Lower School

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      The Huitong School curriculum for Lower School will use as its knowledge base the Chinese curriculum standards of compulsory education (CCS).

      Throughout this formative period in a child’s education, the Lower School is committed to supporting the growth and development of rigorous scholars, intrepid explorers, creative builders and resilient, self-aware individuals. Skills and abilities must be combined with hard work to make the best of them. Our students’ innate curiosity will be nurtured, and their perseverance encouraged. In Lower School, we will adopt the Responsive Classroom approach to the pastoral care of our students. This appreciates the strong connection between social and emotional learning, students’ well-being, self-management, and good progress in all aspects of their education. All teachers will be responsible for implementing and supervising this. Put simply, it involves building and maintaining a close relationship with students so that the advisor is alive to the way in which what is going on in a student’s life might affect his or her educational progress. The start of the day will bring the group together to build and reinforce personal connections and community practices which are essential in any successful school and in life. Activities will be varied, from discussion and reflection, to academic work as well as mindfulness.
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      To ensure that students develop from an early stage an awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge, we will make use of a project-based learning approach.

      This academically rigorous approach will not only ensure that students are taught, and learn, the knowledge required in the range of subjects they study, but will also enable them to use this knowledge in an applied manner. Thus, students will receive instruction in STEM, Humanities, Creative Arts, Music, Physical Literacy (and, of course, CLL, Mathematics and English) AND be required to use their varied learning approach inspired by the Yuwen textbooks. Teaching in the Lower School will be divided up to consider an over-arching question derived from the thematic evenly between English and Chinese.Through Advisory and the practice of our teachers, the competencies we want all our students to develop will be integrated into the curriculum. Our City Core Experience and involvement in our Center of Excellence will particularly enable students to develop the combined global and local (“glocal”) perspectives the world now demands. Use of the weekly “Expeditionary (X) Day” will provide opportunities for students to focus on their learning and research projects, including those emanating from inside and outside campus, and, from time to time, engage in broader cultural activities. All this will maintain a synergy of approach with our other campuses.

Essential Practices

  • Children Follow Personalized Learning Pathways

    Children Follow Personalized Learning Pathways

    Personalized learning allows teachers to meet students' needs based on their readiness, interests, and learning profile. It also allows students to be agents of their own development, working with teachers to co-create assessments and rubrics, reflect on their own learning, and decide upon next steps.
  • Social-Emotional Learning Is At The Center of Our Program

    Social-Emotional Learning Is At The Center of Our Program

    Social and emotional competencies are increasingly recognized as critical for children's success in school, in other settings in later phases of life, and into adulthood. As children move through the elementary years, aptitude in social and emotional abilities is critical to each child's overall well-being and success.
  • Teachers Are Students And Researchers

    Teachers Are Students And Researchers

    All our teachers are students and all our students are teachers. Our teachers will engage in ongoing, personalized, professional development to enable them to be lifelong learners. Our students will conclude projects and studies with documentation, sharing their learning with and teaching the larger community. In order to promote the kind of learning environment that develops rigorous scholars and intrepid explorers, teachers and students will learn together through projects and experiences.
  • Dispositions Are As Important As Skills And Competencies

    Dispositions Are As Important As Skills And Competencies

    Skills and abilities must be combined with hard work to make the best of them. Our students will develop not only literacy, but the desire to read for pleasure and to find things out. They will be able to solve math problem but, more importantly, they will see how math becomes a tool or language to solve other problems. Our students' innate curiosity will be nurtured and their perseverance encouraged.
  • Building Cultural Competency Is Critical To Develop Truly Global Citizens

    Building Cultural Competency Is Critical To Develop Truly Global Citizens

    Our students will see diversity as a strength, and will be proof that diversity of background, language, ethnicity, experience, and perspective makes us smarter. Students will learn about the problems we face worldwide and develop dispositions and skills to address them. They will learn how to communicate effectively in order to build understanding and collaboration. Command of at least one other language and culture is central.
  • Children Learn Best Through Meaningful, Interdisciplinary, Project-Based Work

    Children Learn Best Through Meaningful, Interdisciplinary, Project-Based Work

    Students should be at the center of their own learning experience, developing deep content knowledge through the investigation of problems within their lived experience. At Whittle School & Studios, these interdisciplinary projects will be centered around the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, and will provide opportunities for students to engage with their local community and their peers on others campuses. Students will not only learn by doing but will also learn by reflecting upon their learning.
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