Stanford University recently announced their collaboration with BE Education to provide an online course, Technologies Changing the World: Thinking into Action, for high school students throughout China. Students will be able to enroll and start the program in Winter 2020.

The Stanford e-China program is directed by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), a program of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies in Stanford University.

The online course will focus on the fields of green, health, and financial technology, in addition to artificial intelligence. Students will engage in live discussion sessions, virtual classes, and real-time conversations with Stanford University Scholars and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, as well as American high school students.

The collaboration between Stanford University and BE Education was born out of another collaboration between Study Abroad Director Emma Vanbergen and China Director of International Education, Julia Gooding of BE Education. It became clear to these two education professionals that Chinese students were seeking out more immersive hands-on projects that had real-world impact.

The development of the course has involved finding ways to build a framework that encourages students to analyze challenges facing each of the technologies highlighted above, and then brainstorm innovative solutions that could impact China, the United States, and the world.

Students will gain practical, academic skills:

• Pre-recorded, university-level lectures by leading scholars from Stanford University offer practice listening to a variety of lecturing styles.
• Real-time discussions led by guest lecturers familiarize students with the dynamics of classroom participation in schools such as Stanford University.
• Short writing assignments improve critical thinking skills.
• Exposure to the Design Thinking framework introduces a creative-thinking process and hands-on, problem-solving practice.
• The final project requires students to investigate a suitable technological challenge, collaborate with colleagues in China and the US, develop compelling pitch slides, and practice English presentation skills.

What students will learn:

• Technologies that will have great impact on their academic, professional, and personal lives.
• Design Thinking, a creative framework practiced throughout Silicon Valley to innovate and build prototypes.
• Academic styles and standards at universities like Stanford in preparation for application to study in the United States or elsewhere. 

The Stanford e-China course is designed for exceptional, self-motivated, Chinese high school students studying in China. Students who complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from Stanford Program for SPICE, Stanford University. Although students will not receive direct university course credit, those who successfully complete the course may request a Letter of Recommendation from the Stanford e-China instructor to support their university applications.

The three highest-performing students will be invited to Stanford University, all expenses paid (up to $2,000 USD), to participate in a Stanford e-China program ceremony. The final deadline for students to apply is November 15 2019. For more information scan the QR below.

USD 3,000. January 4 – March 2, 2020 (with break). 

Photos: Pixabay

For our column, Ask an Educator, we turn to educators, whether teachers, tutors, or principals, to answer frequently asked questions from parents. To send in your question, email jessicasuotmaa@beijing-kids.com.

This week, our question is:

“Can children take the HSK? If not, what is the equivalent Chinese proficiency test for kids?”

Answering for us is Miyee Woon, a private HSK tutor who prides herself on being able to teach foreigners as a non-native Chinese speaker.

When we decide to book our ticket to China, we probably thought that we should at least learn some basic Chinese in order to help us explore more in the country, and that our kids should be exposed to the new language as well. In today’s society, mastering Chinese (especially mandarin) is considered one of the essential elements to make one more competitive.

HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) test is designed for those who aim to gain the qualification proving their ability to understand the spoken and written Chinese (Mandarin).

The HSK Test aims to assess your ability to understand spoken and written Chinese and consists of six levels:

Level 1, 2, 3 (HSK Threshold): Acquire 400-1000 Chinese characters, plus master the most basic HSK grammar requirements.

Level 4 (HSK Basic):  Acquire 400-3000 basic Chinese characters, plus Level A and B in HSK grammar requirements.

Level 5 (HSK Elementary-Intermediate): Acquire 2000-5000 basic Chinese characters (Level A, B, and C in HSK Vocabulary). Master Level A, B, and C in HSK grammar requirements.

Level 6 (HSK Advanced): Acquire 5000-8000 Chinese characters (Level A, B, C, and D in HSK Vocabulary). Master Level A, B, C, and D in HSK grammar.

(Source: 孔子学校 )

The HSK lesson plan would be a bit too boring for young children (4-6). Young children tend to have shorter attention span compared to grownups. Thus, an innovative lesson plan would be more appropriate to them, for instance, a story book reading accompanied by basic Chinese characters would catch their interest. The lesson can be taught in the form of game playing or storytelling. With the basic knowledge gained from home study, parents would have the option to send their children either to the local Chinese kindergarten (for pre-school lessons), or a private tutor to teach at home in order to systematically build a solid foundation of the Chinese basics.

If parents hope their children will have a certificate of Chinese level qualification, they might have to enroll their kids into a Chinese school, or bilingual school with a Chinese department, from grade 1 to grade 6. After the first six years of elementary study, our children can apply and take the HSK test. Then, the children would obtain the qualified mandarin level certification, which can be used in university admissions or job applications in China.

Photo courtesy of Miyee Woon