Day 3: Wuxi

Today we spent the day at Wuxi Dangkou High School in E'Hu. E'Hu is considered a very important area in Chinese history due to its role in the introduction of science education. Dr. Hua was very proud to bring us to this particular school, his alma mater, because one of his ancestors was a school founder.

We started the day with a welcome from local government officials, the school principal, and two school vice principals. These welcoming ceremonies generally last about an hour and give the school representatives - Chinese and American - an opportunity to provide a brief program/school overview before they express their views on the importance of such collaborations toward the improvement of science education.

We then separated into the teams with the teachers and select students. We had about and hour and a half to talk with the students about their interests and their perspectives on school to gain a better understanding of typical Chinese middle school students. I joined the chemistry team: Melissa, Jackie, Leo, and the JIE chemistry professor, Jun. We met with five 9th grade students: Yidan (F), Danni (F), Wenyu (M), Junyu (M), and Yunjie (F). This part was definitely the most enjoyable of the day! These students were very willing to answer all of our questions, which gave them good practice with their English skills. When asked what they hope to be when they grow up, the answers varied from Chairperson of China to a physicist to a world traveler. Not surprisingly, the girl who aspires to become chairperson was the group spokesperson. We asked the students to list their favorite foods and one boy said he hates rice. The one girl interrupted him to exclaim, "Are you Chinese?!" I had been thinking the same thing so I had to laugh at her response. The male student did quickly tell her that he prefers noodles.

We learned that Chinese students often use QQ, which is similar to MSN or IM. They have cell phones but are not allowed to carry them at school. Chinese teenagers must be 18 before they can drive. They really enjoy Harry Potter and the Twilight books. They also listen to Michael Jackson and a famous young Chinese pop singer who refuses to smile (it's much cooler that way). One of the students likes Joe Army (we think it's the Chinese translation of G.I. Joe). They tried to teach us some basic Chinese phrases and my colleagues were much quicker to pick it up than I was.

The students were very concerned about the lessons the teams will teach tomorrow and wanted to know how difficult they would be. The three participants gave a brief overview of their lessons to ease the students' fears. Leo pulled out the materials, including a box labeled "bathroom cups." The students were immediately concerned about such a product because why would anyone need a cup when taking a shower? So we had to explain with much hand-waving that the cups are intended for drinking, typically while brushing teeth. Just when they understood that part, Leo pulled out the Elmer's glue and mimed pouring it into these bathroom cups. The students were then appalled that they would have to drink the glue! We ended the meeting by taking photos, offering gifts, and exchanging email addresses.

When we left for lunch, we saw many students buying lunch from the street vendors just outside the school gates. he students in our group told us that they have heard the school food is terrible so they get their lunch elsewhere. It costs 5 yuan (~$0.75) for this food. A number of students ride scooters to school. A new scooter costs ~$300. To put that in perspective, teachers earn the equivalent of ~$500/month.

After lunch, we observed a number of classes. The chemistry class conducted an experiment on water purification and filtration. A number of fellows and teachers wondered why the teacher didn't allow for more inquiry-based instruction but the translators explained that this particular lesson is outlined by the government.

The next class was the physics class. My translator mentioned that the physics teacher is the most famous physics teacher in Wuxi. She had students begin class with a meditation period when they massaged the bridge of their nose and the area around their eyes while listening to classical Chinese music. The teacher then reviewed the lesson and asked students to take turns making hand puppets on the screen. This activity was a lead-in to the lesson on the principles of light. The students conducted experiments with the given materials: match, candle, wick, beaker, beaker with cloudy water, and an infrared pointer. They wrote their observations about the nature of light followed by the teacher discussing the theory with the students.

The final class was biology, where students had a lesson on nutrition. The students were asked to list what they eat at every meal then compare answers. Chinese students are very fond of junk food and often ask for it on birthdays and other special occasions. The students conducted different experiments on food. The first one involved placing a drop of iodine on rice and a steamed bun. The second experiment required them to add hot water to egg white and quickly stir. All of the students discuss the different phenomena and why they occur. The students read from their textbooks before they concluded the class by discussing the five good groups (rice, meat, vegetables, beans, and sugar/fats) and the importance of a varied diet.

We concluded our time at the school with one-on-one meetings with the Wuxi teachers about science education and ways to incorporate inquiry-based teaching. These meetings were some of the most important of the trip because they

The Purdue group returned to our hotel for another big meal with the school administrators, government officials, Dr. Hua, and the JIE mentors. Thankfully it was alcohol-free, to allow us time to prepare for tomorrow.

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