Changing China: Education For Creative Minds
Education is a major concern for Chinese parents who are eager to see their child excel in multiple disciplines. From an early age on, kids in China are attending English classes, practice calligraphy and learn instruments in order to be able to compete with millions of others. It is a rigid system that focuses on theories and teacher-centred learning with the primary goal being the big exams for the next higher school level such as the university admission exam gaokao. The pressure on the 9 million attendees is enormous with schools installing anti-suicide barriers to prevent students from taking their lives ahead of the exam.
In order to modernise the learning process, many parents are signing their children up for creative leaning courses such as Lego classes. As parents are becoming aware that creativity boosts inventiveness, sales of Lego rose by more than 50% between 2013 and 2015. In addition, alternative learning methods are becoming increasingly popular for subjects like English language.
Shanghai is one of the hubs for innovative education with many incentives for extracurricular learning. This not only entails subjects, but also communication and the learning process itself. “Chinese students are very limited in their way of learning – there is a skill gap that needs to be filled and many don’t recognise at the beginning that soft skills are as important to employers as is knowledge,” says Brian Heger, Content Development Director of TOK English, a program by Telford Education Group that combines traditional learning with interactive classes and online elements.
Cooperating with universities and companies in China, Heger also sees a need to change the way educators think in order to make an impact with Chinese students. “A lot feel threatened by online learning,” he explains. Rather than using online and interactive tools to compliment their traditional teaching, “educators wait to be told what to do instead of just doing something and taking initiative.”
Overcoming Hurdles
New incentives are increasingly pushed by Beijing where a strong need for creative learning is seen in order to replace China’s image of a country of factories, to being perceived as an innovation hub and that can compete internationally. One of these initiatives is the Incubation Centre at Shanghai’s Donghua University which aims to connect students with companies and enhance innovations and entrepreneurship. “This trend already started five to six years ago, with the government as the main driver. Now companies are increasingly investing in students with good ideas and potential,” says Prof. Anselm Vermeulen, who is leading the program for Entrepreneurship and Innovation together with his colleague Dr. Nikola Zivlak. In a similar program, Prof. Vermeulen initiated at Shanghai Business School and cooperation with Rotterdam Business School, Chinese students are encouraged to create a business based on ideas developed during their studies.
“China’s private sector is the most welcoming ecosystem for innovations in the world.”, explains Dr. Zivlak, and names educational barriers as the biggest challenge to the development of creative thinking. “90% of our Chinese teachers are not willing to change their ways of teaching even though Donghua University is China’s 9th most international university,” states Prof. Vermeulen. Innovative minds are redirected to an exam-focused curriculum that leaves little room for trials.
But the change towards creative learning and thinking is underway in China, even within the country’s large enterprises. Training sessions with selected staff members has established new ways of managing and handling affairs that facilitate communication processes and enhance productivity. The demand for independent and inspiring graduates is increasing, offering multiple opportunities for foreign education companies and other businesses that are eager to train promising candidates into qualified staff. Contact us today to learn how.
