the long term.

Teachers and administrators coming to China to demonstrate their skill set can succeed, but the choice they have to make is in relation to how and to what extent they will adjust their thinking and practices. To have a sustainable model of success, the foreign teachers and administrators have to have an attitude that can be summarised as follows: Everything I think and do at home has to be assumed to be inappropriate in this new context. What do I have to do to be successful in this new world? Anything and everything may have to change.

Without that attitude, success is unlikely.

China is a culture that is welcoming, but any foreigner must recognise that the host country culture has to be respected and supported. To work in China is to accept the fundamental premise of our profession; that is, everyone is unique, and to have a successful educational experience, the learner’s individuality has to be the basis for the learning process. In China, each student, teacher and parent is shaped by the culture. Their perspectives, their decision-making, their learning, their attitudes, their values and actions are all built upon that culture. To work in China, you have to choose to work within that context. ◆

To apply western pedagogy as if Chinese culture does not exist in the soul of the students is to live in a fool’s paradise

Richard Mast trains Chinese and foreign teachers and administrators in China and Australia. ✉ rmast617@gmail.com