Kerri-Anne Nolan

Kerri-Anne Nolan is the former Middle School Principal of Country Day School, an American school in Costa Rica. She has successfully coordinated the United States based accreditation process for three international schools and organized international conferences to develop youth leadership. She has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Instruction and Curriculum from University of Florida, Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from Framingham State University, Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies from University of Florida, and Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from East Carolina University.

凯莉·安·诺兰，曾任哥斯达黎加美国学校 Country Day School校长。她成功主持了多所国际学校的美国官方认证程序，并组织培养青年领导力的国际会议。她拥有佛罗里达大学教学与课程博士学位，弗雷明汉州立大学教育领导力硕士学位，佛罗里达大学拉丁美洲文学硕士学位和东方人类学文学学士学位。

“Education is a social process; education is growth.”

“教育是一个社会过程，亦是一种成长。”

——John Dewey

——约翰 · 杜威

约翰 · 杜威(1859-1952)是美国最伟大的思想家、哲学家和教育改革家之一。他坚信，创造一个由见多识广、积极参与的探究者组成的社会，是促进人类兴趣增长和成长的最佳途径。

杜威博士对教育的先进观点，即当孩子们天生的好奇心被激发时，他们的学习效果最好，这一点也被融入到国际文凭(IB)的哲学中。我相信，IB课程框架与中文课程的融合，可以提供一种有趣的、以学生为中心的教育，并为学生应对全球未来世界的挑战做好准备。

在我30年的执教生涯中，我认识到教育的真正目的是成长，孩子们通过实践和与社会环境的互动来学习。我认为，虽然有一些普遍的真理和伟大的文学作品应该被传承下来，但学校的大部分课程应该基于学生的成长经历、他们的兴趣和所经历的问题。虽然我们必须确保孩子们理解并能够运用数学、历史、地理和科学等方面的知识，但学生必须明白，这些不是独立的学科，而是相互关联的，并且具有现实应用的价值。

We only think when we are confronted with problems.

我们只在遇到问题时才思考。

——John Dewey

——约翰 · 杜威

学生需要定期与环境互动并解决问题的机会，了解并使用解决问题的过程是学习高级思维的最佳方法，尤其是在社交场合中，我们在吸收、听取别人的想法时才可以获得最好的学习效果。

一方水土养育一方人。我们的环境，包括文化和社会，使得我们有不同的生活体验。这些经历有助于塑造我们的人性并确定我们的价值观，它使得我们得以成长。传统教育模式侧重于信息的记忆。现代教育模式则侧重于技能开发，例如解决问题中使用的技能。

在新华公学，学生通过项目式学习(PBL)来获得解决问题的策略和方法。

·通过以学习项目为基础的学习方式，让学生认识到现实问题，并设计出解决方案，进行方案检测。

·学生是学习的中心，在他们的成长过程中能够与老师和伙伴们一起解决问题。

·在常规教学活动中，老师为学生提供帮助，指导他们解决问题。

·以团队合作的方式完成集体项目，从而学习如何为实现共同目标做出计划，分配任务，充分交流，并能相互负责。

学生会组织“期末总结演讲”

教授学生领导力和解决问题的能力是件很重要的事情，因为我们知道我们的学生将成为未来的领导者，并且将会独立解决许多问题。教学不仅仅是教师的指导，还意味着关注孩子的需求和感受，以促进他们学习。学校必须营造一种氛围，使学生们可以放心地表达自己，而不必担心受到嘲笑。

我很荣幸能够与新华公学一同成长，在这里，我们能够实施这样一种教育理念，让我们的学生充满好奇心和创造力，同时发展成为有生产力的、幸福的、拥有解决未来世界问题的技能和知识的公民。

英文原文

John Dewey (1859-1952) was one of America’s greatest thinkers, philosophers and educational reformers. He believed that creating a society of informed and engaged inquirers was the best way to promote human interests.

Dr. Dewey's progressive view of education, especially his insight that children learn best when their natural curiosity is tapped, is integrated into the International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy. I believe using the IB framework together with Chinese curriculum provides an education that is interesting, student-centered, and prepares our students for the challenges of a global, future world.

Over my 30-year career as an educator, I have realized that the real purpose of education is growth and that children learn by doing and interacting with their social environment. I believe that, while there are some universal truths and great literature that should be passed down, most of a school's curriculum should be based on students' experiences, their interests, and problems. While we must make sure children understand and can apply knowledge from mathematics, history, geography, and science, children must see that these are not separate subjects, but interrelated, and have real-life applications.

Children need regular opportunities to interact with their environments and to solve problems. Understanding and using a problem-solving process is the best way to learn high level thinking, especially when done within social settings. We learn best when incorporating other people's ideas.

Humans are not the same everywhere. Our environments, both cultural and social, lead us to having different experiences. These experiences help shape our humanness and determine our values. They allow us to grow.

Traditional education systems focus on memorization of information. Modern education systems focus on the development of skills such as those used in problem-solving.

In Xinhua Academy, students learn complex problem-solving strategies through Project-Based Learning (PBL).

· PBL opportunities allow students to define a real-world problem and design and test solutions to that problem.

· Students are the center of their learning, resolving their own problems with teachers and each other as they arise.

· Teachers support students and guide them in seeking solutions to problems that are posed in the classroom on a regular basis.

· Students work on group projects where they learn to plan, delegate, communicate, and hold one another accountable for meeting a common goal.

It is important to teach leadership and problem-solving skills because we know that our students will be tomorrow's leaders and will have many problems to solve.

Teaching is more than providing instruction. Teaching also means paying attention to children's needs and feelings so that they learn.

Schools must also provide an atmosphere where children feel safe to express themselves without fear of ridicule.

I am proud to be part of the Xinhua Academy learning community, where we are able to implement an educational philosophy that allows our students to be curious and creative, while developing into productive, happy citizens, with the skills and knowledge to solve the problems of the future world.