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In today's globalized world, international education has become the focus of many families. If a child does not receive international education from an early age, but switches to international education midway, when is the best time to do so?

In this issue of International Education, we inviteCheng Na, Executive Principal of Orange County International School in ChinaLet’s discuss it together.

International Education: If your child is attending a public school but wants to switch to international education, when do you think is the best time to make the switch? Is it better to switch as early as possible?

Cheng Na: There is no fixed grade requirement for transfer. Different grades have such time nodes.For example, primary school to junior high school or junior high school to senior high school are both acceptable transition time points. Of course, if the goal is to study abroad, it should not be too late, for example, it is impossible to enter the international education system when you are in your second year of high school.

The key to transition is whether you are fully prepared, which includes the child's psychological and academic preparation (such as subject matching). In addition, it also includes independent living skills and social skills.

Cheng Na: There is no fixed rule for the timing of transition, just make adequate preparations

A comprehensive view of international education: Compared with those students who enter international education very early, what advantages and challenges will students who transition to the international education system after primary school or junior high school to high school have?

Cheng Na: In China, especially in primary school, children's language literacy is usually very high and their math foundation is also very solid. Although math education is also very extensive in the West, we are obviously better in calculation ability. Of course, the premise is that the child performs well in the existing primary or junior high school. In this case, after transferring to an international school, the child may feel relatively relaxed, and even be ahead of the international students in some aspects. These are some advantages.

In terms of adapting to school rules and regulations, public schools usually have more rules and regulations, while international schools emphasize personalized teaching and give more space and choices. On the contrary, students may find it easier to adapt rather than feel uncomfortable.

But there are also some challenges. The first challenge is the language challenge. For those students who enter international education from the upper grades of elementary school or the first grade of junior high school, they usually have more English classes, foreign teacher activities and language classes. Generally speaking, there are more than ten classes a week, and even 20 to 30 classes a week in an English environment. Therefore, their language ability, especially listening and oral output ability, will be much stronger than their peers. If all subjects in the system after the transition are taught in English, then the challenges will be greater, including listening and vocabulary reserves. In addition, there is also the issue of adjusting learning methods.

Secondly, there are differences between the learning methods of public education and those of international schools.International schools tend to adopt a self-learning model. For example, when learning a knowledge point, the teacher is usually just a guide, not the leader of the specific operation. The teacher will teach by asking questions and guiding students to search, summarize and generalize independently. Students who have just switched to this model may find the class lively and they are very happy, but they will be confused after class: What is the focus of this class? Who will help me summarize? What is the meaning of the content of this class? These students may feel that the content is empty and think that they can't learn anything. This feeling is common among students who have just switched to the international education system, especially when parents and students are not mentally prepared.

There is also the aspect of ability, especially life ability. Children who are brought up in the atmosphere of international schools have very strong abilities of self-care, self-discipline and time management. These abilities are not acquired overnight, but are gradually formed through long-term school training. When students suddenly enter a system that gives more freedom, they often don’t know how to use this freedom.

An overview of international education: In order to allow children to smoothly transition to a new environment, what preparations can parents and children make before the transition?

Cheng Na:I think,If parents plan to change their child's career path, it is best to start preparing at least half a year in advance.

First of all, parents should communicate with their children in depth, listen to their opinions, and understand their ideas. In the process of contact with children, we often find that some children are very satisfied with their current status and even want to continue to take the college entrance examination. They may ask: "Why change?" At this time, the parents' ideas may not be synchronized with their children. Therefore, whether it is parents or children, family members should have a preliminary understanding of international education and keep a consistent pace. Parents can visit overseas high schools or universities with their children, especially if conditions permit. If switching from public education to international education, the goal of most parents may be to let their children study abroad at the undergraduate level in the future. Therefore, the key is whether the child agrees with this goal and whether he is interested in the future lifestyle and learning environment.

Especially for those forward-looking parents who want their children to develop in the direction of international education, it is even more necessary to let their children agree with this choice. The way to agree is not to simply tell children what is good, but to take them to understand and experience, so that they can judge for themselves whether it is suitable. Show the advantages of international education to children, and at the same time let their opinions be heard.

In addition, parents also need to consider the opinions of other family members, such as grandparents. Sometimes, although the family of three reaches an agreement, the elderly in the family may have different opinions. These all need to be coordinated and considered.

Communication is the first step. Through this step, the child will first be mentally prepared and realize that he may face such a change. He will think about whether this change is good or bad for him, whether it will face challenges, and parents should pay attention to observe whether the child has resistance.

If we have passed this stage and determined the direction, then we need to discuss together what preparations need to be made in terms of specific abilities? What preparations need to be made psychologically? For example, the level of classmates we will meet in the future, how to make friends, and the academic requirements for us. We can use this half year to prepare for these changes. This kind of preparation is not limited to the psychological and ability aspects, but also requires giving children time to accept and adapt to these changes.

Cheng Na: Before switching to international education, we must first reach a consensus within the family

International Education: International schools may also accept some students who change their education. Will the school provide corresponding support measures to help children adapt to the new learning environment?

Cheng Na:This question is actually very important, and each school may have different practices. In addition to the activities that parents need to take their children to participate in, the support that schools can provide mainly includes the following aspects: First, many international schools usually organize experience activities or experience days every weekend, especially before enrollment in September, or hold bridging courses and camps. If parents can take their children to participate in these activities, they will have a better understanding of the school. It is not vivid and three-dimensional to understand the school only through the text on paper. If students can walk into the campus in person, or even participate in classes or activities, they can directly feel the school's campus culture, teacher style and other information. This experience is very helpful for both parents and students.

Secondly, the experience we have gained from running the school for many years is that after confirming the intention to enroll, we will start to improve the students' learning ability and supplement the knowledge points to ensure that the students can make a good academic connection when school starts. Although public education is very in-depth in some knowledge points, it does not completely overlap with the knowledge points and ability requirements in the international education system. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a few months in advance.

If children have been warmed up and connected before school starts, the effect will be much better than rushing to adapt on the first day of school. Of course, different stages of education, such as primary school to junior high school or junior high school to high school, may have different transition and support measures.

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