Parent Workshop: A two-way journey to empower parents as educational ‘partners’

Education has always been a collaborative process involving more than just one person.

School education relies on the complementary support of families, and family education requires the support of schools. Both parties cannot independently accomplish the task of nurturing children to achieve success.

At SUIS Qingpu, we have a group of enthusiastic parents dedicated to collaborative education between home and school. They are the ‘educational partners’ in the joint venture between families and our school, sharing the same mission and striving towards the same goals.

Every semester, our “Parent Workshop” project calls for volunteers from each grade, encouraging parents to enter the classroom and share knowledge from their respective fields. These activities allow students to glimpse beyond the textbooks, broaden their horizons, enrich their knowledge base, and understand the vastness and diversity of society.

Grade 1: An intangible cultural heritage enters the Qingpu campus

On 9 November, the father of Cheng Muxi from Class 1D took the opportunity in his Parent Workshop to introduce traditional crafts such as weaving, indigo dyeing, and pyrography, which are all part of China’s precious cultural heritage. These crafts reflect the wisdom and innovation of the Chinese nation. The fast pace of modern society and technological development have marginalized many cultural heritage skills. Cheng Muxi’s father not only invited the inheritors of these traditional crafts to participate, but also encouraged students to personally experience the joy of cultural heritage through participation in the activity.

This activity not only made the students realize the importance of intangible cultural heritage but also sparked their love and awareness of traditional life. They also experienced the beauty and wisdom of traditional crafts, igniting a desire for innovation and creativity.

Grade 2: Sea Jumbos – The mysteries of ocean engineering

Wang Fan, a student from Class 2B, and his father led students into the world of ocean engineering. Through captivating videos and images on the big screen, the development of shipbuilding and the marine industry, the evolution of human maritime history, and the development of ocean energy were revealed. The students’ attention followed Wang’s father, focusing on images of cruise ships, aircraft carriers, oil drilling platforms, and various types of ships. They learned about numerous types of marine vessels and understood potential safety risks in ocean engineering through a documentary on marine accidents.

Through this activity, children were exposed to knowledge that is difficult to access in school textbooks, and a seed of curiosity about the maritime industry was planted in their young minds.

Parent representatives from Grade 3 to Grade 5 shared their views on the main theme of this year’s Intercontinental Carnival, “Discovering Oceania”, leading the students to learn more about the geography, natural landscapes and rich cultures of Oceania.

With her love for Oceania, the mother of Class 3A student, Liang Bowen, showed Grade 3 students the spectacular sights and exciting accounts of the region with a talk on the theme of “A Journey of Treasure Hunting in Oceania”. Her enthusiastic talk filled the children with curiosity and eagerness to explore distant lands and stimulated their interest in the unknown.

With the title, “Oceania, the Outdoor Paradise”, Yin Xinyu’s mother from Class 4A drew a fascinating picture of Oceania for her fourth-grade students. Her sharing of the majestic natural landscapes, the endemic plants and animals such as kangaroos and koalas, and outdoor activities such as surfing and scuba diving captured the students’ attention. She also guided them to develop the habit of strictly abiding by safety rules while enjoying fun adventures.

The mother of Huang Yiming from Class 5G took the children on a journey through time, combining culture and science through the lesson, “A Snapshot of Oceania’s History”. Her carefully selected stories and images allowed the children to experience the depth and diversity of Oceania’s culture, from the details of art and architecture to philosophical and scientific breakthroughs, deepening their knowledge and admiration of the land.

These informative and varied Carnival talks not only increased the students’ knowledge of Oceania, but also sowed passion in their hearts for exploring and discovering vibrant Oceania, encouraging them to continue their journey in pursuit of knowledge in the future.

The Parent Workshop activities fully leverage the strengths of our school community, enriching the curriculum, effectively promoting home-school cooperation, and expanding students’ learning perspectives and spaces. They also serve to realize the comprehensive development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and practical skills, promoting the all-around development of students.

We look forward to more parents from SUIS Qingpu delivering Parent Workshops, entering the campus, getting closer to the students’ learning, and, together with the school, nurturing the blossoming flowers of education.