On March 25th, Ms. Wenping Li, Executive Principal of THIS, was invited to deliver the keynote speech at the KingLead Nobel Prize Innovation Forum as one of “2023 Global Leading Principals”.
In her speech entitled “Enhancing Literacy through Research, Achieving Excellence through Innovation,” Principal Li shared with the audience THIS’s educational practices in cultivating students’ research and innovation skills from three main perspectives: innovation and using research as the path, cultivating the research spirit and enhancing scientific literacy, and building platforms for research and developing innovative capacity.
THIS received the award of “2023 China Top International School with Research Characteristic”
Starting from “Innovation and using research as the path,” Principal Li emphasized that with today’s fast-developing technology, innovation must be an essential skill that we educators need to cultivate within our students. Since the establishment in 2009, teachers, students and families at THIS have been working together to build the school and its distinctive characteristics of “East meets West” fostering creative critical thinkers who have roots in China and are prepared to lead in the global community. We are committed to creating opportunities for students to develop their innovative abilities through research-based teaching. In particular, students are encouraged to think independently and creatively about their research and to develop diverse thinking skills, thus stimulating their interests and building their confidence through research.
From the perspective of “Cultivating research spirit and enhancing scientific literacy,” Principal Wenping Li shared how THIS has been nurturing students’ scientific skills and spirit in all aspects of their education – from activities such as the primary book publishing party, to the required Grade 6 Enrichment class that focuses on in research skills, to the Eastern Art classes and their integration of technology and art.
Left: History Day; Right: Tech Week
Research Mentoring Program
On “Building platforms for research and innovation,” Principal Li again talked about the rich teaching and learning activities at THIS. She mentioned that in addition to the various subject-themed and interdisciplinary activities, the Independent Study Program and the Research Mentoring Program provide opportunities and platforms for high school students to participate in real research. As a result, their research and investigation skills are enhanced. They also learn perseverance and develop resilience to face failures as part of the research experience.
To conclude, Principal Li Wenping asked, “What can schools do to develop students’ research skills?” She recommends schools to link learning to the real world, encourage students to experiment with diverse thinking, allow student to explore their interests, create a field of independent inquiry for students, and consistently provide a rich learning environment with resources so students are empowered to embark on their research journey.
We want our students to start building their research spirit and innovation skills early while in the primary school and continuing on into the secondary school and beyond. Looking to the future, they can become top innovators to create a better world filled with enthusiasm and positive motion!
