With the Chinese Lunar Calendar marking the Start of Winter, we have reached a season for reflection and preparation. Our BCISers have had an eventful year, but there is little time to rest, as we look to plan the future of our school together. At the beginning of the month, BCIS hosted the first in a series of panel discussions open to our students, family members, and community, titled: “Shaping our Future”. The purpose of this intimate conversation was to come together to discuss the rapidly changing educational environment, at BCIS, in China and around the world. What will the future look like? “Shaping our Future” may not have all the answers, but it will provide a forum to discuss and take charge of our future of BCIS! 

Changes, and challenges in a post-pandemic world 

On November 2nd, audience and panel members came together for a lively evening, sharing ideas on the future of education at BCIS. Comfortably seated on an intimate and cozy array of couches, the four panelists invited our audience to share their input as well, as this would be a night of open discussion including the entirety of our wonderful BCIS community. Speakers for the night included current Grade 12 IB Diploma Programme student, Christina; alumni,  and soon to be PhD student at Tsinghua University, Tian, BCIS parent and Distribution Manager for Universal Pictures, Kathy; and noted psychologist, Dr. Theo. They would all join our host for the evening, Head of School, Tom, to bring wide ranging perspectives on the importance of keeping connected in a post-pandemic world, and how BCIS can adapt to continue preparing our students for the future. 

When asked about the challenges brought about by the pandemic, our guests were able to use their extensive experience to discuss both the negatives and positives brought about by the rapid unforeseen changes Tian, who is currently completing a master’s program at the University of Chicago, explained some of the benefits from the new educational model of remote learning, stating, “Knowledge and information are no longer constrained by geographic limitations.” He described this new access to knowledge as an important advantage for schools to keep in mind, saying, “From such a perspective, COVID actually fosters this kind of communication, cultural exchange, and international education.” 

However, as many of our guests expressed, the pandemic also brought about many hardships for students and educators alike. Although some learners benefit from the access to information and flexibility of scheduling that accompanies online and hybrid educational models, others struggle to keep up. Hearing these perspectives from our panelists and community members demonstrated the importance of BCIS continuing to find innovative and future-focused ways to follow its mission of “empowering and inspiring” students. The focus on transferable skills and learning impacts that is already a key part of the curricula at BCIS is important in preparing our students with the tools they need to deal with any future challenges, some that we may not even imagine. 

The importance of skills, wellness, and passion for BCISers 

Christina, who is currently in Grade 12 at BCIS, expressed how the school helped her gain valuable skills that helped her in her studies and prepared her for life beyond. She believes that leadership is one of the most valuable traits she has gained at BCIS, and it even helped her win the Future Business Leaders of America competition this past year! She described how she was inspired to learn this talent from her fellow classmate, stating, “I was first introduced to this competition when I was in Grade 10, and it was a senior named Lisa who introduced me to it. It was her who helped me get materials and get books and go through the competition. This inspired me of some important leadership traits that people should possess to be a good leader.” Leadership is an important characteristic for people to possess in a post-pandemic world, and the collaborative learning opportunities offered at BCIS help students to access such skills while pursuing their passions. 
Enrichment Activities, such as the business EA and competitions that our students are involved in, are a great way for students to gain practical experience in their fields of interest. As someone passionate about her exciting career in the movie business, Kathy was able to advise students on the importance of enthusiasm in work and learning, saying, “Try to be a dreamer. Try to be positive. People may call you a dreamer, but it’s not a bad thing to me. Just try to think what you do is meaningful.”  

Our school creates opportunities for students to discover meaning in their work, helping them to find their path for future endeavors. Taking an individualized approach, our school advisors and counselors assist students in their daily tasks as well as help them achieve their long-term goals. An important focus here at BCIS is on wellness, which may become even more important in the coming years. As Dr. Theo said when asked about the added stress during the time of the pandemic, “During the pandemic, for every single one of us alive, every mechanism, every way that our life was, had become shifted. Schools will eventually have to take care of and tend to these issues.” BCIS will continue to work hard in supporting student and staff wellness and support each other as a community. 

Wellbeing is certainly one of the integral parts to the future of schools all over the world. Ellen, one of the parents in the audience, commented about another important aspect for schools, stating, “What is the future function of school? I think it’s more on the social-emotional and community side.” BCIS prides itself on its strong community and will continue to rely on the wonderful contributions from our community members going forward. While we cannot be certain of the future, we are sure our students will continue to enjoy a forward-thinking education in a welcoming and inspiring learning environment. 

