When our School Director, Richard Bartlett, announced the opportunities for staff to visit schools abroad last year, the idea made me excited. First of all, I would like to thank our administrators for supporting teachers with such experiences. I applied to the program with my particular goal of visiting South Korea because I wanted to learn more about their traditional approach to education and to learn the secret behind their success.
Last April I visited Chadwick International School in Incheon. During the week I spent there, I participated in the activities in the school. I had a chance to visit classes at all grade levels in the Primary and Pre-School. I also found the opportunity to see lesson contents and activities from several subjects.
I was very much impressed by the independency of Korean students. In addition to doing all of their work by themselves, they actively use the action cycle. I observed that with the help of a scheme, students in all grade levels could break out of their comfort zones and take risks to further improve themselves. Teachers helped them with their inquiries by asking questions that developed thinking skills. Thus, students took responsibilities like a real individual exploring life. The school created spaces for students to express themselves independently and involved them in all processes.
The secret to their success seems to be students’ regular participation in academic reinforcement and sports/arts activities after school. Although students sometimes complained about spending too much time in school, working in a disciplined way enables them to achieve high performance.
Since each human being has different needs and talents, there isn’t a universal formula for a successful student, good school, or great teachers.
Undoubtedly though, the most indispensable single skill in the 21st century we live in is adaptability. For this reason, all of us need to stay open to new things and to continue to evolve. It is my wish to help raise children who need no instructions to find the truth, who can think and act independently, and who are not afraid of making mistakes.
–Şeyda Aktürk, Primary School Teacher
