金秋東西環球對話-劍橋課程在西外土壤中的生長

　　金秋東西環球對話-劍橋課程在西外土壤中的生長！2017年9月1日，上海外國語大學西外外國語學校的開學典禮別具一格，意義非凡。今年開學典禮邀請到了劍橋考試委員會全球總裁Michael O'Sullivan、劍橋國際考試中心東亞區總裁趙靜博士、劍橋國際考試中心華東地區主管黃婉虹以及劍橋國際考試中心華東地區主管時鐘匯等一行人出席典禮儀式。


　　開學典禮上，自編微戲劇【當孔子遇見柏拉圖】隆重上演，來自英國的劍橋考試委員會全球總裁Michael O'Sullivan飾演孔子，西外總校長林敏博士飾演柏拉圖，就在那一刻，跨越2000多年，中西文化開始交融，古典與現代交匯貫通，中國的傳統教育思想與西方的哲學理念開展對話。

　　孔子和柏拉圖兩位先哲一見如故，交談了兩千年。他們探討了教育的新路徑，聯手合作，重新穿越回到西外的校園，開啟中西融合國際化教育的新課堂。沙利文先生與林敏博士“穿越”回歸本真“自我”，為西外的劍橋課程與考試中心正式揭牌。中西融合的國際化教育是立校之本，西外劍橋課程中心的成立具有重要意義。

　　開學典禮結束后，沙利文先生和其它同席嘉賓參觀了西外美麗的校園，并與西外總校長林敏博士以及其它西外領導進行了深度溝通與交流。沙利文先生認為教育重要的是創造有“自驅力”的學習者，即學生應該獨立思考和學習。他指出，如果教師不能培養出此類的學生，那么教師教書育人的使命就沒有完成。他還談到，錯誤地將傳統教育視為當今許多學校制度問題是很危險的。奧沙利文先生指出，許多人認為的“傳統”教育（即機械學習，死記硬背、和過分強調分數）實際上是現代教育的產物。從工業革命開始，無論社會階層如何，人人都應該接受教育的觀點得以發展。這有許多積極的影響。但將教育普及化，也導致了其工業化。沙利文先生認為，克服這一困難，是包括中國，歐洲，美國在內的當今世界上所有地區和國家都面臨的一個重要挑戰。

　　西外領導們和劍橋國際考試委員會領導們也討論了今后雙方將面臨的機遇與挑戰。對于劍橋考試中心而言，如何讓其教育文化理念和基于研究的全球化課程更好地適應中國大陸教育的具體需求成為他們現今工作的主要問題。沙利文先生指出，劍橋項目雖具有變通性，但其有全球統一的標準，這是不可改變的。對西外而言，之所以有今天的成績，正因為它和其它學校不一樣。西外敢于實踐，追求創新，擁有自主研發的中西融合課程，而不是照搬其他學校的教學模式。西外成為劍橋課程和考試中心意味著將采用一種外來的教學系統和評價標準，這就需要教授IGCSE課程的老師在思想和實踐上都作出相應的改變和調整。另一方面，這些教師將成為真正的全球教育界的一員，并將獲得來自世界各地前所未有的豐富資源和專業知識。

　　西外和劍橋課程與考試中心之間新型伙伴關系的建立成為了一個獨特的歷史時刻-中國接受國際教育同時，也發揚自己的民族文化遺產和傳統。雖然想要引領新時代并不容易，但西外和劍橋課程與考試中心的領導們對以后的發展都很樂觀也充滿了信心。沙利文先生指出，劍橋項目特別適合在西外這樣擁有中西融合的特色及獨特的校園文化的學校發展下去。西外總校長林敏博士也表達了愿景：西外不只是成為另一所劍橋學校，也要為成為劍橋專業發展中心而努力。有了這個前瞻性的思想，西外未來充滿希望！