Shaping our future at BCIS 

BCIS is already working on many of the issues mentioned in our “Shaping our Future” event. The robust Advisory Program and student counselors work for the wellbeing of our learners. Meanwhile, academic curricula such as the Secondary School’s IDEATE program, empower students to design their own academic path in areas of personal interest, while simultaneously gaining important experience and skills in their future fields. Our myriad of Enrichment Activities, which take place outside the curriculum, further enable students to find and follow their passions. Julie, Chief Academic Officer at YueCheng Education, believes that this engagement is what sets BCIS’ education apart, saying, “Our students, from the youngest to the alumni who are now working all over the world, show confidence and passion in what they do and believe it.” As our panelists mentioned, transferable skills, a focus on wellbeing, and finding meaningful pursuits set our BCIS students up for a wonderful future, whatever that may be. 

Our school will continue looking for ways to improve the experience we offer our students. The pace and scale of the changes we face today, and in the future, means we must continue to adapt with and for our learners. Along with the dialogue we engage in with the “Shaping our Future” series, we will be seeking feedback from all over the BCIS community to find the best approaches to education for our students. Our Head of School, Tom, mentions how this stage of reflection and planning for the future is important for us, saying, “This is an exciting opportunity for the school to really think big and bold, and I’d prefer the school to be aggressive and take some risks rather than be traditional and go back to pre-COVID, because the world has changed. I think we’re on the way!” This is truly an exciting time to take part in shaping the future of BCIS! 

“变化是常态，我们要学会适应。教育的生态越好，学生能更好地应对未来不断变化的世界。”

—— Tom Egerton

疫情，是一个不再陌生的话题。纵观历史，重大疫情后挑战总是和机遇并存。

本月初，一场由北京乐成国际学校举办的名为“创造我们的未来”的系列论谈在乐成主校区剧院展开。首场论坛，校长Tom Egerton与来自不同行业的特约嘉宾以及乐成社区成员围绕疫情带来的影响和改变进行了深入的交流和探讨。

特约嘉宾：

Kathy 乐成家长环球影业业务经理

Kang 芝加哥大学国际关系专业在读研究生BCIS 2017届校友

Christina 乐成对商科拥有浓厚的兴趣的12年级学生

Dr. Theo 北京莱佛士医院心理学家与心理治疗师

四位不同行业的嘉宾分别代表了在校学生，走向世界的校友，国际领域工作的家长，还有心理健康领域的翘楚，分别从在线学习的趋势、不同行业的变化和调整、学习的重要技能和正念心理，到未来教育的走向进行了探讨......在这场疫情中，我们不止要思考过去的经验教训，更要思考如何迎接疫情过后的未来。

而未来的教育是什么？也许在这次的论谈里没有所有的答案，但希望大家可以从多元的角度有所启示和收获。

Q：疫情给你的生活和工作带来了什么影响？

Kathy: 尽管疫情带了很多复杂的情况，比如芝加哥大学课程带来的时差和不能面对面交流的问题。但是疫情也带来了无界的沟通，更加促进了文化的交流。

Christina：除去线上课程期间网络的不稳定，疫情其实让我加深了和父母的沟通，让他们更能了解我的生活，并且让我们有更多的时间增进情感沟通。

Kathy：在影视行业，因为疫情很多宣传活动从线下转为线上，其实缩减了很多宣传的开支；因为很多电影可以在线上映，这也同时节省了观众的等待时间。虽然疫情带来了很多的不确定性，但是也带来了很多机遇，重新定义了影视行业的发展。

Dr. Theo：家长在疫情期间可能会因为突然和孩子相处的时间变长，反而导致磨合的产生，这时候最需要的就是有效的交流。同样，从学校的角度，需要认识到每个学生的性格差异和在不同变化情景中的表现，并根据这种差异调整课程。

同时观众席上的学生和家长也参与了论谈，发表了自己的观点。乐成11年级的学生Vivian表示在疫情之前，年轻人似乎不是很关注时事或新闻，但是因为疫情，她更加关注政策的改变并且更能了解世界的动态，并且有助于她创立的“时事新闻”社团。观众席的一位家长认为因为疫情灵活的线上办公，她不断的适应与学习，寻找合适的方法去远程激励团队。

