The Luohu Future School opened in September 2021. With advanced infrastructure facilities and modern management, the school represents Luohu’s latest efforts to innovate its education sector.
The school breaks with conventions that usually dictate grade and class. Its classrooms are equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows, connecting the classrooms with outdoor space and bringing different classrooms closer.
Liu Rongqing, a researcher with the Luohu Education Bureau and head of the school, said apart from eliminating the boundaries of physical space, the school has organized activities that involve students of different classes and grades for them to integrate and exchange. However, the value of traditional classrooms giving students a sense of belonging should not be denied, Liu added.
The school also conducts mixed-age learning by turning two grades into one big team, so that students can have more variety in choosing the classes they are interested in, Liu said.
Cai Linying, head of the student cohort covering grade one and grade two, said the cohort is divided into six sub-groups, and the teachers will instruct the groups in different contents based on what they have and have not grasped.
There are no fixed offices for teachers. Sometimes, their desks are placed in the back row of the classrooms so that students can communicate with them conveniently.
Every student has an individual tutor, who oversees and records their studies, life and mental well-being. These records are then transformed into big data, which the school uses to quickly identify problems students may be facing, and cooperate with teacher and parents to solve them.
These dramatic changes represent a challenge to teachers as well. To address the challenge, Liu suggests that all the teachers should be prepared and that they should pay more attention to the students’ learning quality.
Liu said students should be the leading actors and enjoy more opportunities to reach their full potential in the school. By doing so, not only students can identify their shortcomings and proactively seek guidance for self-improvement, the teachers can also learn from students and gradually adjust their teaching methods.
Du Qingwei, a grade seven teacher, said that the teachers allow some students to teach their peers in the class to inspire their learning motivation.
To help teachers adapt to the new teaching styles, the school has organized training seminars and teaching competitions, and invited education experts to offer insights.
The parents say their children enjoy the new campus life in Luohu Future School, after adapting to the novel education environment. Pupils in younger grades have become more independent, and the older students have acquired more skills, including logical thinking and eloquence.