金秋东西环球对话—剑桥课程在西外土壤中的生长（图）
2018-06-13
2017-09-05 西外小初高双语国际课程部
文/胡文宁 英文/Enrico Piccinini 图/郝辰 编辑/胡莹莹
On Friday, September 1st, 2017, Michael O’Sullivan, the CEO of Cambridge International Examinations, visited Xiwai International School and attended Xiwai’s opening ceremony. Also visiting were Dr. Jing Zhao, Cambridge Regional Director for East Asia; Yvonne Huang, Senior Manager for East China; and Kelvin Shi, Manager for East China. The Cambridge delegation was here to mark Xiwai’s entry into the global community of Cambridge schools. After a ceremony that showcased Xiwai’s unique bilingual and cross-cultural characteristics, Mr. O’Sullivan and his fellow guests spent the rest of the morning touring Xiwai and engaging in lively discussions with Dr. Lin Min and other Xiwai leaders.
Mr. O’Sullivan shared his view that the most important measure of education is whether it can create self-motivated learners – that is, students who think and learn independently. He argued that if teachers cannot do this, then they have failed in their mission. He also spoke about the dangers of falsely identifying “traditional” education as the problem with many of today’s school systems. What many consider “traditional” education (i.e., rote learning, memorization, and too much emphasis on scores), Mr. O’Sullivan noted, is actually a product of modern education. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, the idea developed that education should be accessible to everyone, regardless of social class. This had many positive effects. But by opening up education to such large numbers of people, it has also made schooling more “industrial” in the way it is applied. Overcoming this, Mr. O’Sullivan claimed, is a key challenge faced by education systems everywhere, whether in China, Europe, North America, or any other part of the world.
The Xiwai and Cambridge teams also discussed the exciting opportunities – and the challenges – ahead for both organizations. For Cambridge, the main question will be how to adapt its educational culture and its rigorous, research-based global curriculum to the specific needs and context of mainland China. Cambridge programs are flexible, Mr. O’Sullivan noted, but ultimately they are all based on the same global set of standards, which cannot be compromised. Xiwai, for its part, has thrived because of its willingness to experiment; it has a strong culture of innovation, and unlike most schools of its kind, it has largely developed its own curriculum rather than importing outside models. For Xiwai, joining the Cambridge community means adopting an external structure and set of standards, and this will require some shifts in thinking and practice for those who are teaching IGCSE courses. On the other hand, those teachers will now be part of a truly global education community, and will have access to an unprecedented wealth of resources and expertise from around the world.
The new partnership between Xiwai and Cambridge comes at a unique moment in history – a time when China is embracing international education, while also reaffirming the importance of its own national culture, heritage, and traditions. Though skillfully navigating this new era will not be easy, both the Xiwai and Cambridge teams are full of optimism and confidence about the path ahead. Indeed, Mr. O’Sullivan stated that, precisely because of its unique school culture, Xiwai is ideally suited to developing the next generation of Cambridge programs in China. Dr. Lin, for his part, spoke about his goal of making Xiwai not just another Cambridge school, but a Cambridge Professional Development center as well. With this forward-looking spirit, the future looks promising!
Brief Introduction:
Michael O'Sullivan, Chief Executive
Michael O'Sullivan was appointed Chief Executive of Cambridge International Examinations in April 2013. He was previously Director of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and Cambridge Overseas Trust, and prior to that role he was Secretary General of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.
Michael spent most of his earlier career with the British Council. His roles included Director, British Council, China; Head of Corporate Planning; and East Asia and Pacific Policy Director.
Michael has a BA in French and German from Brasenose College, Oxford, an MPhil in Linguistics from Wolfson College, Cambridge, and is a fluent Mandarin speaker. In 2008, he was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services to the British Council. He is a fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge.
