Group 8: Group Learning Solution

Supporting Chinese Students in Adapting to UK Student-Centred Learning

Group 8 members:
Xinyi Gao
Yiru Li
Xiaohui Dai
Xiaoya Fang
Xiaoning Ma

Part 1: Quiz

Take this short quiz to reflect on your current learning style and see how closely it aligns with the student-centred approach:

*Tip: Please remember the letter (A or B or C) you choose when selecting the option.

The link👉  Quiz

Part 2: Understanding Student-Centred Learning in the UK

1. What is student-centred learning?

Student-centred learning is a modern educational strategy which is focused on the learner's place at the center of learning. It is interested in students' differences, interests and learning styles, and encourages students to construct knowledge by active participation, cooperative learning and critical thinking. According to this concept, the role of the teachers has been significantly changed: they are no longer information distributors but mentors, resources providers and facilitators of learning, committed to creating an empowering and interactive learning environment so that students can achieve deep learning and personal growth through experimentation and reflection (Weimer, 2013).

Its core features include

Active learning: such as group discussions, case analysis, class debates, etc.

Teacher as facilitator: teachers provide guidance and support rather than 'lecturing'.

Emphasis on critical thinking: students need to analyse, evaluate and even challenge existing views.

Personalised learning: paying attention to the interests, background and pace of each student.

Reflection: learning is not just about "doing the task", but also about thinking and meaning.

This style of learning helps to develop students' independence, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and is particularly suited to higher education in a multicultural context.

2. Why is it challenging for Chinese students?

The majority of Chinese international students tend to be perplexed, embarrassed and even irritated when they are first introduced to such pedagogy. The embarrassment can be mostly attributed to the following aspects:

1) Contrast of traditional teaching background

Most Chinese students have been familiar with 'teacher-centred' pedagogy since childhood. The class structure is formal, the teachers are more autocratic and the students are used to listening, note-taking and writing exercises. They do not even share their views or participate in class discussions (Jin and Cortazzi, 2006).

2) Fear of making mistakes and face-saving culture

The mindset of "being shy to speak mistakes" is prevalent in Chinese culture. Students are afraid of losing face when they make mistakes in speaking, so they'd rather not speak and not participate.

3) Lack of training in critical thinking

Since domestic education emphasizes standard answers and examination techniques, many students reproduce textbooks or cite authorities in writing and discussion, and lack experience in expressing individual opinions and questioning authority.

4) Language and cultural barriers

It is challenging for many international students to carry out classroom discussion and express abstract ideas in the English language, and cultural differences exacerbate the issue of participation.

Part 3: Video - How can Chinese students adapt and thrive?

This video is concerned with foreign students' study experience and entails single cases that suggest the different situations Chinese foreign students may encounter during their foreign study life, presenting a new perspective for foreign students from other educational systems (such as China).

The video states that critical thinking is used to reflect the richness of students' thinking and is considered to be one of the most vital thinking abilities and an important indicator of the quality of students' learning (Alsaleh, 2020). However, Chinese international students do not voice opposition or provide counter-opinions in public due to fear or shyness (O'Sullivan & Guo, 2010). At the same time, it is believed that the majority of students subconsciously understand criticism as disrespect, and this directly influences their courage to ask questions and express doubts during classes. British classrooms encourage students to be brave in asking questions. In master's level education in the UK, students are expected to exhibit critical thinking when writing and studying to meet course requirements and grade standards (Fakunle et al., 2016). The majority of Chinese students suffered from poor performance during the first semester since they were not familiar with critical thinking, and afterward comprehended its importance through comments, and critical thinking was viewed as a watershed moment that turned success and failure into academic performance.

Why should this video be watched? 

Video on the web has an important part to play in learning, especially in tertiary education, because it enhances the learning process for students and provides a more adaptable way of learning. This video communicates a key message to learners in a simple and clear way: in the UK, mistakes are part of the learning process, not failure. This concept lessens the nervousness of making language mistakes by foreign students and allows them to speak confidently and participate actively. At the same time, the video emphasizes critical thinking in British education and encourages students to raise 'why' or 'how', which is a change in thinking for Chinese students who have been used to test-based education. Finally, the video uses real conversation and a casual environment to convey the warm message of "you are not alone" and "you can do it all," helping international students to build confidence and adapt more easily to studying and living abroad.

AI Acknowledgement Statement

Some content in this blog quotes and uses artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT) to refine the language and offer structural assistance. All the views and expressions are filtered and modified by the author to ensure genuineness and originality. The AI tools are utilized in this blog solely for making the expression more effective and the content clearer, not as a replacement for the author's thought and writing process.

References

Alsaleh, N. J. (2020). Teaching Critical Thinking Skills: Literature Review. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 19(1), 21-39.

Fakunle, L., Allison, P. and Fordyce, K. (2016). Chinese postgraduate students' perspectives on developing critical thinking on a UK education masters. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 5(1), pp.27-38.

Jin, L. and Cortazzi, M. (2006). Changing Practices in Chinese Cultures of Learning. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 19(1), pp. 5-20. doi: 10.1080/07908310608668751.

O'Sullivan, M. W., & Guo, L. (2010). Critical thinking and Chinese international students: An East-West dialogue. Journal of contemporary issues in education, 5 (2).

Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. 2nd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.