Advisory System
House System
At Huitong School, “personalization” is an emergent property from within a complex educational ecosystem, and not something embedded in a single role or person. It emerges from a system in which the learner is guided by an advisor, teachers, family, and experiences to develop a life path that builds on and extends the interests that students bring to and develop in their lives.
At the intersection of our students’ learning is the role of the advisor; the advisor is the homeroom teacher for younger students in the Early Learning Division and Lower School and is the one who leads the advisory group for older students in Middle and Upper Schools. At Huitong School, the advisor fills two roles. One is to be the “point person” for information flow between the family and school, in both directions. This information may be related to informing parents about their child’s life at school so that they can continue to engage with those topics as opportunities arise. Additionally, the advisor’s role will include more formal reporting, which will integrate information from all sources. It may also serve as an opportunity to share “problems” that one side or the other might need to be aware of—the death of a pet, hurt feelings on the playground, etc. The other—and fundamentally much more important—role of the advisor is that of keeping alive the inborn human drives of exploration and learning inherent in our students. Advisors nourish these drives and help students become progressively more competent at managing their own learning. They are the ones who most actively help students navigate in ever more complex learning environments.
At Huitong School, students’ interaction with the world begins at the local level. Starting in Early Learning, students study their home city and other cities in our network, both in the classroom and outside of it, rooting their learning in meaningful interactions with the outside world. We believe that deep learning occurs best when students apply what they have learned in the classroom to answering relevant, real-life questions. It is our vision to inspire, educate, and empower students to be responsible and empathetic global citizens.
| Immersive City Experience | A semester or more in our rigorous, experiential urban studies program. The adventure and challenge of a study abroad program, but at home. |
| Summer Abroad | Take courses at another Huitong School campus for the summer. |
| Full-Year Global Rotation | A year in the Global Rotation program at another Huitong School campus. |
| Transfer Within Huitong School Network | Managed transfer between campuses for families who change cities. |
In our Shenzhen COE, students will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of basic theories, core skills, application methods, and cutting-edge advances in robotics, programming, and AI applications. By organizing or participating in projects related to these areas, they will acquire an appreciation of how technology and art can be integrated. This will also introduce them to the methods and tools of design thinking and project management.
For students in lower grades, the COE provides unique tools and content that allows for the creation of experiences according to students’ development stage and their knowledge of core subjects, especially in the STEM curriculum.
For students in the upper grades, the COE’s contacts with local and global universities, research institutes, and technology start-ups will provide them with a wealth of internships and independent research projects.