中文版
2017年9月1日，上海外国语大学西外外国语学校的开学典礼别具一格，意义非凡。今年开学典礼邀请到了剑桥考试委员会全球总裁Michael O'Sullivan、剑桥国际考试中心东亚区总裁赵静博士、剑桥国际考试中心华东地区主管黄婉虹以及剑桥国际考试中心华东地区主管时钟汇等一行人出席典礼仪式。
开学典礼上，自编微戏剧【当孔子遇见柏拉图】隆重上演，来自英国的剑桥考试委员会全球总裁Michael O'Sullivan饰演孔子，西外总校长林敏博士饰演柏拉图，就在那一刻，跨越2000多年，中西文化开始交融，古典与现代交汇贯通，中国的传统教育思想与西方的哲学理念开展对话。
孔子和柏拉图两位先哲一见如故，交谈了两千年。他们探讨了教育的新路径，联手合作，重新穿越回到西外的校园，开启中西融合国际化教育的新课堂。沙利文先生与林敏博士“穿越”回归本真“自我”，为西外的剑桥课程与考试中心正式揭牌。中西融合的国际化教育是立校之本，西外剑桥课程中心的成立具有重要意义。
开学典礼结束后，沙利文先生和其它同席嘉宾参观了西外美丽的校园，并与西外总校长林敏博士以及其它西外领导进行了深度沟通与交流。沙利文先生认为教育最重要的是创造有“自驱力”的学习者，即学生应该独立思考和学习。他指出，如果教师不能培养出此类的学生，那么教师教书育人的使命就没有完成。他还谈到，错误地将传统教育视为当今许多学校制度问题是很危险的。奥沙利文先生指出，许多人认为的“传统”教育（即机械学习，死记硬背、和过分强调分数）实际上是现代教育的产物。从工业革命开始，无论社会阶层如何，人人都应该接受教育的观点得以发展。这有许多积极的影响。但将教育普及化，也导致了其工业化。沙利文先生认为，克服这一困难，是包括中国，欧洲，美国在内的当今世界上所有地区和国家都面临的一个重要挑战。
西外领导们和剑桥国际考试委员会领导们也讨论了今后双方将面临的机遇与挑战。对于剑桥考试中心而言，如何让其教育文化理念和基于研究的全球化课程更好地适应中国大陆教育的具体需求成为他们现今工作的主要问题。沙利文先生指出，剑桥项目虽具有变通性，但其有全球统一的标准，这是不可改变的。对西外而言，之所以有今天的成绩，正因为它和其它学校不一样。西外敢于实践，追求创新，拥有自主研发的中西融合课程，而不是照搬其他学校的教学模式。西外成为剑桥课程和考试中心意味着将采用一种外来的教学系统和评价标准，这就需要教授IGCSE课程的老师在思想和实践上都作出相应的改变和调整。另一方面，这些教师将成为真正的全球教育界的一员，并将获得来自世界各地前所未有的丰富资源和专业知识。
西外和剑桥课程与考试中心之间新型伙伴关系的建立成为了一个独特的历史时刻–中国接受国际教育同时，也发扬自己的民族文化遗产和传统。虽然想要引领新时代并不容易，但西外和剑桥课程与考试中心的领导们对以后的发展都很乐观也充满了信心。沙利文先生指出，剑桥项目特别适合在西外这样拥有中西融合的特色及独特的校园文化的学校发展下去。西外总校长林敏博士也表达了愿景：西外不只是成为另一所剑桥学校，也要为成为剑桥专业发展中心而努力。有了这个前瞻性的思想，西外未来充满希望！
简介：
首席执行官 沙利文先生
2013年4月，沙利文先生被任命为剑桥国际考试委员会首席执行官。他曾担任剑桥英联邦信托奖学金和剑桥海外学生信托奖学金的负责人。他还曾担任中国欧盟商会的秘书长。
在此之前，沙利文先生的大部分职业生涯在英国文化教育协会渡过，分别担任英国大使馆文化教育处中国区主任、企业规划部部长以及东亚和太平洋地区政策部主任。
沙利文先生拥有牛津大学布雷齐诺斯学院法语和德语学士学位、剑桥大学沃尔森学院语言学硕士学位，并且能说流利的汉语。2008年，他因对英国文化教育协会的突出贡献而获得圣米切尔及圣乔治三等勋章。他还是剑桥大学沃尔森学院的院士。
2017-9-1
