The 4th CFP Forum 2018 was held in Chongqing Xiejiawan Primary School
From June 27 to 28, 2018, the 4th CFP Forum was held, co-sponsored by the Finland-China Education Association (FICEA), Chongqing High-tech Zone Management Committee and Municipal Education Society. Held at CRC Xiejiawan Primary School in Jiulongpo District, this forum was also held in conjunction with the seventh Sino-Finnish teaching exchange seminar. This is also the first time that the international education forum has been held in China since 2015 when it was held for three consecutive sessions. It has attracted more than 150 primary and secondary schools and nearly 1,000 teachers and staff from Beijing, Guangdong, Sichuan and other provinces and cities to learn and exchange.
The forum centered on the theme of “Classroom Transformation Based on Student Innovation and Development”, and included presentations, teaching demonstrations, discussions, and more. The exchanges and collisions of theories and concepts, as well as the classroom practice demonstrations by Chinese and Finnish teachers, provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the advanced development concepts and practices in Chinese and Finnish basic education and demonstrated and shared the advanced development of Chinese and Finnish basic education.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Huang Qigang, Deputy Director of Chongqing High-tech Zone Management Committee, and Luo Hu, Deputy Governor of Jiulongpo District People’s Government, who delivered a welcome speech. The opening ceremony and forum were attended and addressed by Mr. Wang Bingming, Director of the Comprehensive Division of the Department of Teachers’ Work of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Jari Andersson, Chairman of Finland-China Education Association (FICEA)；Mr. Gao Baoli, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Education Sciences; Mr. Deng Qinquan, full-time supervisor of the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission；Mr. Zhong Yan, President of the Chongqing Education Association; and Mr. Xiong Xiaoliang, Director of the Jiulongpo District Education Commission. Mr. Jari Andersson mentioned that the forum was held for the first time in China at Xiejiawan Primary School, mainly because of the similarity in the spirit of research and innovative atmosphere in education. We hope to continue to work closely together in the future to learn from each other and progress together.
FICEA researchers gave their respective keynote speeches. The Finnish education researcher presented an overview of the Finnish PISA test and innovation education and shared information about the training of future teachers in Finland, the construction of future integrated schools, interdisciplinary learning, methods of implementing outdoor teaching and so on.
A clash of Finnish and Chinese educational ideas – a presentation of teaching practices
Chinese and Finnish teachers presented their own specialized curriculums and shared their teaching experiences with other educators at the forum. All these courses create authentic and interesting learning fields for students, whose creative abilities are gradually generated through the whole process of experience, in-depth experience, and scientific inquiry.
Dr. Dong Li commented on the three exemplary lessons from the perspective of abstract thinking and logical thinking, explaining how to draw on the strengths and successful experiences of international education from a macro perspective to promote the transformation of teaching methods in domestic schools and to truly realize international education on the ground.
Education Swordsmanship – A Meeting of the Minds
President Gong Chunyan hosted a gathering of Sino-Finnish education experts to discuss the relationship between examinations and innovation. According to Tan Jin, Principal of Shanhu Primary School, cultivating innovation lies in taking good care of children’s curiosity and imagination. According to Peng Ya, Vice Principal of Dongfeng East Road Primary School in Guangzhou, innovation depends mainly on whether children dare to think and can think, and teachers should take care of children’s imagination and creativity in the classroom and inspire them with quality questions. Jiang Tao, Secretary of Jiulongpo District Further Education College, believes that developing children’s innovation requires creating a suitable educational environment; Finnish expert Juni emphasises encouraging students to innovate by creating a school culture; and Jari Andersson, chairman of FICEA believes that innovation and the use of technology can be relied upon to promote active learning and greater participation by students.
In the Sino-Finnish teaching exchange seminar from June 29 to July 3, representative teachers from various subjects at Xiejiawan Primary School reported to experts the results and apprehensions after the in-depth education training in recent years. Finnish experts brought the teachers thematic reports that included teaching objectives, teaching content, teaching activity design and teaching evaluation regarding different subjects. During the five days of workshops, presentations and discussions, the principals and teachers have really come into close contact with new educational concepts.
(The original text refers to the WeChat platform of Chongqing Xiejiawan Primary School, some of the content has been edited)