正如我们的乐成社区成员所表示的那样，突如其来的疫情形式并没有磨灭我们积极乐观的心态，反而让我们暂时停下脚步重新思考快速转变带来的成长需求。

回顾从疫情初始，切换线上的学习模式到之后线上线下混合课程，与暂时身处海外的师生共同学习；再到后期的返校学习，社区再次恢复往日的生气，感恩重聚。变化从未阻断社区成员的紧密联系，乐成也从变化中寻找创新和面向未来的方式，拥抱不确定性，无时无刻不在践行乐成使命精神。

Kathy:  首先是你要有热爱自己工作的能力，其次是要有永不轻言放弃的能力。做一个梦想家，做一个乐观积极的人，不受外界的干扰，坚持做自己认为有意义的事情并对社会有所贡献才是重要的。

Kang: 我认为让我有所成长和进步的能力，是积极的交流和沟通。在我学术学习和生活中，受益最大的就是学会想别人请教。个人的能力永远是有限的，向外学习才能向内生长。

Christina：我相信领导力是我在乐成获得的最有价值的特质之一，这帮助我赢得了美国未来商业领袖竞赛。在10年级的时候，一个高年级的学姐Lisa推荐给我参加这个比赛，我当时对这个比赛一无所知。但整个过程最终培养了我的领导力。

Dr. Theo：对于我们每一个人来说，疫情让我们生活的每一种机制、每一种方式都发生了改变。我们最终将不得更加关注心理健康并学会处理这些问题的能力。

听众中的一位乐成家长Ellen表示在未来，学校的社会属性是在线学习不可替代的，尤其是在社交的，情感的，交流的层面。她认为未来教育一方面应该培养学生拥有全球的价值观，培养一种对人类福祉而努力的这种进取心；另一方面在中国的国际教育后疫情时代，最重要的是拥有找到全球价值观和中国身份认同之间的平衡点的能力。

在乐成，未来教育不是未来的教育，而是帮助学生创造未来的教育。 

在多种多样的课外活动中，我们的学生在他们感兴趣的领域不断发掘潜力并获得实践经验，帮助他们找到未来努力的道路。在乐成，我们重视学生向外探索的能力培养和向内探索的思维构建，每个人都是自己和这个世界的叙事者和创作者。

比如今年早些时候，乐成小学生自制的公益微电影《19》先后入围釜山国际儿童电影节Ready-Action决赛单元、斩获首届全国少年儿童短视频征集活动“最佳短片奖”以及Lunchbox Imagination国际儿童电影节最佳影片奖等多项殊荣，就是一次小学生个人及团队探究项目的过程及结果呈现。我们希望通过探究学习，激发学生的求知欲和培养学生自主学习的能力；以未来为导向，帮助学生逐步成长为终身学习者。

而中学，乐成自主研发的特色创思课程（IDEATE），则为学生提供了另一种创新的、面向未来的教学方案和个性化升学选择。学生有足够的自由和时间空间去探索、尝试和实现自己的天马行空，可以自我把控和管理时间用于感兴趣的项目和为此需要的专业技能上，提前为未来做好准备。

提到未来的规划，乐成教育总学监Julie Lawton告诉我们：“我们将让整个社区参与到未来的计划中来，做好进一步的反思和规划。同时也会继续保持开放的对话，了解我们周围世界的变化以及当今的需求。变化是不可避免的，我们应该学会拥抱不确定性。”

“对于学校来说，变化其实是令人兴奋的机会。瞬息万变的世界要求教育工作者不能一味地做同样的事，我们应该着眼未来，不断反思，保持创新，大胆尝试，以此更好地为学生持续赋能，让他们不仅可以从容面对未来变化，更拥有在不断变化的环境中创造未来的能力。” 乐成国际学校校长Tom Egerton 如是说。

Egerton认为变化是常态，我们要学会适应。教育的生态越好，学生能更好地应对未来不断变化的世界。

乐成将继续拥抱变化，多元融合并共同创造出更为绚烂夺目、卓尔不同的未来火光！

Beijing City International School

北京乐成国际学校

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文章转载自：【北京乐成国际学校】