POSTED 08/27/2015 02:00PM

DCB Wins British International School Award!

DCB is proud to announce that we have won our second British International
School Award! The ceremony took place in London on 23 January and saw
DCB recognised in the Teaching Initiative of the Year category for our
Blended Maths programme.
Eleven schools applied for this distinction with four schools shortlisted, and
DCB named as the final winner! In the award announcement, DCBs
programme was described as individualised and contemporary. The
Colleges Head of Maths Camille Brown and Deputy Head of Senior School
Chris Stanley were in attendance to accept the prestigious accolade.
This achievement has certainly been a whole department effort, said Ms
Brown. I am extremely proud of our teachers who took the risk in building and
delivering instruction using this teaching and learning model, College
leadership for their support, and to parents and students who have been open
to this new scheme.
DCB won the overall award for British International School of the Year in 2011,
and it is truly wonderful to be recognised again.
To win the British International School Award is delightful news for Dulwich
College Beijing and recognition of the innovation, creativity, and risk taking
that constitute the Dulwich educational environment, said DCB Headmaster
Simon Herbert. Well done to the DCB Maths Department for the Blended
Learning project. We are very proud to have won this award among such
strong global competition.
The College once again gives thanks to all of our parents and students who
offered their support during the pioneering of the Blended Maths Programme.
To learn more about our Blended Maths, click this link http://www.dulwich-
beijing.cn/page.cfm?p=911
Read more about The British Internatinal School Award
here http://www.bismagazine.co.uk/awards/about/
Flip the Script Dulwich successfully subverts its approach to
Mathematics
 DCB Year 7 student Cameron throws the paper airplane he made for his
mathematics class

Cameron throws his paper airplane, and watches with glee as it sails past his
classmates. Despite how that sounds, he isnt acting up instead, he is
following his teachers instructions. The 12-year-old American student,
enrolled in Year 7 at Dulwich College Beijing (DCB), designed the airplane as
one of his mathematics class projects.

And thats not the only revolutionary aspect of the course. In fact, its entire
curriculum has been turned inside out in a new flipped classroom model that
is designed to put the onus on students, rather than have them sitting and
listening for too long.

The best thing about this is that its independent learning. They are
completely in charge of their own progress, says Bernard DSouza, who hails
from England and teaches Year 5-13 mathematics at DCB, of the schools
flipped classroom approach. He goes on to describe how the model works:
teachers don't lecture in class, but instead make instructional videos during
their prep time with clear, eye catching graphics and animations. Students are
tasked with watching these videos at home, so that they arrive in class ready
to work on exercises that test their comprehension, before being permitted to
move on to fun, hands-on projects like designing paper airplanes, or models
of bridges and buildings.

Below DSouza and his colleagues Chris Stanley, who is also British and
works as the schools head of mathematics, and Katrijn Ganne, a Flemish
DCB mathematics teacher for Years 7-12 tell us more about why flipped
classrooms may be the way of the future. Well also hear from the DCB
students, like Cameron, who are relishing this opportunity to take more
ownership of their learning.
Chris Stanley plays one of the instructional videos that he and his colleagues
made for their students

Chris Stanley
In a flipped classroom the teacher is a facilitator, rather than a sage on the
stage. We spend the class going around helping students with the work. By
having the instruction happen at home, as the students watch the videos,
youll have a lesson of 55 minutes with real learning at school, where students
move around and talk about the work.

We have a problem in mathematics classes around the world: setting.

Too often, we have set the students by ability. This causes issues because the
bottom set will have a lot of negativity about the subject. We have now
eliminated those streams in our Year 7 classes. Instead, the students can
watch the instructional videos at home, at their own pace, then spend class
time with their teacher and their peers getting help with the comprehension
exercises.

This new system makes the students work harder, because they dont
want to see their friends get too far ahead of them. Thats more motivating
than anything I can tell them. In such an environment, theres nothing to hold
you back but your efforts.
Its not only teaching them skills, but also independent learning and
organisation. Theres all these extra skills involved, so theyre taking real
responsibility for their education. These are skills that will not only help them
in school, but throughout life in all the things theyll do.