　　簡介：

　　首席執行官 沙利文先生

　　2013年4月，沙利文先生被任命為劍橋國際考試委員會首席執行官。他曾擔任劍橋英聯邦信托獎學金和劍橋海外學生信托獎學金的負責人。他還曾擔任中國歐盟商會的秘書長。

　　在此之前，沙利文先生的大部分職業生涯在英國文化教育協會渡過，分別擔任英國大使館文化教育處中國區主任、企業規劃部部長以及東亞和太平洋地區政策部主任。

　　沙利文先生擁有牛津大學布雷齊諾斯學院法語和德語學士學位、劍橋大學沃爾森學院語言學碩士學位，并且能說流利的漢語。2008年，他因對英國文化教育協會的突出貢獻而獲得圣米切爾及圣喬治三等勛章。他還是劍橋大學沃爾森學院的院士。

　　On Friday, September 1st, 2017, Michael O’Sullivan, the CEO of Cambridge International Examinations, visited Xiwai International School and attended Xiwai’s opening ceremony. Also visiting were Dr. Jing Zhao, Cambridge Regional Director for East Asia; Yvonne Huang, Senior Manager for East China; and Kelvin Shi, Manager for East China. The Cambridge delegation was here to mark Xiwai’s entry into the global community of Cambridge schools. After a ceremony that showcased Xiwai’s unique bilingual and cross-cultural characteristics, Mr. O’Sullivan and his fellow guests spent the rest of the morning touring Xiwai and engaging in lively discussions with Dr. Lin Min and other Xiwai leaders.

　　Mr. O’Sullivan shared his view that the most important measure of education is whether it can create self-motivated learners – that is, students who think and learn independently. He argued that if teachers cannot do this, then they have failed in their mission. He also spoke about the dangers of falsely identifying “traditional” education as the problem with many of today’s school systems. What many consider “traditional” education (i.e., rote learning, memorization, and too much emphasis on scores), Mr. O’Sullivan noted, is actually a product of modern education. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, the idea developed that education should be accessible to everyone, regardless of social class. This had many positive effects. But by opening up education to such large numbers of people, it has also made schooling more “industrial” in the way it is applied. Overcoming this, Mr. O’Sullivan claimed, is a key challenge faced by education systems everywhere, whether in China, Europe, North America, or any other part of the world.

　　The Xiwai and Cambridge teams also discussed the exciting opportunities – and the challenges – ahead for both organizations. For Cambridge, the main question will be how to adapt its educational culture and its rigorous, research-based global curriculum to the specific needs and context of mainland China. Cambridge programs are flexible, Mr. O’Sullivan noted, but ultimately they are all based on the same global set of standards, which cannot be compromised. Xiwai, for its part, has thrived because of its willingness to experiment; it has a strong culture of innovation, and unlike most schools of its kind, it has largely developed its own curriculum rather than importing outside models. For Xiwai, joining the Cambridge community means adopting an external structure and set of standards, and this will require some shifts in thinking and practice for those who are teaching IGCSE courses. On the other hand, those teachers will now be part of a truly global education community, and will have access to an unprecedented wealth of resources and expertise from around the world.

　　The new partnership between Xiwai and Cambridge comes at a unique moment in history – a time when China is embracing international education, while also reaffirming the importance of its own national culture, heritage, and traditions. Though skillfully navigating this new era will not be easy, both the Xiwai and Cambridge teams are full of optimism and confidence about the path ahead. Indeed, Mr. O’Sullivan stated that, precisely because of its unique school culture, Xiwai is ideally suited to developing the next generation of Cambridge programs in China. Dr. Lin, for his part, spoke about his goal of making Xiwai not just another Cambridge school, but a Cambridge Professional Development center as well. With this forward-looking spirit, the future looks promising!

　　Brief Introduction:

　　Michael O'Sullivan, Chief Executive

　　Michael O'Sullivan was appointed Chief Executive of Cambridge International Examinations in April 2013. He was previously Director of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and Cambridge Overseas Trust, and prior to that role he was Secretary General of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.

　　Michael spent most of his earlier career with the British Council. His roles included Director, British Council, China; Head of Corporate Planning; and East Asia and Pacific Policy Director.

　　Michael has a BA in French and German from Brasenose College, Oxford, an MPhil in Linguistics from Wolfson College, Cambridge, and is a fluent Mandarin speaker. In 2008, he was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services to the British Council. He is a fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge.

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