Training & Support
Having a transformational impact begins with empowering each and every Fellow to become a transformational teacher. In order to ensure that Fellows are prepared to achieve ambitious classroom goals, Teach for China has developed training and support programs that equip recent university graduates to be effective core curricular subject teachers within the Chinese educational system.
In addition to training successful classroom educators, Teach for China prepares Fellows to engage students, families, and placement communities as stakeholders in the educational process. To do so, Fellows go far beyond the traditional expectations for teachers to become inspirational and transformative leaders.
Summer Institute
Before entering their placement schools, Fellows participate in a six to eight week intensive training program modeled on the Teach For All system. Summer Institute includes a four week practicum in which the Fellows instruct Chinese grade school students during their summer vacation. The practicum is observed by mentor teachers from the US and China; Fellows also observe each other and co-teach on some occasions. The practicum is intended to be a gradual introduction to the rigors that the Fellows will soon face in the fall, starting with smaller class sizes, less demanding curriculum, and usually only one prepared class per day. By the end of the Institute, the Fellows are much more confident and systematic in their approach to all aspects of teaching – lesson planning, classroom management, assessment, student motivation and investment, and structuring their classes consistent with Chinese curricular goals.
Summer Institute uses the Teaching as Leadership text and training materials developed by Teach For America. This system of intensive teacher preparation and management focuses on a results-oriented but common sense method of planning, execution, and analysis of assessment. The system has proven to be very effective at raising all students’ achievement and motivation to learn.
Teach For China has also pioneered several innovations in training that are unique to China. The first is Principal Week – a series of sessions that the Fellows engage in with their schools’ principals and mentor teachers (zhidaolaoshi) to problem-solve and collaborate on simulated challenges they will face in the future. Last year's Principal Week included case studies on redesigning the English (as a Second Language) program; establishing discipline in the classroom without resorting to traditional forms of punishment; and defining success beyond test scores on national exams.
Second, Teach For China offers parallel [Chinese] language instruction differentiated by level, with participation by the Chinese Fellows as coaches and “debaters” during discussion periods (jiaoliu hui). The language instruction serves to develop the Americans’ language skills for classroom management and instruction, while making cross-cultural communication a central feature of each schools’ team dynamics.
Ongoing Support
Continued support for new teachers is essential for cultivating effective educators, especially in challenging classroom environments.
Teach for China staff work in partnership with school, district, and county partners to implement an ongoing support and professional development approach that adapts Chinese and Western best practices to the local context.
Teach For China’s Training and Support staff based primarily in local placement communities, gather information about Fellow and student performance and work to help each Fellow to maximize their impact in the classroom. Members of the Training and Support team also interact regularly with school administrators and local officials and support strong cross-cultural team dynamics.
The Training and Support Staff's Program Managers are placed in the field and work throughout the school year to coach new Fellows to become more effective teachers. Many Program Managers are former top-performing Teach For China Fellows, or veterans of other Teach For All programs. Program Managers bring extensive experience in under-resourced classrooms and in the Teaching As Leadership methodology to their work and provide continuing training, observation, and coaching to each Fellow. They also are a nearby resource and first-line of intervention for health, regulatory, or “shenghuo” life or culture-related issues, as well as any emergencies encountered by Fellows.
Other professional development and ongoing support initiatives include:
- Professional Development Conferences, which combine guided feedback, input from outside pedagogy experts, and real-time training in classrooms. These conferences provide Fellows and local teachers an opportunity to share best practices and develop solutions to common challenges.
- Mentor support from experienced local teachers and principals
- Monthly meetings between school administrators and TFC’s support staff