Katrijn Ganne poses with one of her student's creative scale maps

Katrijn Ganne
The biggest benefit is that the students can work at their own pace. I have
some students doing the final chapter right now, while others are taking the
time they need to understand the midway chapters. So they can take it steady
and slow when they have to. But, at same time, theyll see the others moving
along, and think: Ok, Ill do more work to keep up. We dont have to push
them.

The parents are amazed at how innovative this is, because the students
learn how to plan their own work. This approach is more student focused,
because many students are coming to class doing exercises at different
stages of the curriculum, depending on how quickly theyve gone through the
instructional videos at home. That means the teacher is constantly circulating
during class time, and is never at their own desk or standing at the front and
lecturing. Its more work for the teachers especially when you consider how
much time it takes to make the instructional videos, and how much individual
attention each student needs. But that means its more beneficial for the
students.
Flipped classrooms are also very good for English as an Additional
Language (EAL) students. Many of them are very shy initially, and afraid to
make a mistake when they speak, especially when the teacher spends all
their time at the front of the room, on high. But with this new setup, the
teacher is constantly approaching them, and the students are constantly
working with each other.

After they finish the videos at home, and work through the comprehension
exercises in class, the students are then freed up to do more hands-on
projects. One of my students made a scale map, and it was a great cross
curricular opportunity with art, because shed burned its edges to make it look
like an ancient treasure map. For another project, the students had to make a
miniature bridge, then determine how much weight it could sustain. They
really enjoyed measuring how much their models could take, and eventually
destroying them with too much weight. I think it blew their minds to have a
productive reason to do something as fun as destroy their work!
 Bernard D'Souza, DCB mathematics teacher, and head of Alleyn house

Bernard DSouza
The projects like making airplanes, bridges and maps are hugely
motivating for the students. My students especially loved making paper
airplanes with straws, figuring out the aerodynamics and surface area that
would take their planes as far as possible. Theyre striving to finish the
instructional videos at home, and comprehension work in class, so that they
can get to those fun, hands-on projects.

This makes them more independent. Theyll need to know the work very
well, to progress at their own pace, and that compels them to come to the
teacher when they need help. So the environment is much friendlier, and
makes the students more confident to speak to the teacher and each other.

Thats what university is like: youre in charge of doing the work yourself.
You need to ensure you understand the lessons, and do the revision thats
required. Theyre tasked with watching the videos at home and coming
prepared to class to work. And if they choose to lag behind and watch the
videos in class, then theyre missing that face time that they could be using to
ask the teacher about questions that theyre stuck on. Every child pushes
back when an adult tells them to do something, so having them decide what
theyre going to do, and when, is a far bigger incentive.

DCB Year 7 student Cameron's paper airplanes

Cameron, Year 7, aged 12
I like planes. I also like making stuff out of materials that you can find in your
house. I made two planes, and the biggest one flew for four metres, which
was pretty successful. I dream of becoming a pilot someday, so this project
was perfect for me.
 "It was a fun way to learn," says DCB Year 7 student Christina of the paper
airplane project

Christina, Year 7, aged 11

I like doing the paper airplane project because I like making stuff. It was
really fun, and I got to see which plane flew the farthest, and I got to learn why
it went the farthest. It was fun to take what we learned in mathematics and do
something different with it.
DCB Year 7 student Natasha poses with her paper airplane mathematics
project
Natasha, Year 7, aged 11
Ill remember what we learned in this lesson, because it was hands-on. It
felt practical and useful.
DCB Year 7 student Ayo says DCB's mathematics projects are "practical and
useful."

Ayo, Year 7, aged 11

My plane flew for two metres. Im pretty proud of it, yes, you could say that
(laughs). It was a fun way to learn. And Im glad that we didnt get in trouble
for throwing things.

DCB Year 7 student Tobias designed and built his own bridge for his
mathematics class

Tobias, Year 7, aged 12

It was challenging to make a model bridge. I was using a glue gun, but it
was too hot and was melting the plastic. So I taught myself how to regulate
that by turning the gun off and on, and waiting for it to cool.

I just enjoyed making the bridge, because I always like constructing things.
I also learned a lot about tension and design by putting weights on the bridge
in class with the teacher, and seeing how much the bridge could sustain.
Maybe someday Ill become an engineer.